LaserSoft Imaging News (cn) LaserSoft Imaging RSS Feed http://www.silverfast.com/ Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:17:35 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.silverfast.com/img/design/newdesign/Logo_00.png LaserSoft Imaging News (cn) http://www.silverfast.com/ Feed provided by LaserSoft Imaging. Click to visit. IT-Enquirer: SilverFast Video http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19705 NEW SilverFast Video
After the IT-Enquirer extensively covered SilverFast recently, Erik Vlietinck has made a video to demonstrate just how easy it is to bring color-faded negatives back to life in no time using the SilverFast Archive Suite.


(For the best view watch the video in HD fullscreen mode please.)

You can read the complete article here ...]]> Webmaster Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100 What can software do to improve a scan? http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19696 What can software do to improve a scan?
Quite a lot! Erik Vlietinck has ascertained this fact in his latest article for the IT-Enquirer.

Producing digital copies of photos and slides is fairly easy nowadays. Several scanner manufacturers have low-priced devices on the market, that just have to be connected to the computer to get detected automatically by actual operating systems and therewith are ready to use immediately.
The results to achive this are at utmost mediocre. For producing scans whose quality can compare to or exceed that of digital photographs, it's not sufficient to just use a very expensive scanner; the most important component is the scanner software.

IT-Enquirer about SilverFast: "Some software can get very near to perfect results, though. By exploiting modern scanners’ technical and optical capabilities to the fullest, the scanner software can do more than just turn on the lamp and move the scanning element. It can detect and remove dust speckles and scratches; it can sharpen the image and colour correct the image. It can even correct photographs that, due to old age, display colour shifts you normally can’t correct in one Photoshop session. [...]


(Please click to enlarge) 		In SilverFast Archive Suite version 6.6.1 the 64-bit HDRi color files and 32-bit grayscale files contain all readable image information including the information of modern scanners’ infrared channels, using this data for image optimization, e.g. dust and scratch removal."

Besides iSRD® and HDRi the article introduces some other SilverFast features the author claims are responsible for enabling SilverFast to produce near perfect results. Scanner specific data is saved with the image data, e.g. for a later automatic Unsharp-Masking, which regards the scanner's own characteristics. When scanning transparencies SilverFast Multi-Exposure® is able to increase the scanner's dynamic range, i.e. the contrast range.
Color casts are reliably removed by an integrated color management, which does also allow the scanning of very challenging film types like Kodachrome slides. Therefore the automatic IT8 color calibration with a special calibration target produced by LaserSoft Imaging is especially helpful.

You can read the entire article here ...]]> Webmaster Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0100 New version online - 6.6.1r6 http://www.silverfast.com/versions-history/cn.html Webmaster Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0100 .psd magazine article: SilverFast Archive Suite http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19532 The optimum archiving solution: SilverFast Archive Suite
The latest issue 01/2010 of the French .psd PHOTOSHOP magazine features an enthused article about the SilverFast Archive Suite.

.psd magazine: "LaserSoft Imaging succeeded to develop a software that allows the effective digitization of large image collections in record time."
(cf. .psd magazine 01/2010 p.49)

The new 64bit HDRi format, which contains the infrared channel's data besides the usual image information, is introduced initially. These additional RAW scan infrared data can be used later on to remove dust and scratches with SilverFast iSRD®. The improved iSRD® uses more searching and detail saving than the usual iCE®, and operates up to 4x faster on systems with multicore processors.
Some further SilverFast features are addressed in the article's second part as well as the workflow of the Archive Suite in detail.]]> Webmaster Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0100 Auto-Sharpening USM for Canon and Nikon http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19460 Update: The improved Auto-Sharpening USM is now available for Canon and Nikon scanners


(Click to enlarge) 		With version 6.6.1r4b SilverFast saves scanner related information along with the image data. This allows an advanced automatic Unsharp Masking for the later post-processing with SilverFast HDR, which takes the specific scanner details into account and is therefore able to produce brilliant, pin sharp images.

After this feature was previously available for EPSON scanners only, it can now also be used with scanners of the brands Canon and Nikon.

Read more about the SilverFast Unsharp Masking.

]]> Webmaster Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0100 MACup: Filmscans that last forever http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19521 Filmscans that last forever - with SilverFast
"They lie in boxes and cases, they fade and mold - slides and negatives from many years of analogue photography."

This is the introduction to a detailed article on film scanning released in the latest issue 02/2010 of German MACup magazine. Problems that often occur when scanning older film and basic tips therefore are covered as well as new and helpful technologies - also understandable for beginners.



The MACup editorial staff soon concludes: "Prerequisite for perfect scans of transparent originals is a proper film scanner. The device should feature an infrared sensor in any case, [...] and it should cooperate with the latest version of scan software SilverFast."

The second part starts with a detailed introduction of SilverFast, which explains important features like SilverFast Multi-Exposure®, iSRD® and the new 64-bit HDRi format. A following SilverFast workflow résumé completes the article.

Please read the entire article in the actual MACup magazine issue (German) or ...

