Film Scan Comparison

[@NatePhotographic]

Hi! Nate here, maker of Negative Lab Pro. This video is so great... couldn't stop laughing. Well done. A couple of hints on Negative Lab Pro that may be helpful for viewers. 1) For Tiff scans, I recommend NOT using Lightroom's white balance tool prior to conversion. Without getting into all the technical details, the white balance tools works differently on RAW files vs Tiff/Jpeg files. White balancing on a TIF/JPG prior to conversion is likely to result in strong turquoise casts (which some people love, and others hate - so I guess to each his own?). So here, you could either just convert without white balancing prior to conversion, or you could use the included "Tif Scan Prep" utility, which will more correctly balance out the film prior to conversion. It isn't usually necessary, but you'll get slightly more accurate results if you do that step. You could also create a RAW DNG with either Silverfast or Vuescan, which could then make use of Negative Lab Pro's raw camera profiles. I usually think this produces better results. 2) The default "standard" profile in Negative Lab Pro is on the punchier side, and is based on Lab Scanners default contrast profiles. You can make the "linear + deep" or "linear + flat" profiles the default if you want something flatter, or adjust the whiteclip and blackclip points to taste. Everything you do in Negative Lab Pro in non-destructive (unlike EpsonScan and Silverfast) so it's easy to adjust and re-adjust always working against the original. 3) For backlit scenes, a quick trick you can do is to crop in to just the foreground, and then run the conversion (you can re-crop after). NLP will optimize based on whats in the crop at the time of conversion. 4) Future versions of NLP will have more options for gamut control - which will be especially useful for controlling the bright cherry reds and intense turquoise colors. Hope that helps, and thanks again for the awesome videos you make!

[@briansavage932]

You're a scholar and a gentleman, Nate! Your milkshake brings all the film photographers to the yard.

[@kpsnow2411]

Great tips Nate!

[@sigibergmann9356]

u are a god Nate!

[@connieandstewart]

dropping knowledge! I'll have to try this out and see how the results change! thank you Nate!

[@刘鸿程]

I'm going to translate this to some Chinese user of negative lab,thank you so much.

[@KodakBoy]

Ok you had your fun Jason now can I please have my scanner back, I’m sending my wife’s boyfriend to pick it up since you broke my nose and clogged the toilet

[@wahyuprasojo5148]

lol

[@vikmanphotography7984]

There's a story that needs exploring there.

[@Denouermont]

“So you can get liked by all 6 of your parents alt accounts” haha so true

[@fandyus4125]

Seriously though, it pains me to get my shots I worked hard on get 5 likes when some random girl can put a filter on her face and get 127. Instagram really isn't the way imho.

[@riccardonecci8083]

@@fandyus4125 I've been seriously asking myself what's the way to go though... Like, how tf can I make someone at least interact with my photos!?

[@dapeaceswagger]

@@fandyus4125 true that. plus it really isn't the best way to appreciate photography (it crops images, quality is poor and you can't really zoom in to see the details)

[@fandyus4125]

@@riccardonecci8083 You can't, the market is too oversaturated.

[@riccardonecci8083]

@@fandyus4125 that is a sad truth my friend.

[@JudsonGraham]

literally died laughing at the youtube film photographers avengers thing

[@mastaw]

Rest in Peace Judson Graham ???? - 2020

[@thegreaterconundrum]

Nick Carver - Dr. Strange Matt Day - Captain America

[@captaincrazy5075]

I think he forgot Analog Insights

[@Frank-Ding]

I'm kinda new to the film photographers youtube space. Would somebody be kind enough to tell me who each of the "film photographer avengers" are?

[@dubumowith7376]

Analog insights = vision ?

[@StevenShermanSingularity]

Love the commentary. Recently purchased the Plustek Opticfilm 8200 ai scanner with 8.8 silverfast to scan decades of my parents slide photos. Still learning the correct settings especially for any underexposed slides...... Hundreds of Kodak Carousels in my closets now to be scanned. I am sure eventually I shall master the settings... Keep up the fantastic commentary and enjoy a beer discussing the wisdom of life and the value of an analog life....

[@MrViizualiZe]

asked a question about this on the livestream, got ignored but got a video out of it. Life is good.

[@onefortrees]

The picture of the mountains during sunrise is stunning. Clap

[@Viniskates]

I came here for the comedy and was not disappointed!

[@jdpst20]

4:42 I would totally take the EPSON Scan over the other two. It's just way more natural IMO and a better starting point to work with the image if you wanted to tweak it in post a little. It's not a RAW file most likely a TIFF, so having good highlight exposure it looks great and If you wanted you could putt a bit of the shadows up but I think it looks the best and most properly exposed. The colors also look to be the most accurate. I've never had any issues with my Epson software.

