Help scanning B/W negs on Nikon 5000

[aidjoy]

<p>How do you get a decent scan from a B/W negative on the coolscan 5000? This is the junk I'm currently getting.</p><div></div>

[vilk_inc]

<p>let me start on a positive note--it's possible and the results can be stunning. i have done nothing else the past few years :)<br /><br />the attached scan may be suffering from the "intelligent" processing by the driver. turn off all the enhancements and try again</p>

[sattler123]

<p>Do you have ICE on? It sure looks that way. ICE does not work with B&W film. I typically scan B&W negs as positives, adjust the black and white points during preview and invert the scan in photoshop. Then I adjust levels, curves, etc.</p>

[aidjoy]

<p>Thanks for the quick replies guys. I turned off everything and rescanned- actually looks like a photograph now. Any recommendations as to where to go from here- Can I improve this scan or is it time to go to photoshop for tweaking?</p><div></div>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>The white object at the tip right of the frame lack detail. How does the neg look? If you see detail in the neg and you want to preserve it, you may want to rescan.</p>

[vilk_inc]

<p>yup, looks like a photograph--and a good one, too :)<br /><br />hard to say with certainty from a tiny pic, but it looks like the scanner captured the dynamic range of the original reasonably well. that's the only thing i look for and adjust at scan time--can't restore missing information later<br /><br />in this case, check the girl's hair and the man's right eye. if you get full detail there and observe various shades of dark grey, not just solid black, you're good to move on to photoshop<br /><br />the highlights seem to have held ok, but again, a quick look at the white patch top right and at the girl's collar might help</p>

[aidjoy]

<p>Ok- makes sense to adjust the white and black points pre-scan to get the largest dynamic range and the most info before going to PS.<br>

Thanks again for the help (I'm new to scanning.) If there's any other pointers you guys have for me then please let me know, otherwise I'm about to start knocking out the couple hundred slides and negatives I need to digitize.</p>

[aidjoy]

<p>Just put the finishing touches on it (re-framed the negative to get as much as the hands as possible), adjusted black and white points, cropped. Ready to go to PS for a final cleanup.</p>

<p>For the record this is a portrait of the director of the Cambodian Light Children's Orphanage and one of his charges. The orphanage is located on the edge of a slum by the Mekong river in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and is home to some 250 children and a few mothers with no where else to go. The orphanage supports itself through traditional Khmer performances including Apsara dancing and theatre. All of their elaborate costumes are made in-house and stored in a locked trunk next to the directors hammock.</p>

<p>Thanks again guys and have a great day!</p><div></div>

[vilk_inc]

<p>...since you mention you're new to scanning--the 5000 is capable of generating more than 8 bits of depth, so make sure you scan and store 16-bit tiffs. also, scanning as colour rather than b&w, then converting to b&w in photoshop, might result in more pleasing gradations. experiment a little (using a good, calibrated monitor) before you commit to a large batch of scans--it sure looks like your pics deserve the best, it's a great story!</p>

[mendel_leisk]

<p>Looks a lot more civilized. Still, I have the Coolscan V and the Minolta Scan Elite 5400 (mark I), and have scanned the same frame of Tri-X with both, using Vuescan in both instances: the Nikon light source does not do a very good with highlight detail, rendering it mushy and blown. Also, it lovingly captures all scratches, especially those nasty ones on the film back.</p>

<p>Anyway, with the Nikon, I'd give Vuescan (Pro) a try. The "TMax400 D76 ci:.55" profile for starters, and keep white point clipping low. A little clipping is beneficial, but the bare minimum is often enough. You can also play with Brightness and Curve Low/Curve High to improve contrast.</p>

[aidjoy]

<p>I'll try both of those suggestions: scanning in color and converting and Vuescan software. I have to say though, I'm quite pleased with what I've got right now (the 92k jpg I uploaded doesn't do the 44 meg tiff master justice.) The white point is spot on as only the tiniest portion of the girl's collar lacks any density. As far as gradation is concerned- this shot was taken in direct sunlight with fill light coming from sand and the wall. Some of my other trial scans of shots taken under kinder lighting conditions are quite a bit better in this area.</p>

<p>It's quite interesting to see the grain structure of the film come through in the scan. It's nothing like the images my D3 produces. Not sure which one I prefer- though I have a feeling I'll like the scanned images better after I've gotten a bit more used to them. I've been looking at files that originated from digital devices for so long now they just look normal to me...</p>

<p>Best-<br>

Mike</p>