Silverfast vs vuescan sharpness9/20/2023 ![]() This requires two principal components: hardware (the scanner) and software (the instructions on how to make it work). The purpose of scanning software is to digitize paper documents, photographs and transparencies into high-quality image files. And we need these images to be the highest quality possible, with the least amount of dust, dirt or scratches, even when the originals are not in very good shape. We scan at a wide range of resolutions so we can create animated moves. I believe the Epson 3200 used in tests was used with its own software-which is useless.As filmmakers and media creators we continually need to convert still images, documents, slides and photographs into digital format. I volunteered for the scan-around testing at (and in View Camera) and it will be interesting to see how the Epsons stack up with Silverfast. ![]() Why upgrading the SE version costs so little is a mystery but no serious photographer should be without the AI version anyway just for the scanner profiling aspect if nothing else. On the other hand, if multiscan software is a programming breakthrough, then Lasersoft deserves whatever the market will bear. Maybe AI "Studio" (which is what one needs to upgrade to in order to get the multiscan capability) does other things I have not noticed yet. Ironically, it was so much better that I regret having to pay extra for it-it should have been there all along. One failed attempt even produced two blades for every one in the film! But multiscaning, with only one try, produced a file much much better than the best multipass. With the old multipass, I had to try several times before the blades of grass and gossamers were evidently as sharp as the film. I just downloaded it and tried it on a 4x5 Astia image of mine with dewy grass and gossamers in the foreground. I have to agree with Kirk that the new multiscan capability of Siverfast AI is a great improvement over the multipass method. This has the effect of greatly reducing noise, since noise isn't likely to cover whole 4 pixel blocks. If you downsample to 2400 ppi, the scanner averages every 4 pixel block into one pixel. ![]() If you scan at 2400ppi, the scanner throws out every other scan line and every other pixel. Vuescan will do this I'd be surprised if silverfast didn't too. ![]() Scan at the full sampling frequency of the scanner (4800 ppi) and have the scanning software downsample. I find that scans done this way are significantly less sharp than ones done with a single pass.Ī way to reduce noise (and possibly to increase dynamic range by a tiny ammount) is just to oversample. Even so, the transport mechanism of scanners like the 4870 is just not precise enough to line up the ccd in the same place for multiple passes. I wouldn't even consider it unless you're going to wet mount the film on glass, because it's imperative to stop the film from moving, which it's inclined to do from the heat of the lamp. In my experience multiple passes (I trust this is what multiscanning means?) does not work well on a 4870. I've read what Vuescan says about the advantages of Ai but I don't understand half of it and don't know how relevant the other half is to someone like me who scans only large format in a very small volume. I don't mind spending the money but not if all I get is a program with a bunch of extra options and features that are only useful to pros or other people who scan in large volumes. Also any thoughts about the wisdom of upgrading Silverfast SE to Ai. If anyone here has used both Silverfast and Vuescan I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts about their relative merits. However, I don't know anything about the relative merits of the two from a scan quality or any other standpoint. But all other things being equal I'm inclined to switch to Silverfast (and maybe upgrade to Ai) because I like the ability to see the effect of adjustments on the image as you're making them, which you can't do with Vuescan. for the mostly black and white photography I do. I've been using Vuescan with my former scanner for some years and I like it o.k. I recently acquired an Epson 4990 which is bundled with Silverfast SE.
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