[filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal

2004-11-11 Thread
Dieder--
Have you tried the same experiment with Digital ICE set in the Normal
setting rather than Fine? I find virtually no image information when I
do a difference between a No Digital ICE scan and a Normal Digital ICE
scan.

I have been looking for some Nikon documentation on when to use Normal
and when to use Fine. So far I haven't found any. Do you have any
information?

Jack Phipps
Kodak's Austin Development Center
Formerly, Applied Science Fiction
Developers of Digital ICE, Digital ROC, Digital SHO, Digital GEM, Digital
GEM Airbrush




I suggest you look for any detail removed with Digital ICE because there
will probably not be any detail removed. The reason the image may look
less sharp is because the eye is being tricked by the surface defects
(dust, scratches, etc.). There shouldn't be any residual silver in C-41
processed film. The reason the eye is tricked is because the eye is
looking for the finest detail in the image to judge sharpness. In many
cases the finest details are the surface defects. When those are removed
the image appears less sharp when actually the image detail remains.

A simple test can provide the additional confirmation/refutation of this.

Scan a negative with a film scanner that can do precise line repeat
scanning,
i.e. a film-scanner such as the LS-4000 etc.

Do one scan with ICE on 'fine', another without 'ICE'

pop both images into Photoshop. Superimpose one as a layer against the
other
and do a 'difference' mode for the layers.

Images w/o ICE are noticeably sharper, though more dirty. For myself, it
isn't that much of an issue except for a few scans so by default I use
ICE,
but for the most imp't scans, I don't use ICE and do scratch/detail repair
by
hand.



Dieder


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[filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal

2004-11-10 Thread Arthur Entlich
Although I'm not a big fan of some versions of dICE (due to the fact
that it can tend to soften the whole image due to residual silver
removal (which it infers is dust or dirt)), or if the IR is not exactly
tuned to the dye spectrum frequencies, it does work on most E-6
developed slides, and some Kodachrome versions.

Otherwise, I agree with the other exceptions you mention.

Art

LAURIE SOLOMON wrote:

 Two points need to be made.  One deals with one of your comments concerning
 getting ICE.  ICE only works with color negtives or chromgenic black  white
 films.  It does not work with silver halide films like true bw films.  The
 second point, which is not one that addresses anything that you have said
 but something that someone else said, deals with blowing compressed air into
 the scanner.  This does not remove the dust from inside the scanner; it only
 moves the dust around inside the scanner.  Moreover, the compressed air
 blast can damage fragile innards of the scanner as well as create
 condensation inside the scanner which will eventually produce moisture on
 the electronics and water spots on optical mirrors and sensors.




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[filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal

2004-11-10 Thread Berry Ives
on 11/10/04 1:32 AM, Arthur Entlich at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 Although I'm not a big fan of some versions of dICE (due to the fact
 that it can tend to soften the whole image due to residual silver
 removal (which it infers is dust or dirt)), or if the IR is not exactly
 tuned to the dye spectrum frequencies, it does work on most E-6
 developed slides, and some Kodachrome versions.

 Otherwise, I agree with the other exceptions you mention.

 Art

 LAURIE SOLOMON wrote:

 Two points need to be made.  One deals with one of your comments concerning
 getting ICE.  ICE only works with color negtives or chromgenic black  white
 films.  It does not work with silver halide films like true bw films.  The
 second point, which is not one that addresses anything that you have said
 but something that someone else said, deals with blowing compressed air into
 the scanner.  This does not remove the dust from inside the scanner; it only
 moves the dust around inside the scanner.  Moreover, the compressed air
 blast can damage fragile innards of the scanner as well as create
 condensation inside the scanner which will eventually produce moisture on
 the electronics and water spots on optical mirrors and sensors.



I am shooting only negative (C-41) films, almost all ISO 100 to 400 color,
occasionally BW (C-41).  Is there a consensus about how well dICE works
with these films?  I am concerned about any softening since I am printing
large.