[@jameshall5556]

Yeah. Epson scan looks the best here.

[@mapletree736]

I agree I was confused every time he said it was ass and the worst

[@totskieranque9325]

😊

[@totskieranque9325]

😊😊 3:11

[@EPeltzer]

If you actually take 15 seconds to make some very basic adjustments in Epson scan, it delivers. I'm sure that's true of all 3 apps though. So honestly this is not a very illuminating comparison cuz nobody's just going to take the stock auto exposure and use that, are they? If you're going to all the trouble to shoot and develop film, surely you're not going to just set your scanner on instamatic. I've watched a ton of reviews on NLP and ViewScan and not really seeing any convincing reason to switch from Epson. The colors such as oversaturated reds and turning all the blues turqoise in NLP are just bizarre IMO.

[@calahad]

I didn't know it before but now it's clear. Your sarcasm is one of the many things that keep me afloat in these trying times.

[@kian8382]

You and Nick Caver are the best two film photography channels I've found, really enjoyable to watch.

[@ryangordon5491]

Casually throws a sick parallax on the last shot. Well done sir.

[@CyanSkies]

Here we are four years after you did this video and you had me laughing! Became an instant subscriber. Great job! Just started scanning film and never heard of Silverfast or the LR plug-in ($99?! Sheesh!).

[@stephenwdunn6712]

One of the funniest guys on KZbin. Videos are informative and fun. Self depricating but always on the money.

[@vikmanphotography7984]

This was the video that we all badly needed. I had been wanting a comparison like this for a while. I wish that you developed your own film so that you could compare B/W developers

[@joeltunnah]

I turn “CCR” (color cast removal) off in Silverfast. I find it often screws up the colors. I watched so many of these comparisons and reviews last year, I’m confident that Silverfast is overall the best scanning software. For reference I use a Plustek 8200i.

[@MrElectroman3]

This is exactly what I’ve been trying to compare for months. Thank you for this.

[@anonharingenamn]

What a beautifully edited video. You made the comparison "shots" really, really well.

[@Jeff-rs7xd]

I AM SO GLAD YOU UPLOADED TODAY!!

[@jayextarys8616]

Getting a V600 to scan paper photos and slides. Thanks so much for this amazing video, it gives me a good idea - I tend to prefer the SilverFast scan.

[@Strawbsmedia]

the last time i was this early we weren't living through a historical pandemic

[@m93sek]

the last time it was mentioned it wasn't original already

[@josephstitt137]

I use Epson scan just because it came with the scanner and one of the most impressive things about the software is how it removes the magenta shift from expired slide film and gives a pretty usable image. Would be interested in how the other software alternatives would handle expired slide film.

[@pilsplease7561]

Silverfast gets weird. Ive had issues with it.

[@olawalesanni2872]

Negative lab was my favorite version! Thanks for testing them out for us!

[@avtoportret]

not only hilarious, not only educational, but also simply well made video

[@kai9_long]

this officially becomes my new favorite ASMR channel

[@sharonchisanga4469]

We would love to have that here in Zambia.❤❤ It's really good have loved them all.

[@michisgouro2637]

Love the videos editing and special effects made the comparison experience an absolute blast! 🙏🏻

[@HouseOfHorusWorld]

Great video, love the comparisons!

[@ManyDoors777]

So this proves you don’t need either plug in. Just adjust the tones a bit in Lightroom and save some money.

[@imanevilpotatoe7546]

I just bought an Epson scanner this morning, and you conforted me in my choice. Great video as always, finally one that kills my boring ass quarantine day routine

[@coreyhodgson1238]

Negative Lab Pro requires you to do the DNG or Tiff prep before you convert, that may explain the screwy color shift.

[@vikmanphotography7984]

= more effort

[@2thirty9]

Vikman Photography No like it’s a one button click in Lightroom. (Okay two, technically)

[@danieldelira1417]

The TIFF prep is like a gamma correction, definitely helps with contrast and color. Only problem I have with it is the fact that you end up with 3 gigantic files for every one finished photo

[@GregoryVeizades]

Hey Corey, I also use a V750 and Negative Lab Pro and after extensive testing specifically with this scanner, TIF prep rarely improves or worsens the result. Tiff prep is more needed for low gamma value scanners like Nikons. The Epson V700 and V700 series are Gamma 2.2 scanners and will generally only benefit from Tiff Prep in edge cases.

[@coreyhodgson1238]

@@GregoryVeizades Interesting, I knew it corrected to Gamma 2.2 - but did not know that the 700 & 750 were Gamma 2.2 default. Very interesting, thank you Gregory!

[@hewhotellsastory]

Thanks for bringing back a memory 1:20 I can recall the funeral pyres just a little farther down the river.

