In general it offers more control and less guessing. Yea, the mutiexposure feature now in silverfast really interested me if it could increase the dynamic range of my. Silverfast is very comprehensive, but i just prefer vuescan. Overall comparison of the two programs from a quality of output standpoint. The silverfast web site is one of the worst and least helpful ive ever run across in my 15 years of working with pcs. Free vuescan competitive upgrade for silverfast users. Where silverfast and epson scan work best are for those times when you just want an image to pop out of the scanner fully formed or for quick general scanning. Removing them at the time of scan means youll have less to do later. Vuescan vs silverfast seai plus 8 film forum leica forum. And then sometimes the silverfast scan showed a touch more detail somewhere, and sometimes the vuescan image held tiny details where theyd apparently disappeared in the sf scan.
This first step guide teaches how to start with silverfast 8 to. The same workflow and controls can be used with different models and brands of scanners. Vuescan is an excellent alternative for those users who need a software to control the scanner, because this lite program is compatible with more than 500 models. Dont go hunting around for obscure driver sets and downloads. How to scan film negatives using silverfast software youtube. Jun 07, 2016 the software when i first got word of this new srdx feature in silverfast ai studio 8 i was eager to try it out. Select your frame to be scanned and make the desired adjustments in the frame tab. May 06, 2015 i am processing all my scans through lightroom and i just want the best possible raw scan to start with. For the same or better scan quality you can purchase vuescan for a fraction of the cost. You can either download the program for free or purchase it. I have been using epson scan software together with epson v700 for many years, and epson scan is perfectly adequate if you use the professional mode with some basic settings. They both can also be used to scan other things like documents and photos.
Easier to use, nicer results, and it costs a whole lot less. It also comes with lifetime free updates for the professional edition and works on all scanners that you own, not just the one that you purchase it for like silverfast. Vuescan is one of the most famous film scanning software possibilities. Vuescan can be used with virtually any scanner and multiple scanners can be used with the license for one copy of the program. Silverfast can batch scan directly into photoshop or save each image to file, the latter choice is actually the better. Hi chuck, if as you said that im very poor and also tightfisted i wouldnt worry about silverfast or vuescan. Now, like you, ive forgotten to tell silverfast what it is i am scanning and so i navigate to the top left of the screen and select the following for the film i am working with. Many people are looking for an alternative to silverfast because they have found it doesnt fit all of their needs. Not only that, but silverfast only works on a very limited set of scanners compared to vuescan, which works on nearly. Just like silverfast, vuescan has colour profiles for a load of different negative films. Silverfast can also produce two types of batch scan, fully automatic correction, or manual correction. I realize this may not be a fair comparison given silverfast has many features, but i would still welcome any comments. As i recall, when i first downloaded it, the first few scans came through ok. In this aspect i feel that vuescan is actually doing a better job that silverfast.
The software when i first got word of this new srdx feature in silverfast ai studio 8 i was eager to try it out. Why i switched silverfast for vuescan david naylor. Scanner software silverfast for windows 10 and macos catalina. Its important to know right here and now that this is not a vuescan vs silverfast thread. Images will benefit from silverfast s intelligent automatic functions which help to make the image editing process much easier. Silverfast archive suite 8 is compatible with windows 10. Silverfast ai epson scansoftware win free trial download. The images benefit from the intelligent automatic functions that make the scan and imaging process so much easier. I am comparing vuescan and silverfast ai software on a flatbed scanner. Between epson scan, silverfast, or vuescan there isnt a difference.
You get it with your epson scanner, or you can download it for free from the epson website. Silverfast is the standard in the field of scanning and archiving software, featuring powerful highlights like fully automatic it8 calibration and multiexposure function both patented. Vuescan lets you know how big the files and resolution will be. Vuescans most obvious competition is silverfast ai studio 8, another, significantly more expensive, scan utility that also works with a long list of scanners from various companies, and also. Ive been pretty satisfied with vuescan the last few years. Silverfast and vuescan are the most commonly used professional tools for scanning film and slides. Furthermore, vuescan can be also used to download images from more than 200 digital camera models, so we will be able to use just one program to edit the pictures we import from other. Vuescan vs epson scan software dave my thought process here is that the scans and restorations are going to potentially happen over a period of years. Our silverfast movies introduce the software and its most important features online, as downloads, or for integration in silverfast. Throwing out silverfast and replacing it with vuescan my. I did these tests using the same 35mm negative on an epson 4870, the flatbed that i. Vuescan is a freeware for windows that allows you to scan images. Jul 19, 2018 its important to know right here and now that this is not a vuescan vs silverfast thread.
