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Silverfast SE 8 - simple questions?


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I'm new to using Silverfast SE 8 ( came bundled with Epson 850).

I must be doing something simple wrong. When I do a final scan of B&W film the end result is negative. I know how to fix it in Photoshop

but the first time I used the scanner my files were positives (as they should be).

I don't think that I'm doing anything different but must of selected something wrong along the way.

My setting :

Transparency ( rather than reflective)

Negative ( for source)

4000dpi, proper file name and path, etc.

Correct type of film, B&W Delta 400

 

My prescans are perfect (positive) but my scans are saved negative.

 

What did I do wrong?

 

Thanks,

Rick

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<blockquote>

<p>What do you feel is better? Lots of people love Silverfast.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>SE is 8 bit only, AI is too expensive so the simple minds use Vuescan.<br /> I usually use Epsonscan even though I have Vuescan with my V700 & V500. I use Silverfast Ai with my Plustek 7600i.</p>

<p>Have you solved the problem yet?</p>

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  • 1 year later...
<p>... Silverfast drives me insane with the non-sticky settings...</p>

 

The non-sticky settings infuriated me. I'd make a change, and other numbers would spontaneously change. And I haven't figured out how to unbundle the scanning PPI from the output DPI and source size. I set output print size to 10" x 10", 300 DPI, input 2.07" x 2.07", and the output TIFF file is 3000 x 3000, because SilverFast says so.. I don't want to do all this arithmetic. I tell EpsonScan to scan at 1600 x 1600 (or whatever), and it does that, without arguing about output size. Maybe I missed something, but we ought not need to study a product's peculiarities to make it work.

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If you select one of the "Negative" options in Silverfast, the program will attempt to produce a positive output file. However if you select an "HDR" or "Raw" option from the list, you will get an unprocessed image file which can be finished in Silverfast HDR. If you start with a negative, the RAW file will be a negative as well. For a direct positive, you need to select a 24 or 48 bit color option (bits/channel x channels).

 

Silverfast is an output priority program, including the size and resolution. If you wish to set the resolution for a scan (input), you must set the image size to that of the original, and the resolution to that of the scanner. It is complicated and somewhat confusing until you understand the process. I'm using the full AI version, and settings "stick." The LE version which is shipped, free, with various cameras and scanners has limited resources.

 

I don't scan much film these days, but use a camera to copy negative, then convert them to positives using Silverfast HDR. The advantage of using Silverfast is its intelligent negative/conversion process. The only thing needed on my part for accurate conversion is to crop the image so that the borders are excluded. In scanning, Silverfast works with nearly every scanner made, with the same interface. There are frequent updates to maintain the program. You an also batch complicated operations, line negative conversions, which cannot be done in Epson Scan.

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