Re: [APML] Scanning AP slides with Vuescan

["mstecker" <mstecker@dslextreme.com>]

Hello Greg:

I have Vuescan and don't use it.  Instead I use the simple software that
came with my scanner.  I have found that the raw scan gives the most
information for objects with a large dynamic range (e.g. M42).  I just hate
to loose data that is in the original image.  Before I got my scanner I
tried labs that adjust the scan including those devoted to astrophotography
and never thought that their adjusted scans were as good as a raw one.  I am
not totally against adjusted scans and do feel that they can be useful in
certain cases.  I think the magazines also like the results as well.

Michael Stecker
mstecker@dslextreme.com

My Web Site:
http://www.homestead.com/mstecker/index.html (INDEX)
http://www.homestead.com/mstecker/astrogallery.html (Astroimage Index)
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Hartke" <ghartke@earthlink.net>
To: "Astrophotography Mail List" <astro-photo@seds.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2002 5:01 AM
Subject: [APML] Scanning AP slides with Vuescan


>
> I decided that the software that came with my Nikon Super Coolscan 4000 ED
> was insufficiently flexible to get maximum information from AP slides shot
> on E200 so I bought the Vuescan software. This seems much better but I'm
not
> convinced that I'm doing a good job scanning my slides yet. Good scans are
> the first step in good processing so I'd like to ask for advice in using
the
> Vuescan software to get the best scans possible.
>
> Several questions suggest themselves immediately though I'll be happy to
> hear any comments on the subject. Under the "Color" tab, should I be
> adjusting the brightness of the individual colors to align the peaks in
the
> histogram or should I just adjust the levels in PS? What "Image curve"
> optimizes the scan? Naively I would expect that you'd want to pick the
curve
> that moves the histogram such that the values are not bunched at the low
> end. In general I would expect one of the logarithmic curves to be best to
> stretch the histogram but how is the best curve chosen? (Choices are
> "Gamma", "Log (dark)", "Log (medium)", and "Log (light)".) I've never
tried
> setting the black point; I've been doing this in PS. Should this be done
at
> scan time? I find the flexibility of choosing the TIFF file type to be
> interesting. What's a good choice here? The appropriate choices for color
> slides would seem to be among 24 bit RGB, 48 bit RGB, and 64 bit RGBI.
>
> I don't seem to be hardware bound in either scanning or processing. The
> scanner has Firewire so scans are quick no matter what I do. I also seem
to
> have sufficient RAM (512 MB) and sufficient processor speed that
processing
> steps in PS proceed quickly.
>
> FWIW, I've been using "Color balance" = none and the color space is sRGB
for
> file, monitor, and printer.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Greg
>


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