[@HeyxArno]

The dialogue in this video is my spirit animal. Thank you for giving me something I didn't know I needed. Scanning part is informative I guess.

[@LAR1945]

you are just soooo engaging. And smart..

[@Tsudkyk]

I really love the results I get with my epson, they scans are flat but it retains details in the shadows and highlights but it takes some work in Lightroom to correct the contrast and mid tones. I’m impressed with what Ive seen from silverfast and I’m curious about negative lab pro.

[@AeromaticXD]

Ahhh a grainydays upload means a good day

[@Being_Joe]

The nice thing about the V700 is you can use the wet mount scan process to get better results from your film scans. If you have Silverfast there is a option to crossgrade your license at a discount. These flatbeds are great for medium / large format film not so great for 35mm. Silverfast does some interesting scanning at different setting to give you a better dynamic range. I don't scan much at home anymore because it just takes too long and I never been able to match results from pro labs with skilled film scanner operators (except for Black and White, I can get just as good or better black and white scans at home).

[@wordsrmusic]

Keep the salty humor going, it's gold!

[@gilpineda]

I see grainydays on my push notifs, I click

[@johnsciara9418]

Does anyone else notice the irony of someone who has their film developed and then telling the lab that you don't need them to scan your negatives because you're an independent film photographer? If you really were that independent, wouldn't you have developed your film yourself?

[@nino8344]

That motel picture with Cinestill was dope!!

[@kaiseong2007]

Colour scanning rely a lot on the quality of the light source and RAW converter, you will be amazed what you can get out of Capture One compared with the mentioned software.

[@aarongatewood1224]

Subscribed because your personality is hilarious!! Thanks for the comparison!

[@annie_on_film]

ahh Jason... the antithesis of the photography avengers... and a breath of fresh air!

[@georgev.georgeson5300]

Thanks for the comparison. I myself have been manually adjusting negatives with curves in Photoshop before, but recently, I have started processing my negative scans with my own python code using grey world algorithm improved with salient detection. It works surprisingly well and costs nothing.

[@Barzyz01]

Excellent blend of science, color and humor. Prost!!!

[@elliee137]

Nice social network reference

[@helgebrekke]

Thanks! I went all in and bought the Epson V850Pro some weeks ago, mainly for braggin' rights, but it comes with Silverfast SE 8 included for free (cause the scanner is hella expensive), and I've just been using that so far. I have, though, realised how much difference a few adjustments can do to to the output of the scan. Also, the iSDR (iRDS? iSRD?) for colour negatives is AMAZING at removing all that dust that otherwise would make my life a living hell.

[@helgebrekke]

Also, the thanks was for a break in the monotony of lockdown and the sound of my scanner whirring away at my backlog of negatives.

[@justinpatterson4164]

The Silverfast defaults looked so good!

[@Being_Joe]

Agree. Though I get a feeling he was just using defaults and not doing anything really custom.

[@HungUpOnADream1122]

Jose Juarez That was the point of the video, comparing their default results without editing them. It is to show people what the program does itself, not with the user.

[@TheEmptyMayoJar]

It could just be me, but my silverfast doesnt have a cinestill default... does anyone know if there is one?

[@JasonZakrajsek]

@@Being_Joe you should get that feeling because he explicitly said it’s few times.

[@MinTieS.]

Jason looking fresh AF!

[@TheChannelling]

Have you managed to connect the scanner to wifi? That would be such a bonus

[@bryanbernart]

Thank you, I really get a kick out of your videos.

[@alexxedge]

Really enjoyed this video. Definitely informative, and you're mood is just nailing how we all feel right now...just trapped with our own thoughts.

[@Perryk]

Have you tried VueScan? Using the Nikon Coolscan 9000 and SilverFast, I would get red lines all over the image.

[@aristoioannidis7490]

Thanks for your assessment. Much appreciated. For me the Epson solution hit the mark.

[@enthdegree]

relieved this is upper decker positive lifestyle channel

[@Theincrediblespud]

Where was the picture at 4:31 taken? It looks beautiful

[@copigo7]

I really want to know who the "film photographer avengers" are

[@justinleejamison]

Super informative, Jason. I've been using Vuescan for a while but I'm looking to change things up. I definitely appreciate the humor that you bring to your reviews as well. Well done.

[@depotmsa2362]

i love your dark humour

[@SamsonArnettRoughley]

3:26 there's something so satisfying about that cut

[@mikemassa6143]

Very funny video and very detailed! Thanks for the info!

[@idreaminsurfgreen5327]

I am so pumped to watch this! Just switched from Epson Scan to Siverfast. HELP!

[@ramseymellette3169]

Great video! I'm now subscribed!

