After the thread about 16 bits vs. 8 bits, I started thinking about another golden rule (a few nights ago, victim of jet-lag :) The rule states that it's much better to make the tweakings at scan phase, and to perform the least possible afterwards. This is perfectly reasonable for my LS-30, which internally works with 10 bits but only outputs 8 (forget Vuescan for the sake of this argument): if you work with curves you simply select the best 8 bits out of those 10. But for the majority of scanners, which I suppose are not as reluctant to deliver what they got from the film, I wonder, when I apply a curve at scan phase, whether this ends in a software/firmware post-processing of the data or it somehow changes some hardware parameter. If the former is true, why should it be better than Photoshop? I admit I'm completely clueless about scanners internals, but I think that you can't change much besides exposure, when it comes to hardware: you may perhaps have different exposures for the 3 colors, and thus change color balance, but I can't see how to implement curves modifications. Alex Pardi
