LaserSoft Imaging

Whenever I use "unsharp masking" in SF 5.5r06 with my Powerlook 3000(WinME)I get some strange artifacts,that are totally white or black pixels.I don`t get those artifacts,if I do unsharp masking in Photoshop 6.01.BTW the problem is the same with Linotype`s "Saphir Hires"(which is identical to the Powerlook)with their scanning software(I guess it`s called Linocolor,a friend of mine has it).So could anyone tell me,what`s the difference between unsharp masking in SF and PS?
Stefan

I have experienced the same thing with my Linocolor. I am using 5.5 R9 with 98SE. It seems to be a NegaFix problem slides work fine.

In my case it`s not only concerning negatives,but also slides.
Stefan

Personally, I've never gotten much out of Silverfast's Unsharp masking. I get the same "salt & pepper" luminance artifacts that you're describing. Check out my posts under Tips & Tricks for alternative techniques to sharpen your scans.

-Ian A.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ianders1 on 2001-10-07 18:35 ]</font>

But it`s really funny,that Linocolor(?)produces the same artifacts with the Saphir Hires.So the question is,does it really depend on the software and why does Linocolor have the same....maybe let me call it bug?

In fooling around with Silverfast to answer another post, I realized why this problem is happening. It's because the default settings are way too strong. If you click on the little guys head in the Unsharp Masking dialog box, you'll see both "Dark Contour" and "Light Contour" set to 50% by default. This is WAY TO STRONG. Dial both settings down to around 3-5% and then adjust the "Intensity" and "Threshold" settings as would would in PhotoShop.

I guess my first attempts at using the Unsharp Masking in Silverfast were so frustrating that I never tried to discover what the problem was.

Mr. President, maybe you could try to have the light and dark contour settings default to about 5% instead of 50%. This seems to be the only way to get the Unsharp Masking to avoid luminosity artifacts.

Thanks,

Ian A.

Thanks fot this tip,Ian.It works fine this way.
Stefan

hi,
I know this thread is quite old, but I wanted to make a comment concerning the unsharp masking. I have a linoscan 1800 scanner(formerly Saphir HiRes) using Linocolor Elite software and there is (as long as you have a sharp in focus slide) absolutely no need for extra unsharp masking. The results are always crisp and clear. I guess Linocolor is using the auto focus function of this scanner in a much better way than silverfast is at this point.
peter

I don`t agree,Peter.I`ve compared my Powerlook 3000 using Silverfast versus using Magicscan versus a Saphir Hires using Linocolor with a very sharp slide.Sharpness was identical in every case (USM always off).
Stefan

hi,
well that is good to hear. I have been trying out the current demo version of Silverfast for Linoscan under OS 9 and have not been getting any sharp scans. They are always out of focus as far as I am concerned. Unusable at this point. I don't know what the problem is and have been contacting Lasersoft regarding this issue. I hope they will answer me.
peter