LaserSoft Imaging

Dear forum users,

...while starting to scan my slide sets I used the wonderfull name composition feature
that allows to also store some basic settings in the filenames for the scans done.
It would however be unnecessary, if the EXIF data saved together with the JPEG file would
do this automatically for me. I found that the following things are stored:

Camera:
Model: <Scanner>
change date: <EXIf last saved>
Firmware Version: SilverFast <version>

Picture:
date digitized: <scan date>
width: <pixels>
height: <pixels>
maker-note: <hex string of things I am curious about >

I noticed that the string is a little different from picture to picture, but have not investigated
any further. Neither FAQs, Docs or Google search provides any information on the data
that SilverFast stores.

Can anyone give me hints?
Is there any software available that can decode this?
Can I ommit the rough info from my file-naming?

thanks + bye
Tobias

tobbbie,

It may be viewed and edited in Adobe Bridge.

Hi RAG,

...before I check myself with "Bridge", let me double check:

I am intersted in the "makers note" part to be decoded from
hex into meaningful information.

For the other part I already have an excellent free tool called
"exifer" (see http://www.exifer.friedemann.info/).

bye
Tobias

Here is a screen shot of what is available in Adobe Bridge. I know this shows a TIFF file, but it is the same with JPEG.

<img src="/img/forum/file_props.gif">

Hello RAG,

...thanks for the screenshot, as I expected nothing to see from the maker note there.
I checked with all the ADOBE programs I have and none of them revealed this.

This is why i like Exifer so much, it gives you everything that the EXIF tags embedded
in the picture have stored, even if it cannot interpret them.
VERY powerful for those that want to know whats inside and as well very powerfull in renaming
and retagging of pictures depending on their metadata.

Here is what I see with my scans, please find the "Makernote" field there.

<img src="/img/forum/zwischenablage01.jpg">

I wonder whats the content there and I am pretty sure it must be something related
to SilverFast options used for that individual scan.

And, by the way, sad to see that SilverFast does not include the thumbnail into the EXIF data.
Luckily Exifer can do that in on go, just select all the pictures and let it
do it for you!

bye
Tobias

I was using ACDSee the other day and was looking at the EXIF information for other reasons and noticed the "Maker Note" that you have been talking about.

<img src="/img/forum/exif.gif">

I did an MSN Toolbar search and came across the following information. They have a utility that apparently reads the "Maker Note" for the manufactures listed.

Source:
http://www.hugsan.com/EXIFutils/html/maker_note.html
The EXIF data format has provision for camera manufacturers to include proprietary information in addition to the standard EXIF information. This information is contained in an EXIF field called the Maker Note field.

Each camera manufacturer chooses its own format for the Maker Note field, and they do not always publish this format. Through experimentation, individuals on the Internet have "reverse engineered" many of the formats used. All Maker Note information provided by the EXIFutils is based on these "unofficial" specifications, and therefore the correctness of this information cannot be guaranteed.

The EXIFutils provides partial or full interpretation of the Maker Note information for the following cameras makes:
Canon
Casio
Epson
Fujifilm
Konica Minolta
Nikon
Olympus
Panasonic
Pentax

Hi RAG,

..so finally you also discovered the secret bytes
Also the Exifer can decode most of the maker notes of popular Digicam producers, so I need no new tool, but just one that can decode the MakerNotes that the SilverFast is producing.

Well, anyhow after long and painfull step-by-step learning and validating I will drop SilverFast and sell it to someone who believes in the promises they make to produce superb scan results. I will close my IT8 calibration thread with some final conclusions and proof.

bye
Tobias