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		from rrayfield/Robert (53,676) on November 3, 2009 5:23:18 AM CST (3) Good mood, Dnd, What software do you use to process your shots after you scan? Does your scanner automatically sharpen? (Most do.) How grainy was the original? I think that technology has bled the life out of this shot. You can start with Levels at about 10 - 1.00 245 to increase the contrast. To increase the contrast more you have to add a hit of Blur - then add mid-tone contrast in Curves (if you have it.) After you have done that you can then isolate his face with a feather and add a hit of Sharpen. The result is what I imagine your black and white print looks like. You can't trust scanners farther that you can throw them - unless they are small and then you can't even trust them that far. All images require a lot of work after scanning to restore them. Cheers, r Reply  Show ratings  From dnd/Dnd (1,703) on November 3, 2009 5:37:32 AM CST Robert, hello! Thanks a lot for a detailed critique. I'm scanning a negatives switching off all options that can 'improve' quality. Unfortunately i have to use not a professional scanner but a plain Epson Perfection 4990. The result is very blurred so i had to work a lot with every image i have. Check the original (sized down - 100 Kb approx.) one. Reply  From rrayfield/Robert (53,676) on November 3, 2009 5:51:29 AM CST hmm . . . Even with all the options turned off the image should be sharp . . . Even a 'household' scanner should produce excellent results if you have everything set correctly (which isn't easy.) It took my brother, who knows everything there is to know about computers, several hours to battle with my scanner to turn off all options. So it's not for the faint of heart. The original seems to lack contrast - is that film a low contrast film? Reply  From dnd/Dnd (1,703) on November 3, 2009 6:04:20 AM CST No, the film shouldn't be a low contrast... I'll try to deal with my scanner :). Thanks for participation. Reply  From rrayfield/Robert (53,676) on November 3, 2009 6:25:37 AM CST btw, I just took the 'original' into PhotoShop and adjusted Levels to 37 - 1.24 - 214 and it came out pretty good. Perhaps the scanning is working fine but you have done something in post-processing. What software do you use? What steps did you do from the 'original'? Reply  From dnd/Dnd (1,703) on November 3, 2009 6:56:36 AM CST I'm using a Photoshop also. But i'm not adjusting levels so straight - i'm trying to work with the different parts separately. The face, clothes and background using layer masks. I'm trying to get the overall balanced light so the front primary figure (face) will be a little ligher than background. I work with eyes and brows separately. May be i've done it too complicated? I think the problem could lay on my CRT monitor that is not as sharp and a bit not as contast and light as modern LCD ones. I don't know. Reply  From rrayfield/Robert (53,676) on November 3, 2009 9:45:24 AM CST Yup, you are working MUCH too hard. The original photo has lots of impact, so you can be subtle with the post-processing. Here is what I did. First, I tried a square crop - looks great! But, I digress . . . First, I adjusted Levels to 36 - 1.30 - 203 over the entire image. (I just noticed that you are working in RGB which produces less contrast when you are on photoSIG which seems to like the colour space sRGB. You can convert.) Then I isolated his face and chest with a 20 pixel feather and increased the contrast to +18. (Do you have photoshop CS2 or Elements?) There are better ways to increase contrast in CS than Elements. Then I decided to get fancy and add a touch of vignetting. Filters>Distort>Lens Correction and you will see a slider about 1/3 of the way down. I used a lot, -44. Then I though it was a touch too dark, so I dropped into Levels and boosted the mid-tones. Not really a lot needed for the shot. Cheers, r Reply  From dnd/Dnd (1,703) on November 3, 2009 2:55:33 PM CST You are never late to learn. Thanks for a detailed guide, Robert. Your comment forced me to try to adjust my monitor settings. Now i see why others recommend me to adjust dark tones - half of my pictures have a lack of contrast. Now i'll try to be more careful with post-processing. UPD: I'm using a CS2. Reply  From rrayfield/Robert (53,676) on November 3, 2009 3:17:57 PM CST There is a VERY powerful tool in CS2 called Curves. It allows you to increase the contrast without washing out the highlights. (Film handles too-bright very well. A digital image becomes harsh if there are any washed out areas.) Curves requires a bit of practice. To increase the midtone contrast using Curves - go in Curves - note the diagonal line. Put the Curser on the line about 2/3 toward the right and drag it up SLIGHTLY. This makes the mid-tones lighter and increases the contrast in the darks. Then grab the line 1/3 of the way from the left and pull down SLIGHTLY. This brings the mid-tone back to where they were, decreases the contrast in the dark and increases the contrast in the mid-tones! The contrast is greatest where the line is steepest. Great tool. I use it all the time. Cheers, r Reply  From dnd/Dnd (1,703) on November 3, 2009 3:43:52 PM CST Yes, i see. Thanks! I'm not sure that i understand you correctly about sRGB. What should i do in settings? Reply  From rrayfield/Robert (53,676) on November 3, 2009 4:07:15 PM CST hmm . . I am not an expert in colours spaces - but it's something like this. The range of brightness digitally is from 0 to 255 - and that isn't really very much. Apparently you get more control of the photo if you work in RGB. But, and this is in my camera's manual, RGB produces low contrast, low colour saturation images and each image MUST be tweaked before you use it. sRGB, actually its full name is sRGB IEC61966-2.1 in photoshop, gives you brighter and more colourful images. So if you are working to make a 'art quality' print you will use RGB for more control. For posting on the web you will convert to sRGB IEC61966-2.1. If you are a purist, convert just before you re-size for photoSIG. Go into Edit>Color Settings and there is a fairly self explanatory box. Many images here that look flat I suspect are in RGB. I am not really a techie, so I usually shoot in sRGB and the quality is certainly good enough for me. Cheers, r Reply  From dnd/Dnd (1,703) on November 3, 2009 4:28:21 PM CST Oh. Ok, i understand now, thanks! You gave me a really useful information, Robert! Reply
		from joanroca/Joan (3,661) on November 3, 2009 4:16:59 AM CST (2) Hi Dnd!! What a great expression and eye contact you captured! Just in time wit very effective wide tonal rangle. IMHO a bit tighter crop at the upper side would work even beter and probably bit more contrast is needed. Bit of disturbing noise too but minor issue in this case. Cheers. Joan Reply  Show ratings  From dnd/Dnd (1,703) on November 3, 2009 5:01:31 AM CST Joan, thanks for your comment! Agree about contrast and cropping. Reply

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