Epson V750 Pro - software help?

<p>I took the plunge and bought the Epson V750 Pro. I sold my old dedicated film scanner and got enough money for this baby. The first few scans, for comparison, are impressive. I like what I see.<br>

The software, on the other hand, is giving me headaches. None of it does what it's supposed to do.<br>

I am running Windows Vista 32 bit on a Dell XPS 720. I have 4GB RAM and tons of Hard Drive. I use PhotoShop CS3.<br>

The installation of SilverFast went OK until I tried to get it to work in PhotoShop as a plug in. I discovered that even though it told me it was installing the plug in, I had to do it manually. I had already serialized it and registered it. Then, when I load the PhotoShop plug in, it refuses to 'serialize' and insists on being run in DEMO mode. After paying a bunch of money for a great scanner and legit software, you don't expect this amateurish kind of nonsense.<br>

I used SilverFast for the past many years on my Epson 2450 and my Microtek 120tf. Once I got it going it worked well. This new install refuses to work.<br>

I can get a very good scan using the Epson Scan as a stand alone but it reduces my options and my control. Also, it is a "scan then import" routine. Stupid.<br>

The Monaco EZ color that comes with the scanner will not run at all. I downloded the newer version from their website and that runs up to a point where it stops and craps out. So far, I am 0 for 2 with this horrible software.<br>

Who has had some luck with this? Someone must be doing better than I am. Anyone have any tips or tricks for me?</p>

<p>P.L., why so many sw's when U can achieve most everything in the Shop..? Here's a workflow that might do the 'trick': Scan with the help of 'Epson Scan', with only ICE (if needed) applied. Safe as TIFF, then open in CS3 and go from there. Some years ago I thought I couldn't do without Silverfast. It's a great sw. ICE however seems to do a better job at removing particles & scratches. Everything else U're better off doing in the Shop.</p>

<p>Wolf, I could not disagree with you more. If I am to go through the work of scanning, I am not about to settle for an eight bit colour image. Two big features in SF is what makes me use the software; Multiscan and MultiExposure. Trying to do in PS what these do in a scan leads to very poor quality, when you need it. The control over the exposure is much greater. I bought the second (Epson) to get a consistent interface for my scans.</p>

<p>It's not that the software is problematic, all software has problems. I have had zero issues with my Ai on the Plustek and that is why I was eager to by the Epson version; oops. I have nothing but problems with my Epson SF Ai. Every scanner type is aperantly a different program. My Epson SF Ai refuses to reliably find my scanner (it's working about %10 of the time). Getting help from Lastersoft is like pulling teeth. No phone support (that I know of) and it can be days to get a response from their email support. The quality of their email support, in my experience, is poor. Sadly, I am not confidant that they will even fix my problem.</p>

<p>When I can get it to work, it works great. Too bad for Lasersoft to be screwing up so badly on customer support. Sadly, I think they are the most expensive software in that market. Imagine that.....</p>

<p>There is always Vuescan. It has unique features that make it worth having. My experience is that if your scanner is supported, it will work as advertised. It does on mine. It's a good backup software to use. Because support is so slow with Lasersoft, it will allow you to start scanning now.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Contact the Silverfast people at Lasersoft. You should not settle for anything less than Silverfast.<br>

The image you get from the scan is all important. If you are not using Silverfast you will not have full power and control. Download the latest demo and serialize it with the number you have for the issue that came with the scanner.<br>

</p>

<p>..."Wolf, I could not disagree with you more. If I am to go through the work of scanning, I am not about to settle for an eight bit colour image."... Seems to me we're not talking about the same 'Epson Scan' sw, P.C.<br>

What "8 bit" are U talking about..? Must be an older model with very old sw... The 700 series, as well as some previous models, allow for a full 48 bit large file scan. As I said, if P.L. didn't have CS3 or similar, he would be better off scanning with Silverfast. That not being the case, I'd go with the approach I suggested. But, hey, it's a free world.</p>

<p>Wolf, I was refering to the output tiff file. It is only 8 bit colour. I have the latest Epson Scan.</p>

<p>Ouff, not that anyone seems to care about this here (silly) thread... And P.L. seems to be one of those who will open a thread only to fall silent after getting some advice. But just to set the record straight, P.C., U don't seem to have a clue. Or U don't have the Shp. Or, perhaps, don't know how to apply the sw correctly. Here we go: Once U save a file as TIFF, U close it. Then U open it again in the Shp. U can now perform all manips in TIFF, without losing any of the bit/file size, then save it as a PSD. Or U first duplicate the image as a PSD file and then make all the changes. Same difference. File or bit size will not be affected. Unless one choses to do so.<br>

Over & out.</p>