... visit our HDRi website.]]> Webmaster Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0100 fotoforum: SilverFast & Kodachrome http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19514 A way to recover old Kodachrome treasures - with SilverFast Ai 6.6
After 75 years of production Kodak has discontinued the successful Kodachrome film in 2009. Due to the durability of these films, the treasure of film material that is lying in photographer's archives or private slide collections is hard to imagine. Kodachrome film has very special characteristics, for which it is not easy to save these treasures, i.e. to digitize or to scan them. The German photography magazine fotoforum devotes an article to this topic in the first issue of 2010 and therefore tests the digitization of Kodachrome slides with SilverFast.


A Reflecta DigitDia 5000, which is capable of batch scanning up to 100 slides using a slide feeder and the SilverFast automatics, was used for the testings. The SilverFast Kodachrome profiles prevented the bluecast, that normally shows up when scanning Kodachromes. Perfect truecolor results were received after calibrating the scanner using a special Kodachrome IT8 target from LaserSoft Imaging. An automatic dust and scratch removal is very complicated with Kodachrome slides. Using SilverFast's iSRD® however, the editorial staff managed to quickly achieve impressive results.

The fotoforum's conclusion: "The scan software SilverFast is well suited for achieving great Kodachrome scans. The Kodachrome calibration ensures that Kodachromes are recognized colortruly without requiring the user to do extensive color corrections afterwards. Additionally SilverFast's dust and scratch removal iSRD does a good job on digitally cleaning the old Kodachrome slides."

Learn more about the SilverFast Kodachrome features and the Kodachrome targets on our websites.]]> Webmaster Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0100 Review: Scanning with SilverFast http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19511 Review: Scanning with SilverFast
Photographer Mark Segal is an expert in scanning technique and has recently written a tutorial entitled:

Scanning - The Old World Joins the New
Mark explores calibration, scanning with the EPSON V750 Pro and techniques for an integrated workflow between SilverFast and Adobe's Lightroom. The tutorial is available as a free downloadable .pdf file, which can be read onscreen or printed out for reference. Mark has divided his tutorial into five topics:
  1. SilverFast's Auto-IT8 scanner calibration procedure
  2. SilverFast's version of HDR in 64-bit mode
  3. SilverFast's new hardware-based dust and scratch removal technology called iSRD
  4. Performance of the EPSON V750 Pro scanner
  5. An integrated workflow between SilverFast and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Mark's conclusion on the iSRD feature: "Those who have large quantities of old transparencies and negatives to scan will find this feature-set to be not only very effective, but also a huge time-saver. As well, there is an added element of flexibility to this workflow, insofar as the infra-red channel remains with the saved HDR scan, so the user has the choice of using iSRD at scan time or any time thereafter."

Read the complete review by Mark Segal here ... (.pdf)
]]> Webmaster Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0100 Merry Christmas! http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19504 Merry Christmas!
The LaserSoft Imaging team whishes all customers, guests and their families happy Christmas days and a good start in the new year 2010.

We thank you cordially for the interest and faith you have shown to us and our software SilverFast and we seriously look ahead to come up with many new features and innovations in the New Year for making the usage of SilverFast even more simple and pleasant for you.

Merry Christmas! ]]> Webmaster Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0100 USM: Automatic Sharpening function for HDR http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19343 NEW: Auto-Sharpening function USM for SilverFast HDR and DC is now aligned to the scanner
The human perception is aligned to the recognition of edges and lines. So the sharpness impression of photos can be increased by contrast rise of small brightness changes. Conventional sharpening functions often increase the detail contrast of the complete image in general and, therefore, also strengthen any image interference of the original, causing a loss of details. In contrast the SilverFast Unsharp Masking USM carefully raises the contrast at edges and lines. The sharpened images appear losslessly much more detailed.

With version 6.6.1r4 SilverFast saves scanner related information along with the image data. This allows an advanced automatic Unsharp Masking for the later post processing with SilverFast HDR, which takes the specific scanner details into account and is therefore able to produce brilliant, pin sharp images.
(Click to enlarge)

Read more about the SilverFast Unsharp Masking.

This innovation is a special advantage when working with the SilverFast Archive Suite.

Note: this feature has been released for scanners of the brands Agfa, Canon, Epson, Mediax, Microtek, Nikon, PIE, Plustek, Reflecta, Umax and some more.]]> Webmaster Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0100 SilverFast for Reflecta's new ProScan 7200 http://www.silverfast.com/show/news/cn.html#id19380 NEW: SilverFast for the Reflecta ProScan 7200
The German specialist for slide technology, Reflecta, has introduced the new CCD scanner ProScan 7200 for quick image processing at the end of November. The ProScan 7200 scans 35mm negative and positive filmstrips as well as framed slides with an optical resolution of 3600dpi x 3600dpi and a color depth of 48bit. An additional infrared channel built into the scanner enables hardware-based dust and scratch removal.

The SilverFast scanner software was specially adjusted to the technical details of the ProScan 7200 for achieving optimum results.*

More information on SilverFast for your Reflecta ProScan 7200 as well as downloadable test versions you can get here ...

* Note: SilverFast supports the ProScan 7200 under Windows 2000, XP and Vista by now.
Versions for Windows 7 and Mac OS X will follow early in 2010. ]]> Webmaster Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0100