Best post scan sharpening techniques

[jonathan_montague]

<p>Hi all.<br>

I recently bought a Imacon Flextight Photo scanner. It certainly impresses with the tonal range it can capture from the film but im slightly dissapointed regarding initial sharpness and the more I look into it the more I realise I probably dont know enough about this side of the workflow. of course if im scanning at full res (3200) the image is going to look soft on a 72dpi screen unless zoomed right in.<br>

So far I have been scanning at -120 USM which i believe is 'sharpening off' when using Flexcolour. I then convert the 16bit file to lab colour and use smart sharpen on the 'lightness' channel only.<br>

I have heard about other 3rd party sharpening plug-ins that deal with 'Input' and 'Output' sharpening which I have no clue about ? can i achieve the same thing these plug ins are capable of just using photoshop ?<br>

I understand that until i run some proper large test prints from my scanned files I have no real world way of judging how 'sharp' my images are compared to say a bureau imacon scan using a more modern scanner.<br>

just looking for some good advice regarding best practice when sharpening imacon scans.<br>

many thanks<br>

Jonny</p>

[predrag_vranic]

<p>the best method for me is to open scanned file in photoshop, copy image into another layer, apply high pass filter (approx 1.6 pixels per 3800dpi scan) and then choose "vivid light" in layer blending options. then I first set transparency of new layer at roughly 80% and merge it with previous layer. works as charm, much better than any USM algorithm, grain looks more natural.</p>

[john_a5]

<p>I have been using Imacon scanners since about 1998--on my second one (SCSI doesn't work well on new Macs!)</p>

<p>Anyway, have you done your focus adjustment with the target? I do not turn off sharpening but do modify it depending on the size scan I do (generally 100% 3F scans--which can be then output in similar ways one might work a raw digital file). Any scan needs some pulling together during the output or scan stage--and just like output sharpening, the amount needed must be matched to the size of the file you are working on. I often don't need to ever to any output sharpening or only very little based on the size of the print I am making. Generally, if I do sharpen at that point, I will use "Smart Sharpen-lens blur" in most cases and how much depends on the size of the file (As I mentioned above, sharpening methods MUST be adapted to the size of the file. What works for a 40 mb file will be too little on a 200mb file and too much for a 5mb file for the web.)</p>

[jonathan_montague]

<p>thanks both. John - I do not believe the focus on my model of scanner can be adjusted? its an original Flextight Photo model. The maintenance options menu within the Flexcolour software are greyed out. In the hardware manual it says 'see hardware section for focus calibration options'.... and there aren't any. In the original sales information it stated 'you never have to worry about calibration as its completely automatic ?<br>

If i can adjust the focus then id love to know how ?<br>

also - i know what you mean regarding SCSI. I spent lots of money on the RATOC converter and a port converter!<br>

Predrag - I will try that method of sharpening and see how it compares to my method, thank you.</p>

[jonathan_montague]

<p>Actually I would be v grateful if anyone who has used the same model as i have currently (shown below) could share any tips or advice. and I would love to be corrected about the focus calibration facility..<br>

http://www.shutterbug.com/content/imacon-flextight-photo-scanner</p>

 

[jeff.grant]

<p>I have a Flextight Photo sitting on my desk waiting to scan my last film images. What you say about the -120 is correct. I never bothered with that. I just set it to 0 and left it that way. I use Photokit to sharpen once I have scanned, just as I do now with a Hasselblad DB. I don't set levels in Flexcolor. I prefer to get the full range out of the scan, and make all adjustments in PS. This has worked for me.<br>

There is no focus on a Photo.</p>

[sebastianmoran]

<p>jonathan, I don't know these high-end scanners, but I recommend you get a copy of Bruce Fraser's Real World Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2. That's right, CS2, but the whole book is still completely relevant. Bruce describes capture sharpening, content sharpening, and sharpening for the output device.</p>

<p>This is the best reference, as far as I'm concerned.</p>

<p>Bruce recommends always doing some noise reduction when working with film, otherwise you may be sharpening the noise.</p>

[jimsimmons]

<p>I can also highly recommend the Bruce Fraser book. Reading it will teach everything to understand what sharpening is all about. But the really nice thing is that it guides you through creating Photoshop actions for post-scan sharpening and printer sharpening, and these actions are incredible in what they achieve. I've had to go back to many scans done before I read the book and rework those files. However, the book is out of print, so may be hard to find.<br>

Another option, and very affordable, is Focalblade. I used an early version to reasonable success, but found the Fraser techniques superior. However, the latest version of Focalblade (I upgraded because of a cheap special offer for users of Version 1.0) has what appears to be a lot of Fraser's ideas baked into it. You might look into that.</p>

[adrian_wilson9]

<p>Hi,<br>

I've been following this thread since the start, I used to have an Imacon flextite but you don't want to hear about that, I was interested in the comments made re Bruce Fraser, I believe you can find this book on eBay just enter his name, the results of the search are limited so you should have no problem weeding out the relevant copy.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Adrian.<br>

<b>Signature URL removed. Not allowed per photo.net guidelines.</b></p>

[jonathan_montague]

<p>Hi Jeff, Seb, Jim and Adrian! thanks for those tips I will have a search for that book. I am tempted to buy a plug-in but I always prefer to know whats going on via actions if possible. Jeff - Thank you for confirming there is no focus option on this scanner - I can stop looking for it now!<br>

I mistakenly thought buying a Imacon would instantly provide me top draw scans, but im finding Im actually at the bottom of a rather steep learning curve. the world was a simpler place when it was just my old Epson flatbed!<br>

I'll get there in the end (i hope)</p>

 

[jeff.grant]

<p>There is an Imacon users group on Yahoo which I would suggest is the best place to ask questions: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/imaconusers/<br>

I haven't used mine in a couple of years as I can't bear the pain of scanning again so I have forgotten most of it. There were also some instructional videos which may still be available. Google would probably find them. Flexcolor is a great tool once you get the initial concepts under control.</p>

[jonathan_montague]

<p>Thanks Jeff. Im too scared to add up all the hours Ive spent scanning, and when it comes to re-scanning, well youve been there. I am a member of that group so will investigate any videos.</p>

[Kent Shafer]

<p>There is a second edition of the Fraser/Schewe book called "Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom" published in 2009. It's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Sharpening-Photoshop-Camera-Lightroom/dp/0321637550/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318346980&sr=1-2">available new from Amazon</a>.</p>

[louisb1]

<p>Useful thread. Just ordered the Fraser/Schewe edition. I use Nik Sharpener in post production and I am a V700 user.</p>