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C
Charmander
Participant
June 27, 2017
Answered

How can I scan my negatives for archival purpose ?

  • June 27, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 1069 views

I want to get my old C-41 negatives scanned for archival purpose.

My friend owns a minilab with noritsu HS-1800 scanner and I convinced him for 3000 DPI TIFF scans.

I want to ask will the Noritsu able to give archival quality results with these settings ?

If not, what would be the best possible way to get super excellent results in your opinion ?

Thanks.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Per Berntsen

    3000 ppi is far from insane.

    If the originals are 35mm, the pixel dimensions will be 4252 x 2835.

    It appears that this scanner has a max resolution of 4800 ppi, which will result in 6803 x 4535 pixels, still a moderately sized image.

    So if I were in your situation, I'd go for 4800 ppi.

    Mylenium raises an important point - the qualifications of the scanner operator.

    I'd say that the most important thing is to make sure that all the information from the negatives are captured - with no shadow or highlight clipping. The histogram should have ample space on both sides, which will mean a flat image, but this is easily corrected later.

    Then there is the question of whether to scan as negative (resulting in a positive image) or as positive.

    If getting correct colors in the scanning software is difficult, it might be better to scan as positives, and invert the images in Photoshop.

    I want to ask will the Noritsu able to give archival quality results

    I take it that you by "archival quality" mean good technical quality.

    ("archival quality" is normally used about film or paper processed in a darkroom)

    From what I can tell from a quick Google search, this seems to be a high-end scanner.

    But a lot depends on the operator.

    2 replies

    Per Berntsen
    Community Expert
    Per BerntsenCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    June 27, 2017

    3000 ppi is far from insane.

    If the originals are 35mm, the pixel dimensions will be 4252 x 2835.

    It appears that this scanner has a max resolution of 4800 ppi, which will result in 6803 x 4535 pixels, still a moderately sized image.

    So if I were in your situation, I'd go for 4800 ppi.

    Mylenium raises an important point - the qualifications of the scanner operator.

    I'd say that the most important thing is to make sure that all the information from the negatives are captured - with no shadow or highlight clipping. The histogram should have ample space on both sides, which will mean a flat image, but this is easily corrected later.

    Then there is the question of whether to scan as negative (resulting in a positive image) or as positive.

    If getting correct colors in the scanning software is difficult, it might be better to scan as positives, and invert the images in Photoshop.

    I want to ask will the Noritsu able to give archival quality results

    I take it that you by "archival quality" mean good technical quality.

    ("archival quality" is normally used about film or paper processed in a darkroom)

    From what I can tell from a quick Google search, this seems to be a high-end scanner.

    But a lot depends on the operator.

    Mylenium
    Mylenium
    Legend
    June 27, 2017

    Not sure what you are asking. What do you even mean by "archival quality"? I mean 3000 DPI is an insane resolution already. The rest is merely a matter of the person doing the scans knowing what to do, and perhaps that's where you are having a misunderstanding. Of course you can produce 3000 DPI gigasize image with all useless pixels if the person doing it doesn't care for cleaning your film, calibrating his device and using color management. That's like flying a 747 - it's not going to work if you put your granny on the stick (unless she's a qualified pilot, of course). So rather than posting such generic questions it might be a better idea to actualyl wrap your head around that, talk it through with the operator and then come back with more specific questions and concerns - if there are any left.

    Mylenium

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