Thank You Brian and ALL of You! I installed VueScan, and it didn't work. And that's a GOOD thing! It made me change my scanner driver from "CyberView35" to "CyberViewX". The results are now MUCH better. This file was made with PS Elements:
http://www.donsauction.com/PDML/The%20Cat2.jpg Pardon the big dust blob but what a difference! Look at all them little hairs! I applied a little USM (Thanks to you folks I know what that means/does now). Otherwise it is just as it came from the scanner, sharpness and contrast are very much improved. I have to admit that I never considered the driver as a source of scan quality problems. I should know better, as a computer guy I change video, sound and NIC drivers all the time to get better or more reliable performance. Don (New Tricks for an Old Dog) > -----Original Message----- > From: Brian Dunn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 10:58 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: Scanner Test > > > > I'm going to go the other way on this. The PF1800 can scan the > full density range of a negative very nicely. Your cat's image > does not have blown highlights. The scanner is successfully > reading the entire density range of the negative. For negatives, > the PF1800 can give nice results within the limits of its > resolution, which are actually quite a bit higher than what a > drug store scan will give you. > > Play with that focusing spacer made from an empty slide. Cut the > edges so the negative itself is not crimped when the slide is > closed onto it. I think on my own empty slide I had to use tape > to make a hinge out of it. Once that was done, the focus of the > negatives was quite a bit improved. > > As for the cat image itself, it looks quite nice on an sRGB > monitor as far as highlights and shadows. It does not blow out > to a solid 255 in the highlights. There may be some noise in the > shadows, but that isn't really the complaint, though. > > If the software is locking up, you may want to look for new > software. Look for 'vuescan' on the Internet. It may support > this scanner by now. You can also try unplugging other USB > gadgets while using the scanner. > > Cat fur may be a good test of scanners and digital cameras. The > fine details of sharp edges at strange angles can cause > interesting digital artifacts to appear. > > > Brian >
