Re: [Leica] Re: Sepia with Epson

["SonC (Sonny Carter)" <cartersn@nsula.edu>]

Doug and Steve,
    We use a similar process here when scanning old pictures for display.
Many of our collection photos obviously were not processed with archival
intentions (which is why we are doing this project in the first place. )
They change hue at different rates due to storage conditions.  Sometimes,
the only version of an important image is a modern copy neg print.

To make a more pleasing-to-the-eye display of several pics to be viewed
together, I change the mode of A COPY of the scan to B/W to remove the
color, adjust the contrast using "levels" (not brightness/contrast control),
then change it back to RGB.

I then add red and yellow to present a sepia-like tone so all the prints
display vaguely uniform color.  That's easy to do by noting the values you
apply to the first one that pleases you, then using that as a starting point
for the rest of the images.  Then I print them on my trusty ole' Epson.

Regards,

Sonny Carter
Digital Imaging Specialist
Cammie G. Henry Research Center
Northwestern State University of Louisiana

http://www.nsula.edu/watson_library/MelroseProject.htm
(This is kinda slow loading, so be patient.. I have not worked on it for a
while)

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Cooper" <douglas@dysmedia.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2001 8:54 AM
Subject: [Leica] Re: Sepia with Epson


> On 3/21/01 10:11 PM, Leica Users digest expressed the following:
>
> >
> > Doug..I just looked at your beautifully toned images.. nice work. almost
> > sepia toned. I wondered if they were color balanced in Photoshop using a
> > color balance??...Scala is a "color process" film I believe ...and maybe
> > that's why they have this appearance...vs a grey scale balance that
would
> > render them more typically B&W in appearance....?
> > - -----   Steve
>
>
> Hey, thanks Steve.  Frankly, all I see myself when I look at those images
is
> egregious color fringing (but we're all a bit too critical when we're
> cooking up the stuff ourselves).  My technique is laughably primitive -- I
> think I posted the particulars some time ago.  I scan the stuff as a black
> and white positive at 16 bits (using the 1640SU), telling the scanner it's
> going to be printed on an Epson.  Generally scan at 300-600 dpi, since
these
> are 35mm slides.  I let the scanner do most of work on levels, but reduce
to
> 8 bits and use "Auto Levels" in Photoshop to bring them closer to
> acceptable, then tweak on my own with Brightness/Contrast.  (I'm using PS
> 5.5, btw.)  All of the burning, dodging, sharpening, etc., is done to the
> Grayscale version.
>
> Then -- and here's the primitive bit, relative to all those wizards out
> there doing tritones -- I convert the Grayscale to RGB, go into Adjust -->
> Selective Color, and modify the Neutrals.  Subtract Cyan (ie. add Red),
and
> add Yellow, until you get a sepia that makes you happy.  -17 Cyan and +21
> Yellow is a good place to start.
>
> But as I say, I'm not happy with this, and am going to learn tri-toning.
> There's a wonderful web site out there (for which I've lost the URL),
which
> explains this much more complex process.
>
> cheers,
>
> Douglas Cooper
> http://www.dysmedia.com
>
> NO ARCHIVE
>