Re: [Leica] HP S-20 film scanner

[Dan Cardish <dcardish@microtec.net>]

The secret to scanning b/w negatives with the HP Photosmart scanner (at
least for the original, perhaps also for the S-20) is to scan the negatives
as if they were colour, and then use Image|Adjust|channel mixer in
Photoshop to convert to monochrome, and then to grayscale.  I find that a
ratio of avout 70% red and 30% blue gives me a nice image, much less
"noisy" than just scanning as grayscale in the scanner software.

dan c.

At 07:11 AM 22-12-00 -0800, Oliver Bryk wrote:
>I have been using the HP S-20 film scanner for about a year now. I
>bought it as a low-risk way to explore digital darkroom work. As someone
>else has pointed out, it does not have image clean-up software (a la
>digital ICE). IMO the S-20's 2400 dpi scan resolution capability does
>not make up for its very limited dynamic range, very noticeable on b&w
>negatives. I am accustomed to creating images with long scale, and while
>the negative shows that, the scan does not. B&W scans also tend to look
>under-exposed.
>Scanning mounted transparencies can be exasperating, and superslides
>(remember them?) won't fit at all.
>Oliver Bryk
>
>
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