Hi, Shel You might want to try Hamrick Vuescan (aftermarket scanning software) on this one. Vuescan has a scratch and dust removal function that uses the scanner hardware that is also used for ICE, but apparently with different algorithms. It often works where ICE won't; more often than not it works with black and white negs. When it doesn't work, the result is often loss of image detail in portions of the image.
Trial version of Vuescan is available as a free download from http://www.hamrick.com. Fully functional, but watermarks images. The license is a bargain for $80 US for four machines, free upgrades. The interface may seem clunky at first, but it gets the job done very nicely. A couple of hints: -Selecting the "advanced" option for each function tab gives you a lot more choices for important settings -scratch and dust removal is accessed via the Filter tab. I generally use "light" but you can play with the other levels. The trick is to get as much cleanup as you can without too many obvious artifacts. You should examine the entire image to check results as artifacts can be localized depending on grain structure. In a situation like yours you won't be able to get everything with Vuescan, but chances of a significant reduction of finer scratches are good. Regarding graphics tablets, I've used a basic Graphire 4x5 USB tablet for a number of years. Works just fine for me for cleaning up scratches and dust, and cheap. An excellent way to help prevent repetitive stress injuries due to excessive mousing. In my experience a pen can be much faster and more accurate than a mouse- with practice. I work in archives and spend much of my time scanning photos for public use. I don't do major restorations, as that can be done elsewheres. However, I do a lot of discreet dust and scratch cleanup , usually as a courtesy to NWT residents wanting old pics of family members- a very common thing. Your neg is typical of what I run into in the old stuff. I've tried the Polaroid software very briefly but didn't find it that useful. I just stick to a combination of cloning and healing. Cheers John Poirier Yellowknife Northwest Territories . ----- Original Message ----- From: Shel Belinkoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 4:34 PM Subject: Re: WOW - Suggestions for Cleaning Up a Scanned Negative > While I'd like a Wacom (it's on my Hanukah list <g>) I'm not familiar > enough with it to know how much better it would be than a mouse for this > and similar projects. There are other scenarios where it's benefit is > quite obvious. Guess I just need to get one and see for myself which tool > is better for what situations. Which might you recommend - the Intuos or > the Graphire (I think those are the models)? Thanks! > > Shel > > > > [Original Message] > > From: Juan Buhler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Shel, the most meaningful advice I can give is, get a Wacom tablet or > > similar if you don't have one. > > > > Doing such fix with a mouse would be a huge nightmare. > >