Berry


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[filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal

2004-11-10 Thread Dieder Bylsma
I suggest you look for any detail removed with Digital ICE because there
will probably not be any detail removed. The reason the image may look
less sharp is because the eye is being tricked by the surface defects
(dust, scratches, etc.). There shouldn't be any residual silver in C-41
processed film. The reason the eye is tricked is because the eye is
looking for the finest detail in the image to judge sharpness. In many
cases the finest details are the surface defects. When those are removed
the image appears less sharp when actually the image detail remains.

A simple test can provide the additional confirmation/refutation of this.

Scan a negative with a film scanner that can do precise line repeat scanning,
i.e. a film-scanner such as the LS-4000 etc.

Do one scan with ICE on 'fine', another without 'ICE'

pop both images into Photoshop. Superimpose one as a layer against the other
and do a 'difference' mode for the layers.

Images w/o ICE are noticeably sharper, though more dirty. For myself, it
isn't that much of an issue except for a few scans so by default I use ICE,
but for the most imp't scans, I don't use ICE and do scratch/detail repair by
hand.



Dieder


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[filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal

2004-11-09 Thread Berry Ives
on 11/9/04 2:46 AM, Chris Aitken at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 Hi All,

 Further to my previous messages I have obtained a Scan Dual I on trial. I
 have tried it with the Vuescan trial version (and also the Minolta drivers -
 so this must be a later model that works on XP).

 Although my negatives were clean and visually dist free, there must be a
 fair amount of dust in my camera  lenses. Also the scanner may have been
 dusty, as the scanned imaged (done at max resolution ~ 2400 ppi) appeared to
 have dust  scratches.

 Firstly: What can I do to prevent dust entering the scanner? Should I be
 turning it on a while before using it?

 Secondly: Software dust removal? I have tried the AKVIS retoucher, and
 wasn't to impressed. I have also tried Polaroid's DSR, which I like,
 although I found the standalone app better than the photoshop plugin. This
 was based on something that would sort out an entire scan, without having to
 highlight each individual piece of dust/artefacts (the polaroid did a very
 good job of doing this).

 Can anyone recommend other apps, and where to get them (The DSR apparently
 is not available in europe!).

 Cheers

 Chris








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Chris,

Just a couple of comments:

Dust is a huge headache, especially here in dry New Mexico.  I have scanned
what look like pretty clean negatives and discovered hundreds of dust
particles visible in the scanned image.

I would say try to keep a pretty clean work area, which has been a real
challenge for me.  A very good thing to have is Dust-Off, or preferably one
of the cheaper brands of compressed air you can buy at a photo shop for
about $6.  Use it to blast the dust off your negs.  Hold the neg up at an
angle to light to see the reflection just so to highlight any dust.

I also use compressed air occasionally to clear dust out of my scanner,
taking care not to abuse or freeze any delicate parts.  I give it about 5+
seconds of low pressure, inserting the air tube a couple inches into the
scanner door.

The dust in your camera can cause scratches on the film, but it is not the
source of dust on your negatives.  That happens after processing, either in
the lab or more likely after you pull them out at home.  You can also use
the Dust Off to clean your camera.  They make smaller cans that take up less
room if you want to carry it in your camera bag for when you change film in
the field.

Did you really get a Scan Dual I?  You can get a new IV for $250 - $270 on
the web.

Berry





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[filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal

2004-11-09 Thread Mike Kersenbrock
Chris Aitken wrote:
 Hi All,

 Further to my previous messages I have obtained a Scan Dual I on trial. I
 have tried it with the Vuescan trial version (and also the Minolta drivers -
 so this must be a later model that works on XP).

As an alternative to blasting air at the negative before scanning as
mentioned to you already, there's a brush called 'staticmaster
that has a polonium strip near the brush end that puts out alpha
particles (can't penetrate a sheet of paper, at best can do only
inches of air).  It removes static instantly from the film at
which point the very soft brush works very effectively.  Half life
of the polonium is very short so it's cartridge needs to be replaced
yearly (and buying old ones isn't useful).  They've been around for
at least a half century or so, and I just got another one a couple
days ago for use with my new film scanner.

The other thing is the obvious nobody's going to mention.  Borrow
a different scanner, one that features ICE in the software.  Gets
rid of dust and scratches amazingly and automatically.  :-)

Mike K.



