Using SilverFast HD to Convert Negative Images

These are the steps I do to convert negative film images, taken with a digital camera, to reasonably adjusted positives.

• Using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), select the RAW images, and convert to DNG v1.4 (Custion linear, de-mosaiced), and place in a sub-folder labeled "DNG". This is a batch operation in ACR.
  
• Open Silverfast HDR, and drag the DNG folder into the Silverfast preview screen. This creates a multi-image "Job" in Silverfast.
   
  
• Double-click on the first image in the job to create a high-resolution preview.
  
• Set the mode to "negative" and the bit-depth to 48 (16/channel).
  
• Set "Negafix" to the appropriate film type (e.g., Fuji, Superia (Reala)).
  
• Set the raw frame size in pixels, to stay just within the image area (borders or white space affects the color balance). Center the frame on the image. Remember the frame dimensions, then copy the dimensions to subsequent frames.
  
• [You can save and reload the frame, but it also copies the image name, overwriting the actual name.]
  
• Click on the double-folder symbol in the first frame, and click "Copy settings to all frames."
  
• Step through the job, double-click each image to create a preview, then set and center the frame. There is no way to automate this job if you want the best results. For convenience, you can rotate the image as needed, in 90 degree increments.
  
• When all the images are previewed and framed, click the job arrow to start the batch. Select the destination subfolder (e.g., TIFF), then execute the batch.
  

Any adjustments you make to a frame will be used to create a TIFF file for that image. The process is the same for using a film scanner. You can automatically "Find frames," but unless you crop closely in the camera, the color balance is affected.

The framing operation is time consuming, but doesn't need to be repeated later. LightRoom lets you crop the RAW file then do a DNG conversion, but not a DNG compatible with SilverFast.

Here is a screen shot of Silverfast showing a framed image and settings. I was unable to preserve the Job Window.