Help with Vuescan and misaligned frames

[galileo42]

<p>I usually scan my negs with Nikon Scan 4 and my older Nikon LS 4000 neg scanner. I get good results, but I want to use Vuescan (vers. 8.4), which I think is a bit better and faster than Nikon software. However, I don't because I cannot, for the life of me, get the frames aligned correctly in the preview. They're always off and overlap each other. This drives me crazy. How on earth can you get the scanner to align the frames? Thanks a lot for your help.</p>

[AaronFalkenberg]

<p>I don't have that scanner, but once when I was scanning MF on my V750, I was getting the same thing: I would select a frame, and in the larger preview scan it would be off a good 1/8" from what I had selected. It turns out I had somehow changed the crop offset. You <em>might</em> look into that, but like I said, I don't have that scanner.</p>

[peterbcarter]

<p>Michel, you really should be talking to the people at vuescan. If it is an issue, I'm sure they want to hear about it. If it is a *you* error, I am sure they can tell you exactly how.</p>

<p>Ether way, I am sure we would like to hear about the solution.</p>

[mendel_leisk]

<p>Vuescan has a frame offset setting (I think in the Input Tab), you need to try values (other than the default of zero) in there. The Vuescan helpfile suggests to hold your mouse where the frame edge should be, note the Y value, and enter that value as the offset. Now, if it should be a possitive or negative value is always the big question. It usually takes me two/three tries to sort it out.</p>

<p>I think the main issue is Nikon's holderless film transport system. Especially when dealing with the first or last strip of the roll.</p>

[martin_canning]

<p>I had a similar problem some time ago with my Coolscan IV and Vuescan. As Mendel indicated there often seems to be an issue with the first or last frames in a strip or roll. In my case I just manually trimmed the frame edge of the first frame - generally it seemed to be "too wide", and that did the trick. I hadn't even thought of Mendel's advice to change the frame offset in the settings.</p>

[Uhooru]

<p>Mendel, thx for that. I found for 35 if I turned the strip on the cooscan one way it would frame ok, but not the other, but where it really sux is on MF on the 9000, I'll have to give that a try.</p>

[mendel_leisk]

<p>I didn't really explain in my second paragraph, but it is generous clear spaces beyond the last frame in the strip that can screw the spacing up. Rather than trim them (I usually want to preserve the clear leader and roll number stamp), I'll just reverse that strip, rotate the scans, and rename those two scans later to fix the order.</p>

[galileo42]

<p>I am so stupid! I have so franctically played with the offset setting that I never thought of trying it at... zero (or thereabout.) Thank you all. One last question, if I may: how many «samples» do you use? Maximum? Minimum? What are the trade-offs of each? I have never really answered that question with Nikon Scan, and always used maximum, the trade-off being awfully long scanning. And some say more grain. Thanks again.</p>

[mendel_leisk]

<p>I've always used 1, figuring the benefits of any more were very marginal. Depends on your quantity of scans, how fanatic you are. Do some tests at various multiples, I think you'll find the improvement (cleaner shadows?) very slight.</p>