Scanner Profiles

[dmerger]

I'd appreciate advice regarding custom profiles for my Minolta 5400 scanner.  

1.  Are custom profiles for slide film very useful?  I've read conflicting opinions.  

2.  If the answer to my first question is yes, what products do you recommend?  I'm aware of the Wolf Faust IT 8.7 target slides and the IP PhotoMinus ICC software (free), VueScan, Silverfast and some other software, but I don't have any idea of what I should get.

[digitaldog]

The first question is, does the software driving the scanner understand how to use ICC profiles? Can you turn off all Auto corrections to scan a target to build a profile (does the software have provisions for this as well as using the resulting profile)? If yes, you might find it quite worthwhile depending on the target and software you have to build such a profile.

[dmerger]

Andrew, thanks for replying.  I was hoping that you'd reply.  

Currently, I'm using the Minolta scanner software.  I'm not sure if that software understands how to use ICC profiles, but I think so.  I can turn off all auto corrections and auto exposure.  

I can scan in 16 bit or 16 bit linear (as well as 8 bit, which I never use).  

The scanner software gives me a tiff file.  When I open it in Photoshop CS, I then assing a profile and convert to my working color space.  The scanner software includes profiles for normal slide scans (i.e. not linear), 16 bit linear scans as well as negatives.  I also downloaded a custom profile that someone made using a Wolf Faust target for Fuji Velvia and the IP PhotoMinus ICC software.  That profile is for a normal 16 bit scan.  I've tried it, and it did give me a result that was a better matched of my slide.

So, it appears to me that my scanner software etc. can use ICC profiles.  I should note that my LaCie monitor is calibrated with a Gretag MacBeth Eye One 2 and I have a custom profile for my printer.  The last piece in my color management is to profile my scanner.

[Ray]

dmerger,
You've raised some interesting questions and I'm not sure of the answers, but here are my observations for what they're worth.

I've seen before and after shots on the net, calibrating one's scanner with an IT8 target, and the differences seemed to me to be rather subtle. I am guessing that such differences are similar to the differences one might expect between a generic printer/paper profile for a particular model of printer and paper type and one that's custom made using the actual printer. Futhermore, if one is advertising such differences, either to make a point for a tutorial or to sell a product, then one would choose the more dramatic difference as an illustration.

If I was scanning recently exposed film I'd probably take the trouble to calibrate my Elite 5400ll and create individual film profiles using, perhaps, Wolf Faust targets.

As it is, the results I get are so variable with the same type of film, because of fading, I can see no point in any calibration attempt that results in a subtle difference at best, with recently shot film. For example, it's sometimes not clear to me whether a particular slide I'm scanning is a Kodachrome or an Ektachrome. Vuescan offers 3 film profile options for color positives; generic, Kodachrome and Ektachrome. Switching between Generic and Kodak always produces a noticeable difference (for better or worse), but switching between Kodachrome and Ektachrome can result in no discernible difference at all. I assume because fading has made such differences between these two film types irrelevant.

Nevertheless, it is useful if the scanning software includes a number of film profiles. However, the situation seems to be that the incorrect profile can sometimes produce the better result.

[KenS]

I'd appreciate advice regarding custom profiles for my Minolta 5400 scanner.  

2.  If the answer to my first question is yes, what products do you recommend?  I'm aware of the Wolf Faust IT 8.7 target slides and the IP PhotoMinus ICC software (free), VueScan, Silverfast and some other software, but I don't have any idea of what I should get.

You can find detailed information on using a free software application called XLProfiler at the Yahoo Minolta Multi Pro group:

The following message and replies will show you how to proceed.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/multipro/message/2407

Ken