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[filmscanners] RE: Software dust removal

2004-11-09 Thread LAURIE SOLOMON
Two points need to be made.  One deals with one of your comments concerning
getting ICE.  ICE only works with color negtives or chromgenic black  white
films.  It does not work with silver halide films like true bw films.  The
second point, which is not one that addresses anything that you have said
but something that someone else said, deals with blowing compressed air into
the scanner.  This does not remove the dust from inside the scanner; it only
moves the dust around inside the scanner.  Moreover, the compressed air
blast can damage fragile innards of the scanner as well as create
condensation inside the scanner which will eventually produce moisture on
the electronics and water spots on optical mirrors and sensors.

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Mike Kersenbrock
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 10:34 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal


Chris Aitken wrote:
 Hi All,

 Further to my previous messages I have obtained a Scan Dual I on trial. I
 have tried it with the Vuescan trial version (and also the Minolta
drivers -
 so this must be a later model that works on XP).

As an alternative to blasting air at the negative before scanning as
mentioned to you already, there's a brush called 'staticmaster
that has a polonium strip near the brush end that puts out alpha
particles (can't penetrate a sheet of paper, at best can do only
inches of air).  It removes static instantly from the film at
which point the very soft brush works very effectively.  Half life
of the polonium is very short so it's cartridge needs to be replaced
yearly (and buying old ones isn't useful).  They've been around for
at least a half century or so, and I just got another one a couple
days ago for use with my new film scanner.

The other thing is the obvious nobody's going to mention.  Borrow
a different scanner, one that features ICE in the software.  Gets
rid of dust and scratches amazingly and automatically.  :-)

Mike K.




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[filmscanners] Re: Software dust removal

2004-11-09 Thread Brad Davis
May I also recommend Edwal anti-static film cleaner.  My computer store
sells very soft disposable material for cleaning CD's/DVDs, and combined
with Edwal's anti-static cleaner, it is easy to reduce the amount of dust to
a minimum - near zero.  I've been using Edwal in tandem with the
StaticMaster mentioned below since being called on the carpet while in the
photographic  program at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena), for not
getting all the white spots off my prints.  I lived in an areas where there
was highway construction in every direction.  After more than 30 years of
using it, I hate its smell, but it saves hours of retouching.

Somehow I thought I wouldn't need it to use Edwal when I went to scanning my
negatives - to the contrary, my scanner seems to pick  up finer dust  than
the best Leitz enlarger ever did. I also suspect that all labs have some
problem with dust - I don't process my own film anymore.  I use compressed
air as well, just before  I  put  the negative  into the scanner.  (Can  you
tell, I  hate cleaning up dust spots.)

I've never found a software solution that preserved the sharpness I can see
in my negative scans while taking out the dust - or reducing grain for that
matter.  There are times when software solutions are ok, but I hate losing
that last edge - after all I bought Contax cameras and lenses for a reason.

The Edwal is also great for cleaning film that has picked up  fingerprints
and other corruption. I have an eight year old son who loves to look at his
dad's slides and negatives. I'll not to be forbid his touching.  He tries
but isn't always successful in avoiding fingerprints.  Nuts, I still put
some on every now and  then...

My new monitor just came to the door - in the hands of a UPS guy.  Now to
see  what  fun  this  provides.

Brad

 Chris Aitken wrote:
 Hi All,

 Further to my previous messages I have obtained a Scan Dual I on trial. I
 have tried it with the Vuescan trial version (and also the Minolta drivers -
 so this must be a later model that works on XP).

 As an alternative to blasting air at the negative before scanning as
 mentioned to you already, there's a brush called 'staticmaster
 that has a polonium strip near the brush end that puts out alpha
 particles (can't penetrate a sheet of paper, at best can do only
 inches of air).  It removes static instantly from the film at
 which point the very soft brush works very effectively.  Half life
 of the polonium is very short so it's cartridge needs to be replaced
 yearly (and buying old ones isn't useful).  They've been around for
 at least a half century or so, and I just got another one a couple
 days ago for use with my new film scanner.

 The other thing is the obvious nobody's going to mention.  Borrow
 a different scanner, one that features ICE in the software.  Gets
 rid of dust and scratches amazingly and automatically.  :-)

 Mike K.


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