LaserSoft Imaging

I have a Microtek F1 scanner and to date have have never scanned any Kodachrome slides.
From what I have read on the LaserSoft web site a special Kodachrome IT-8 reference target is required. My first attempt at scanning a Kodachrome slide was dismal. The Prescan looked very blurry, terrible.Looking at the slides through a viewer they appeared very clear and sharp.
The wording below I took nfrom thec web site.
"profile your scanner with the
new Lasersoft Kodachrome IT-8 reference, the ticket
price for a Lasersoft Kodachrome IT-8 ICC reference
target slide is $50.00"
LA1209 35mm transparency, Kodachrome 50,00
IS THIS THE TARGET I REQUIRE?
Kanga

Dear Kanga.

You need indeed a specific Kodachrome target if you are planning to scan Kodachromes and calibrate the scanner with the IT8 process. It is important to make sure your SilverFast version has the IT8 calibration option. this is not standard in all SilverFast versions and has to be purchased separately.

Cheers

"The Prescan looked very blurry, terrible."

This not an issue that IT8 calibration will address. It sounds like the focus was off or the film is not flat or both.

Frank

Hi Frank,

Thanks for your contribution. Indeed you might be right, however it might also be a low res preview. Anyway, our friend has to check all options concerning the focusing.

Cheers

I purchased a Kodachrome slide target for 35mm Kodachrome slides. I'tried to calibrate my scanner.
I am using Microtek F1 and SilverFast Ai Studio. Focusing works well with coloured 35mm negatives, b&w photo and coloured photos.
I put the slide into the slide holder and inserted it into this body of the scanner as is normal practice. I next pressed the calibration icon in the SilverFast menu bar expecting that the software would search for the target data all by itself. If it wasn't on file in the hard drive to go and look on the web and then to build the ICC profile.This is usually done automatically but this time it never happened.
I next try doing a prescan of the Kodachrome slide.
The software requested target data but I didn't have a code to give it.
When I have calibrated the F1 for regular reflective or transparent scans you scan the target, align the grid to the patches, tell the software where the data file is and let the software build the ICC profile. It works fine but with the Kodachrome slide this never happened.
I have been told that Using such an original target the software would not request any data from you, but it would load any required data from CD or web.
I didn't have my original SIlverFast software CD in my drive.
It's possible I was sent the wrong Kodachrome 35mm target? It has a Bar Code on the slide and the slide is named Kodachrome.
The Kodachrome slides I am trying to scan are not damaged. A friend has successfully used a PhotoMaker by Kaiser Baas to convert the 35mm slides to digital format.
Can anybody help?

Dear Kanga,

Make sure no other slides are placed into the film holder. If the automatic calibration does not work you can deactivate it, you can then place the mask yourself to finish the calibration.
To deactivate the automatic IT8 calibration you can open the options dialogue, then select the "auto" tab and un-tick the checkbox for "Auto IT8 calibration".

After closing, you can perform the IT8 calibration manually.

Cheers