Scanning B&W images: I have a single tip for you... This is not because the image is B&W that you should scan in B&W mode. Use color mode, you will get all type of nuances that will be...

Rongnongno Loc: FL

I have a single tip for you...

This is not because the image is B&W that you should scan in B&W mode. Use color mode, you will get all type of nuances that will be revealed instead of being limited by the scanner.

When in PP you can always convert onto B&W with all the subtleties preserved.

Just saying...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Interesting thought.

jak86094

Scanning black and white photos in color is one of the tricks recommended by photo restorers and retouchers. You now have three B&W channels with different information that may help you in creating your final B&W image. This is especially true if your original B&W images have stains or other colored problems you want to get rid of.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Rongnongno wrote:

I have a single tip for you...

This is not because the image is B&W that you should scan in B&W mode. Use color mode, you will get all type of nuances that will be revealed instead of being limited by the scanner.

When in PP you can always convert onto B&W with all the subtleties preserved.

Just saying...

On the other hand, if you scan strictly in B&W as I do with my Coolscan, you can end up with a file with a single channel that is 1/3 the size of an RGB file with three. A 16-bit B&W TIFF will be smaller than a 24-bit color TIFF.

The down side is that some editors cannot edit a one-channel B&W image.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

selmslie wrote:

On the other hand, if you scan strictly in B&W as I do with my Coolscan, you can end up with a file with a single channel that is 1/3 the size of an RGB file with three. A 16-bit B&W TIFF will be smaller than a 24-bit color TIFF.

With terabyte hard drives so cheap nowadays, file size isn't much of an issue anymore.

jak86094

I also scan to capture all the possible information I can from the original image knowing that I can save the final image in a compressed or smaller file size when I’m done. I wouldn’t necessarily scan every image in a large file size format, but if I am going to do much with it, I will.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

jak86094 wrote:

Scanning black and white photos in color is one of the tricks recommended by photo restorers and retouchers. You now have three B&W channels with different information that may help you in creating your final B&W image. This is especially true if your original B&W images have stains or other colored problems you want to get rid of.

Yes, I scan in color. Some stains I leave just to maintain the old look and wear of the original if it is not causing issues with the major subject.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

You cannot use the common retouching tools (Clone, Spot Healing, etc) in a B&W image scanned in grayscale if you’re using Photoshop Elements or PaintShop Pro - they have to be scanned as a color image. I don’t know if this is true for other editors, however.

Stan

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

StanMac wrote:

You cannot use the common retouching tools (Clone, Spot Healing, etc) in a B&W image scanned in grayscale if you’re using Photoshop Elements or PaintShop Pro - they have to be scanned as a color image. I don’t know if this is true for other editors, however.

Stan

That's why I use Picture Window Pro 64-bit v 7.0 (it's free) for my scanned B&W images.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Rongnongno wrote:

I have a single tip for you...

This is not because the image is B&W that you should scan in B&W mode. Use color mode, you will get all type of nuances that will be revealed instead of being limited by the scanner.

When in PP you can always convert onto B&W with all the subtleties preserved.

Just saying...

I use a digital camera and macro lens to copy my 40- to 50-year old negatives in raw mode. Conversion is via Negative Lab Pro software plug-in in Adobe Lightroom Classic. This preserves a lot of detail I would miss via my old V600 Epson, but does require more post-processing to eliminate dust and scratches. I've been impressed at the ability to manipulate the raw file with much finer control than I had in my darkroom days.
:

If Looks Could Kill (October, 1969)

(Download)

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Rongnongno wrote:

I have a single tip for you...

This is not because the image is B&W that you should scan in B&W mode. Use color mode, you will get all type of nuances that will be revealed instead of being limited by the scanner.

When in PP you can always convert onto B&W with all the subtleties preserved.

Just saying...

Definitely, for high quality. I've learned to scan in 48-bit Color mode. B&W modes may look OK per the scan but it gets weird when using Ps on non-sRGB files. Some Ps features and filters are not available in Gray Scale Mode. One can go to Gray scale or B&W for printing as a last step.

Alan1729 Loc: England UK, now New York State.

I always scan my B&W prints and film in colour, sometimes serendipity steps in. I've had some great sepia results "right out of the box". Surprised me. Like already said you can do lots of things with all the channels.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I scan in gray-scale, save as a TIFF file, and then edit using gimp.

DIRTY HARRY Loc: Hartland, Michigan

If you scan B&W in Color, is there any reason or advantage to scan more than once? Some advice I have received on scanning color is there may be an advantage in making two scanning passes.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

DIRTY HARRY wrote:

If you scan B&W in Color, is there any reason or advantage to scan more than once? Some advice I have received on scanning color is there may be an advantage in making two scanning passes.

Not that I know of.

Possible benefits:
- Lamps and diodes are at the optimal temperature (discard the first scan then)
- Second scan maybe blended with the first one. This makes little sense unless you move the original on the scanner bed then align/blend. I see very little advantage to that unless you scan a magazine/news paper page (reduces moire).
- Waste of time needed to avoid honey-do???

More seriously:
A scanner is like many other electronic devices: it needs an optimal temperature to perform correctly. This is why high end scanners pose with their lights on before scanning.