vuescan best "one size fits all" setting

[Bob Whatsima]

Good aftermoan

I realise that when it comes to scanning, there is no such setting as
the one I've mentioned in the subject line, but I have a project where I
have to scan a mixed bag of 35mm images for the web, and I need to go
with a single setting on vuescan.

This is what I have settled on. If I am way off the mark, please advise -
and could I ask you (pro bono unfortunately) to explain me why so I can
try to understand what I'm doing wrong. I am not a photographer.

1. Set the input to "image"
2. Set the colour balance to "neutral"
3. Black point percentage, white point percentage, exposure percentage
to vuescan defaults, which are zero or very close to zero.
4. Scan straight into sRGB

My objective is simply to get the scans looking as close to the
originals as they can.

The setting I question most is the colour balance. From what I've read,
"manual" with RBG values all set to 1 is supposed to be the most
accurate reproduction of your original, but manual seems to make my
scans come out far too pink.

I've also read workflows where people scan into Adobe RGB, and then
convert to sRGB. I have no need to use the images anywhere but the web,
so I don't see the advantage of going thru Adobe RGB first.

Tips welcome. You will be repaid with good karma, I'm sure ;-)

I'm using vuescan 8.0.8 and a Super Coolscan 5000ed

 

[Jeff Randall]

Bob:

Why not use the VueScan default color balance setting of White
Balance? This is what I use when I scan my prints, slides and color
negs as a *general starting point* with my LIDE 30 and LS-4000.
Overall it works pretty well for me -- I guess that is why Ed made it
the default.

As far as all the other workflow combinations and permutations --
experiment and find what suits your images and your artistic/creative
values and intent.

Jeff Randall

 

[Bob Whatsima]

Thanks for advice Jeff. Can't reply to your post directly because my
newsreader went on the blink for the last few days and I can only see your
message thru google.

The whitepoint setting is a problem with sunsets, photos shot with filters,
or images that are supposed to have one dominant channel. In Ed's
literature, he suggests neutral with "image" as your input for these
situations. I was wondering whether this would necessarily be bad for other
types of images?




Bob:

Why not use the VueScan default color balance setting of White
Balance? This is what I use when I scan my prints, slides and color
negs as a *general starting point* with my LIDE 30 and LS-4000.
Overall it works pretty well for me -- I guess that is why Ed made it
the default.

As far as all the other workflow combinations and permutations --
experiment and find what suits your images and your artistic/creative
values and intent.

Jeff Randall

 

[Jeff Randall]

Bob: You are right. As Ed recommends, use Neutral or Manual for
those shots with no white like sunsets and White Balance for
everything else. Also I find using image overall better than using
slide as the media type for positive transparencies with my LS-4000.

Unfortunately there is no silver bullet. Experiment with your slides
and other images. Scanning is ofter more difficult than taking the
original...

Jeff Randall