Vuescan Scanner Software

Don't go hunting around for obscure driver sets and downloads. VueScan is a one-click install. Start scanning in 60 seconds. VueScan runs on all operating systems and is compatible with most flatbed and film scanners and their software. You can use this program without configuring your PC or existing scanner software. The list of supported scanners includes all popular and even the latest photo scanners from world-known manufacturers such as Apple, Dell, Epson, Canon.

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These images were contributed by Ed Hamrick, the author ofVueScan. VueScan 7.2.4 wasused with a Nikon LS-30 scanner with an infrared channel. The colornegative is Fuji 800 film, using VueScan's Generic Negative film type.

Note that there are two ways to increase the brightness of the image,including the darker areas too. Increasing Brightness, or increasing thewhite point percentage (which moves the white point to the left) lightensthe image, and also increases image contrast.

All-default settings. Note the long horizontal scratch across the top.

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Infrared Cleaning filter turned on, to remove the scratch. There isn'tany color shift between scanning with and without the cleaning filter inVueScan.

Cleaning plus 15% white point.

Moving the white point to increase the intensity in the dark areaclips detail (loses detail) in the sky area (and looks like the print ofthis negative) The VueScan default is 1%.

Cleaning plus Brightness 1.5 (and default 1% white point).

Increasing Brightness increases the intensity in the midrange and darkareas without losing detail in the sky area.

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In VueScan, Brightness is a multiplier that modifies Gamma, whichboosts the midrange tones (Brightness 1.5 and Gamma 2.2 equals Brightness= 1 and Gamma 1.5 x 2.2 = 3.3). VueScan Brightness is the same as theMidPoint in most histogram tools.

This trade-off between white point and brightness can be used to greateffect when scanning negatives because there is a wider range ofintensities captured with color negative film. Slide film and printsdon't have as much of an intensity range, so using the default options inVueScan are usually sufficient.

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The white point % setting affects the image intensity because thespecified percentage of the pixels in the image is clipped, at the rightof the white point. The larger the white point% setting, the more highlights are clipped (and the 15% here is a LOT).This clipping limits the original range for the purpose of creatinggreater contrast. It also increases overall image intensity.