New Profile for Kodak Portra NC 160-2 ?

[pe_bee]

I am using Silverfast successfully for many years and I know how to avoid clipping and other problems with Negafix. But I am missing a NEW profile for Kodak Portra 160-2 films. The old profile gives very unpleasing results with the new emulsion: muddy colors, magenta cast, little details in the shadwos.

My data: Howtek 4500, Silverfast 6.5.5r4, WinXP SP2.

[LSI_Rossee]

Dear Peter,

the new profiles are in the works :-)

Best,

JAN

[pe_bee]

Thanks a lot! I am looking forward to using the new profile.

[dirkp]

Is there now,after almost two years, a new NegaFix profile for the Kodak Portra 160 NC-2 (second generation, made from 2007 on) films?
I get only very unpleasant skin colors with NegaFix in Silverfast HDR Studio using the Kodak Portra 160 NC profile on a Portra 160 NC-2 film (35mm). I tried to change several options (Automatic tolerance to the maximum, Exposure, CCR on/off, ...) without much success. I am using a new PIE Scanner (Reflecta ProScan 7200).
With the scanner software CyberView X 1.20, I get easily much better skin colors from the same pictures. I am not sure, if the CyberView negative-profile is adapted to the second generation of Kodak Portra or not.

Another issue is that the automatic image correction button (next to the zoom button in the main buttons horizontal row) in Silverfast HDR is not accessible using NegaFix. I am using Silverfast 6.6.1r6 in Windows 7 (32 bit).

Dirk

[LSI_Morales]

Dear dirk,

We already included profiles for Kodak Portra 160 NC more than a year ago. See list of supported films at: http://www.silverfast.com/show/negafixprofiles/en.html

Cheers

[dirkp]

Dear LSI_Morales,

could you confirm me that there is only one type of Kodak Portra 160 NC 35 mm - Film? I thought that there were a first and second generation, because of the first post about old and new profiles for this film and because of the inscription "160 NC-2" (2 for second generation ??) on the film material.
I used the profile "Kodak Portra 160 NC" included in the latest version of Silverfast. Could you give me any hint, how to obtain natural skin colors using this film with NegaFix? I tried already a lot of options (see last message), but I can't get nearly as good results as I get from the scanner software CyberView X 1.20b.

Thanks,
Dirk

[LSI_Morales]

Dear Dirk,

Doing some research in Internet, I found a PDF document from Kodak stating:

"PORTRA 160NC and PORTRA 400NC Films have the same contrast and colour saturation as the previous generation."

the PDF can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/ycsr9s4

Towards the end of the same PDf file (page 2), they published the following question with its respective answer:

"Do I need to do anything different to print or scan these new PORTRA Films?
No. The new films are designed to be printing and scanning compatible with the existing family of PORTRA Films."

Aparently the color response has not change that much as the film structure itself. The NegaFix curve should work with the film, perhaps there is an automatic correction in SilverFast which is adjusting your contrast automatically.

Have you tried the Auto tolerance slider on the NegaFix window?
Also please consider turning off any automatic correction in the options menu.

Cheers

[Thomas-5x4shooter]

Dear LSI_Morales (and everyone else!)

After having carried out testing with exacting scientific method and care, there is no doubt in my mind that the NegaFix Profile for Portra 160VC is fatally flawed, and that it is the cause of the problems with scanning Kodak Portra. I have owned my EPSON V750 scanner for over a year now but I’ve only just learnt of this forum, I too have been plagued by unwanted magenta, and general inaccuracy.

The reality of my situation is this: I am unable to achieve acceptable results using Silverfast, as a professional needing to digitise my Portra 5x4 negs - I am crippled by this problem and I desperately hope that this message (and the above reports) will not continue to be dismissed. I am very familiar with film scanning (I also currently use a Nikon LS-5000 for my 35mm work) and I know how to use the Silverfast features – this is not user error or ignorance, so please respect the authors of these reports and do not make assumptions about their veracity.

I also completely independently suspected that Kodak’s changes to Portra might be the cause of the problem – that the profile might have been made for the older film, and having read your message Mr. Morales, I’m sorry but I don’t think those quotations positively rule out the possibility of subtle changes in Portra film that may make all the difference when it comes to the way Negafix removes the orange-base colour of the negative.

I can think of only 2 possible causes for these problems: 1) New, separate profiles needs to be made for Kodak’s later generation Portra films because they are in fact different, or 2) Lasersoft’s profile-making method is flawed.

One thing is certain: this problem is real, and we need your help. There really is no hope of using Silverfast with Portra unless Lasersoft takes these reports seriously. I graduated from BA Documentary Photography at Newport University and as far as I am aware: Portra was recommended over all other colour-neg films by the course leader of the time, so consider how many people must be affected by this problem.

Please help us.

Yours Sincerely

-Thomas

[LSI_Ketelhohn]

Dear Thomas,

Dear LSI_Morales (and everyone else!)

I can think of only 2 possible causes for these problems: 1) New, separate profiles needs to be made for Kodak’s later generation Portra films because they are in fact different, or 2) Lasersoft’s profile-making method is flawed.

Unfortunately we have to rely on profiling targets whcih have been produced by a third party company which has gone bancrupt.
So there will be no new film profiles anymore.
If the orange mask differs from the film-profile supplied you will have to create your own profile with SilverFast Ai (studio).
How to do this is described in our manual.

kind regards,
Arne Ketelhohn.

[newedb]

Dear Thomas,
Unfortunately we have to rely on profiling targets whcih have been produced by a third party company which has gone bancrupt.
So there will be no new film profiles anymore.

What about Kodak Ektar 100? You have some profiles for some scanner brands, will you produce profiles of it for other scanner brands?

[LSI_Ketelhohn]

Dear newedb,

we are currently checking options to include this film.
But I do not know if or when it can be supported.

kind regards
Arne Ketelhohn.