Workflow advice

I recently acquired a Dimage Elite II scanner and am looking for some

advice on the best method for producing quality scans from slides.

I have scanned a few slides and the resulting images seem to be

consistently dark. I can make adjustments in Photoshop, but would

like some advice on the best approach to producing quality images.

Also, is it worth buying the vuescan software rather than using the

scanner software?

Thanks in advance.

Monte

I used the Minolta Scan Dual III until recently, and I would assume that much of the interface is the same as the elite II. Are you scanning in 16 bit linear mode? If so, you need to manually adjust the gamma in Photoshop with levels. If this isn't the issue, try setting the manual exposure higher. I've used the Minolta software, and stuck with it. I tried out both VueScan and Silverfast. I had too much trouble with Vuescan crashing on my system (Mac OS 10.3) for me to buy it, and Silverfast just didn't seem worth the money to me since I prefer to do my adjustments in Photoshop anyhow. I might still give Vuescan another try, though. I would try out the demo.

Also, for the best images with the minolta, you can work with manual focus, and use multi-sampling. They won't make a great difference, but they can help squeeze out a bit higher quality. You might want to consider profiling with IT8 targets if you want the best possible color. www.coloraid.de is a good place to purchase them.