Feb 18, 2016 but silverfast is also very good at finding and removing dust and scratches that might be on your negatives. When applying usm the scan done with scangear can be cranked up more without being noisy i liked scangear best because it is also easier to get a nice scan with the use of scangear. Ill explain each of these latter two options in a moment, but for now we will. The silverfast web site says there is a free update available, but even though the product is registered in my name, the free update is not accessible, will not download and is virtually useless. I just want some opinions from users of silverfast.
I did these tests using the same 35mm negative on an epson 4870, the flatbed that i have used since it came out in 2004. In the scan to the left a 4x scan was performed you can spot a slight improvement in shadow noise but it also appears less sharp to me. I also have a brand new copy of silverfast that i will not even bother to load onto my computer. Silverfast is considered to be the high end scanner software, but to me scangear perform equal or better. Vuescan can also name your output files automatically in a numbered series, for instance from. Its intelligent image automatic simplifies scanning and image optimization immensely. Silverfast ai and ai studio offer the option to save frame settings and use it as a standard for all subsequent scans. The first is the hdr program, their terminology of a 4 layer scan, r,g,b and ir. All the results are out from the software with whatever adjustments and resized on photoshop and saved as jpeg no treatment on photoshop, epson scan is the easiest of the 3 software above for adjustment, just tick 2 or 3 options and scan, so how come many recommend vuescan or silverfast over epson scan. Lasersoft imaging, founded in 1986, is worldwide known as a pioneer of scanner and digital imaging software. Hamrick software, the developer of vuescan, the worlds most widely used scanning software, has announced a free competitive upgrade for existing silverfast users. Vuescan can also name your output files automatically in a numbered series, for instance from 01 to 36.
Move the slider to the left or right using your mouse to view the optimized or. Vuescan vs silverfast, is one better than the other. The unthinkable switching from vuescan to silverfast. The unthinkable switching from vuescan to silverfast film forum. Oct 23, 2014 vuescan s most obvious competition is silverfast ai studio 8, another, significantly more expensive, scan utility that also works with a long list of scanners from various companies, and also. An orange rectangle on the image is the scan frame that defines the area included in the final scan. Obviously, the real time view of any manipulations in silverfast may be a huge benefit. Silverfast detects the originals to scan and aligns them at a right angle automatically. The unthinkable switching from vuescan to silverfast film.
For many years, much of my work was on a variety of blackandwhite negative films and while i was fairly diligent about proper archival materials for storage there were some inevitable mars and blemishes on older images. The entry level version for uncomplicated and professional scanning offers easy handling. The title is misleading, its a book not just some tips and its much more than a few, its a couple hundred pages long. Have actually just started up again, scanning some fresh shotprocessed trix. This free upgrade is from the standard edition of vuescan to the professional edition of. But one scenario in particular exposes a problem i keep having trying to export totally flat, l. It has most, if not all, the things an enthusiast would want to scan their images quickly. I am processing all my scans through lightroom and i just want the best possible raw scan to start with. Silverfast seai john im not a scanning expert but most of what i know i learned from wayne fultons book a few scanning tips. Silverfast 8 scanner software is completely new to you.
Apr 27, 2010 all the results are out from the software with whatever adjustments and resized on photoshop and saved as jpeg no treatment on photoshop, epson scan is the easiest of the 3 software above for adjustment, just tick 2 or 3 options and scan, so how come many recommend vuescan or silverfast over epson scan. I see a place for both being honest, though if i had nothingi would pick vuescan anyday over silverfast. Download vuescan scanner software for macos catalina. Apr 08, 2014 where silverfast and epson scan work best are for those times when you just want an image to pop out of the scanner fully formed or for quick general scanning. All software has a learning curve, but your vuescan is already paid for and is excellent. Youve got a scanner, but to scan images into your pc, you need software like vuescan from hamrick software. The images benefit from the intelligent automatic functions. Silverfast product family features and functional differences silverfast scanner versions scansoftware for specific scanner. But silverfast is also very good at finding and removing dust and scratches that might be on your negatives. For this post i adjusted the scan resolution, scan type and sharpness of my frame as illustrated.
I have an older version of vuescan, but it seems to me to be very slow at. Download vuescan scanner software for macos catalina, windows. I tried the silverfast trial once, way back, could not fathom it. So, ive also a windws machine where is running xp and the readiris 10 software on it. Version 8 is less annoying to use than v 6, but hardly a joy. If you have vuescan already, just update it free online and use it. This is a story of silverfast 8 meets minolta dimage scan elite 5400 and how to get them to make sweet, celluloid love to each other. The crop tool is nice and easy to use, and allows you to tilt the frame slightly if necessary. When using silverfast or epson scan, each time you zoom in on a selection the scanner will rescan the image. In short, vuescan crack mac is a very useful program when you want to use your old scanner but find many difficult for drivers. Ive downloaded the demo version and its running well under mac os 10. Click the prescan icon at the top of silverfast and let it perform a warmup sequence and an initial scan of the images.