Descreening and large scans

[jethro]

Hi,
I'm new to using SilverFast 6 (previously used LinoColor in OS 9). I was having what I thought was a major bug, but now see that it may be a specific "feature".

Is is true that when using the Descreen filter on an image, you are limited as to how big you can scan the image? This would be a HUGE limitation that I don't seem to recall in using other scanning software. We have many images that are fairly small (4x5 or less) that need to be scanned in at decent resolution for 8x10 output or larger. No problem for our scanner (Linoscan 1450). But the images also need to be descreened or are unusable with terrible moire pattern.

If this is true, how does one go about getting large scans that need to be descreened. I'm not aware of a simple or decent solution from within Photoshop. Do I have to go back to rebooting into OS9 and using LinoColor? I hope not, as OSX support was the only reason for us spending the $350 on SilverFast.

Please help, we're holding up a deadline to get these scans correctly. Thanks a lot!

[ianders1]

jethro,

This is the way it works, and it's due to the descreening algorithms, so the best thing to do is to descreen in SF, then resize in PhotoShop. The best way to do this is to set the max DPI you can scan at, then select the descreening filter and set it. Once in PhotoShop, resize (but don't resample) to the correct dpi, then resize again to the correct size (i.e. 8x10) with resample checked.

-Ian A.

[jethro]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately resampling up a photograph in Photoshop is not a good way to keep quality high, so what we gain by descreening, we lose by resampling.

Today I just bit the bullet and rebooted into OS9 and used LinoColor. It allowed me to descreen and scan at the proper resolution for the size I needed, no problem. The photo looked much better than any solution I found using SilverFast, and was pretty effortless.

Are there any other options for OSX or is support of this in the future possible? It just kind of bums us out after how much we spent just to be able to scan in OSX.

[zalto]

descreening : the best way = acquiring with sf without descreen and descreen under AI PICTURE UTILITY V6 (freeware) and see the amazing result
regards

[jethro]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, it looks like the AI Picture Utility is a Windows only solution. We need something that is OSX compatible. And it looked like the AI program did a whole lot of stuff we don't need. It does do hi-quality automatic descreening equal to the filters that do it during the scan??

Anyone else have solutions??

[zalto]

hi jethro please try to find "descreening freeware moc osx" with google maybe to find an alternative to sf for large descreen and maybe you'll find a stuff for your mac 8)

[jethro]

Hi, sorry to resurect a dead topic, but I'm curious to know if there have been any developments in this area over the last 6 months since I first posted?

We still need a way in OS X to descreen scans that need to be scanned at a pretty high resolution. If SilverFast is still not able to do this, are there any known apps for OS X that can?

This is still for us the biggest limitation of using SilverFast. We work with many VERY old historic photos and articles that must be used for large banners & such. Most are offset and originals no longer exist.