I recently bought a new scanner (HP scanjet 3570c, FWIW) that has a nifty device built into the lid to scan 35mm negatives. Left to its default settings, the resultant scan looks nothing like the print. The colors are way off and the exposure is just plain wrong.
After two hours of tinkering with color and exposure settings, I finally got the scanned image to match the print. Figuring that it was just a matter of dialing in the correct adjustments, I saved the settings as a profile and applied that profile to the next scan. The result: worst scan ever. Once again, nothing like the print. This would make sense if my prints were color corrected or exposure corrected during printing as each print would be tuned at the lab to look a certain way. But they aren’t; I make a point to always get my pics printed “as is” – no corrections of any kind.
It seems to me that if my pics are truly printed as is, each scan of a negative using the same settings should produce an image that matches the print. This isn’t the case. Why?
It may depend on how you’re making the correction. I haven’t had much chance to work with negs but I understand you must compensate for the color of the film stock separately from the other color corrections. Maybe do a color correction on an unexposed frame as a baseline.
Interesting suggestion, Padeye. I hadn’t considered that the color of the negative itself might be an issue. I’ll try scanning an unexposed frame as reference.
Still, though, would that account for the changing nature of each scan? The film itself – the negative – doesn’t change color all that much from one roll to the next, does it?
Oh, and how I’m making the correction? In the pre-scan dialog, I can make changes to three exposure settings: Highlights, Midtones, and Shadows. Under color adjustment, I’m presented with a color wheel; moving the indicator on the color wheel changes color output, recorded as X-Y coordinates.
I work in a photo lab, so Im somewhat qualified to comment.
First off, if you have the print, scan from that.
Second, dont be cheap. Go to a decent photolab instead of the one at the grocery store or drug store. A pure photolab will have better equipment and closer monitor that gear to see that its developing and printing at its best.
Fourth, film will vary from brand to brand by a little bit, but not enough so youd really notice.
Eleventy, set the color on your monitor first. We use some proprietary software that came with the monitor, but I understand Adobe makes a decent montior color adjustment tool.
Third, Go with scanning a blank frame first make the final scan look pure black.
Finally, RTFM and make sure you are applying the color corrections properly in your scanning software (TWAIN I assume) and that you have the latest version of that software.
It might depending on how the correction is applied. If you just make a linear adjustment to the colors for one image it won’t neccesarily work for other images. I’m not sure how to explain it well but see if your eciting software has a curves function and explire that. On a simple level it gives an X-Y chart with a straight 1:1 diagonal line as a starting point. 0% (black) in = 0% out and 100% (white) in = 100% out. You can vary the starting and ending point of that line or even curve it to give different results. Since your negatives have no pure white becuse of the orange base you have to say orange in = white out and do this for each of the primary colors. I hope that makes sense but it probably doesn’t.