color neg scan problem

[lenschweitzer]

I'm scanning 35mm color negative film as 48-bit HDR. After editing and Scan,it appears as positive. However, in VLT, it appears as a negative and when I try to open in Photoshop, it opens as a negative. How can I get my edited image into Photoshop or into my image files as a positive?

[LSI_Morales]

Dear Lenschweitzer

48 bit HDR color scanning mode generates unmodified RAW TIFF files which act like a digital negative. It means no changes are applied during the scanning process, this includes the positivation of your negatives.

If you want your endfiles to appear as positives, you will have to use the 48 bit color mode (without HDR).

[lenschweitzer]

Now I understand, Alejandro. But how do I process/edit a a RAW negative for Photoshop. Or alternatively, what can one do with a RAW negative?
Len Schweitzer

[LSI_Morales]

Dear Len,

But how do I process/edit a a RAW negative for Photoshop.

I believe other users or perhaps directly adobe are more indicated to address that question, they can better explain what process follows or which tools should be used to invert an image and get rid of the orange mask.

what can one do with a RAW negative?

You can eventually use SilverFast HDR which contains the very same NegaFix profiles to convert the image to a positive and export it as a second image leaving the original as is.

You can download and test the demo version of SilverFast HDR or HDR studio here: http://www.silverfast.com/get_demo/en.html

Cheers

[davidmiller]

This is not a reply, but another question.

(Mac G5, OS 10.5.8; SilverFast Ai, plus Silverfast HDRi)

After scanning the 6x6 color negative and getting the image as a negative, what happens if I invert this file, in PS CS3, to a positive, and the reopen in SilverFast HDRi?

David

[LSI_Morales]

Dear David

what happens if I invert this file, in PS CS3, to a positive, and the reopen in SilverFast HDRi?

Inverting the file in photoshop is not enough to make positive pictures our of your negatives.
Color negatives have an orange mask which is not eliminated by simply inverting the negative.

If your files are 48 bit HDR or 64 bit HDRi and you invert them in photoshop, you will probably destroy the file and it will not be possible for SilverFast HDR to interpret the file correctly afterwards.

Cheers

[davidmiller4]

Thank you Alejandro Morales, I needed that. No. Really!

I have soo many workflow questions, and they would take up lots of space. Is it okay to ask them here on the forum?

David

[davidmiller4]

Alejandro, how long and where does a 48 bit file become 16 bit? Color, not black and white.

[davidmiller4]

Alejandro, How can I keep ProPhoto RGB, my preferred and only working space, constant, when scanning color reflective, color transparencies, and color negatives?

With color negatives as well as color transparencies, finally 'processed' in SilverFast HDRi, and the files come up in PS CS3, what is recommended, what do others use, to lighten the image?

Thank you Alejandro.

[LSI_Morales]

Hi David,

I have soo many workflow questions, and they would take up lots of space. Is it okay to ask them here on the forum?

Sure, you already did.

how long and where does a 48 bit file become 16 bit? Color, not black and white.

The scanner has three channels: red, green and blue. Some scanners originally scan in 16 bits per channel (16 x 3 = 48) and then reduce it to 8 bits per channel.
It means the scanner use the 16 bits at the very beginning of the process.

How can I keep ProPhoto RGB, my preferred and only working space, constant, when scanning color reflective, color transparencies, and color negatives?

You have to select the ProPhoto RGB as your default RGB color space. This must be done in SilverFast under options/CMS. Complete details about color management in SilverFast can be found on our user manual (chapter 7).

With color negatives as well as color transparencies, finally 'processed' in SilverFast HDRi, and the files come up in PS CS3, what is recommended, what do others use, to lighten the image?

I can not really tell what others use to lighten the image, but it is a relative question. In general I would recommend to use curves and the histogram. The problem with the histogram is that it will only displays 8 bits (generally the dark part of the histogram), the other 8 bits are contained into the file but can not be displayed by photoshop (or your computer screen). I believe there is something called "tone mapping" in photoshop but I am not quite sure, I guess this question can be best answered by some colleague from Adobe.

Cheers