[@megzjr]

Man you are so damn funny 😂 i enjoy how bored/sarcastic you are all the time .. and great content as always

[@salmahlizerd]

Earned a subscriber purely in your wit, great video.

[@ForgottenTasmania]

I like the results from Silverfast but it’s the program I love to hate. Most unfriendly interface, but useable if you buy the third party manual. I’m currently trying NLP as the interface is very nice and it fits into my LR workflow without the export, import hack to fix backwards controls in LR when photographing negatives. It’s just so good to see new products in this space and your review was a giggle. Thank you.

[@ChrisWhittenMusic]

Unfortunately Negative Lab Pro is only for Lightroom. So Capture One users are left with DIY DSLR or Epson scanning.

[@rf8221]

How did you change the turquoise color cast from the NLP?

[@toulcaz31]

You didn’t mention the lack of ICE for Negative Lab Pro which adds to the processing length. Have you done manual inversions in Photoshop? It’s not too hard and would have been a great 4th comparison. Maybe a follow-up video?

[@lukasbusse2793]

you can achieve NLP-conversions without the turquoise blue tones, if you digitize as a RAW DNG, either with Silverfast (a version which allows it) or with Vuescan which can also use infrared dust removal. but for your route via Tiff I highly recommend using the Tiff-Preparation tool which comes with NLP. It will change the tiffs gamma to a value (2.2) from which NLP will work much better.

[@antoinedbf4307]

Great video ! i've been fighting with my scans forever.

[@michaelmcphee2930]

Two years down the track Topaz AI tweaks suit my edits with Silverfast.

[@AbdullahChakmakchi]

I've noticed the blue tint in negative lab pro. So I ended up copying it as a TIFF and Desaturate the blues. The scans come out fine after that. Taken me awhile to noticed it 😂😂 as I am still learning.

[@_brushie]

I beg of you to use more Ektar 100 during the Fall weather. The red cast film with the leaves changing colors really feels like being an old lady walking through the fall decoration section of a Hobby Lobby. In a good way.

[@ronwolfept]

nice job on the comparison and the edit on this video

[@Mickaelplqn]

how do you correct blue sky in neglabpro ?!

[@АлексаМладић]

Like, great editing. Dude.

[@jacksonjacksonnguyen]

I really enjoyed this video and your humor 😆😭😂

[@ewi2772]

I’m in love with your channel, is like watching standup comedy with photography

[@Decco6306]

Your commentary is god-like, keep it up, I love it

[@bene681]

Have you heard about the film negative converter in rawtherapee? Its free and I'm too cheap to buy some software thats worth more than the old scanner I have

[@paoloportillo7700]

not sure if this applies to the v700 but Silverfast is actually given free if you register your scanner to the epson website. Reason being that the iSRD isnt functional in the Epson Scan software 2. Used it on my v600

[@ribsy]

i wonder if jason has a notebook full of one-liners

[@jeromestolly1178]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets crazy blue Skys with Negative Lab Pro. I thought maybe I was developing wrong or over agitating. Glad to see it isn't me! Where did you get that 4 strip negative holder? And will that work with the epson v600?

[@CHGroups]

Çox sağol önəmli məlumatlar üçün! Thank you bro!

[@vonnnner]

"Negative Lab Pro definitely has a greenish cast, like it got a Mountain Dew pre-wash in development" 😂

[@bryanotero123]

Amish would love that

[@donaldhollister8430]

Just glad Baxter made an appearance

[@brvnos]

It seems all of them needed a little correction, but only one is free. Love your videos, man.

[@minisla]

Have you compared prints. Just interested as notice epson scans full of noise.

[@hakkimaziz]

I just subscribed cause you're a funny person!

[@jme92685]

Why is Ektar dead to you? It's been my favorite for landscapes but I'm always trying to learn and try new films.

[@tyrrellmentoor4733]

Been waiting for another upload

[@JL-vk1rs]

Hi can I ask which "film profile" you used for the cinestill and silverfast combo? I have silverfast but it has no cinestill option

[@MB-or8js]

Did you adjust your frame holders in your V700 scanner for the optimum height? Maximum scanner sharpness is a few mm above the scanner glass. Makes a huge difference in picture sharpness! I find the Epson scan surface too dark in results, I am using currently SilverFast 8.

[@raghebabunahla115]

Amazing. You're amazing. Thank you.

[@DozierGraphic]

you're the shit! this and all your other videos incredibly helpful! Thanks!

[@mikeackYT]

Great video! Only thing I would suggest is that NLP does do some weird blue hue casts. I have since been scanning my film with VuScan as DWGs and then using NLP on those and I haven't had the issue since. Maybe something to test out? NPL has an option to pick your film brand but not stock as well.

[@raccoon.443]

god i love your deadpan voice..

[@calvinwu3861]

Great video. I really like it!