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 ?

[@MrViizualiZe]

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

[@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....

[@onefortrees]

The picture of the mountains during sunrise is stunning. Clap

[@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.

[@Viniskates]

I came here for the comedy and was not disappointed!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@ryangordon5491]

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

[@kian8382]

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

[@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.

[@MrElectroman3]

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

[@avtoportret]

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

[@olawalesanni2872]

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

[@anonharingenamn]

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

[@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!).

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@stephenwdunn6712]

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

[@bryanbernart]

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

[@aristoioannidis7490]

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

[@sharonchisanga4469]

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

[@elliee137]

Nice social network reference

[@kai9_long]

this officially becomes my new favorite ASMR channel

[@enthdegree]

relieved this is upper decker positive lifestyle channel

[@michisgouro2637]

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

[@michaelmcphee2930]

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

[@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

[@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).

[@Jeff-rs7xd]

I AM SO GLAD YOU UPLOADED TODAY!!

[@ManyDoors777]

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

[@copigo7]

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

[@annie_on_film]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@antoinedbf4307]

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

[@nino8344]

That motel picture with Cinestill was dope!!

[@Barzyz01]

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

[@idreaminsurfgreen5327]

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

[@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?

[@wordsrmusic]

Keep the salty humor going, it's gold!

[@jonathanhagerty7174]

Great banter, cleaver angle to separate yourself from other film photography channels.

[@brvnos]

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

[@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.

[@MinTieS.]

Jason looking fresh AF!

[@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!

[@donaldhollister8430]

Just glad Baxter made an appearance

[@SamsonArnettRoughley]

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

[@gilpineda]

I see grainydays on my push notifs, I click

[@raccoon.443]

god i love your deadpan voice..

[@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

[@tallboda668]

You're the first stand up comedian who also makes great videos about film photography. It's pretty clear: you won't find the good stuff swimming on the top of the ocean, you must dive deeper. However, I wish you all the best and as much subscribe as the well known KZbin photographer Influencer advertising non professional dude.

[@colinhealey6244]

Lmfao at "youtube film photography avengers"

[@garciaomar0203]

What did you use to scan the positives for negative lab pro? Epson or silverfast? I get different results when scanning from either.

[@LAR1945]

you are just soooo engaging. And smart..

[@depotmsa2362]

i love your dark humour

[@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.

[@rf8221]

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

[@ryanc1295]

Quick thing to make your scans even better, head on over to eBay, type in "SCAN TECH ANTI NEWTON RING ANR OPTICAL GLASS" and marvel at the difference an actually flat negative can make when you use the ANR glass vs the regular jacked up Epson holders.

[@GregoryVeizades]

An easier way us you get the Epson V700 35mm holders with the Build in ANR layer. Much much better vs the stock V700 ones and way easier to use. Still not ideal, but neither are flatbeds in general for 35mm.

[@Max-vm3yp]

Best comedian in the film photography community

[@mikemassa6143]

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

[@_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.

[@firsthandaccount]

Thank you for throwing a jab at composite DIGITAL ARTISTS who call themselves “photographers”. Just gained many more respect points 👌🏽☺️

[@JimmyFerminFilms]

firsthandaccount are you referring too someone who adds something extra to a photo (that they took)? Cause I see nothing wrong with that

[@firsthandaccount]

Jimmyferminphotography Yes. In my opinion, a true FINE ART photographer would want to get the image in camera, even if it takes coming back to that spot 8 months later using an ephemeris to position the moon in the correct spot, or waiting until the perfect sunset to take that cityscape shot even if it takes months to happen and you have to go every time there is a sunset. It is cutting corners, and you will never see an image with a moon added using photoshop or a sky replacement landscape photograph in the MOMA or any comparable fine art museum that has been around for more than 50 years. I realize “hobbyist” photographers or “professional” photographers don’t care and would rather do it in post because of laziness but that is why they are not revered fine art photographers that are being represented by distinguished galleries

[@bqfilms]

I like the new angle for the commentary, your baby face can be greatly appreciated now.

[@ronwolfept]

nice job on the comparison and the edit on this video

[@aarongatewood1224]

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

[@salmahlizerd]

Earned a subscriber purely in your wit, great video.

[@АлексаМладић]

Like, great editing. Dude.

[@Decco6306]

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

[@ChrisWhittenMusic]

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

[@raghebabunahla115]

Amazing. You're amazing. Thank you.

[@adventureStaley]

Well that was actually fairly informative. Go figure...

[@mtothej43]

Instant subscribe after listening to 10 seconds of you chatting

[@angelakate9922]

"So you can get 6 like from your parents alt account" i feel attacked but it made me subscribed

[@ulfpulf9667]

I wanted to learn about scanning but I was entertained

[@ZeptonicScientist]

Great comparison! Sadly i'm too poor to get any of those plugins :D so it will just be epson scan for me.

[@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.

[@Perryk]

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

[@dabzvapelord]

when you scan you should only include the image and not the black border of the negative because it will bias the scan.

[@canturgan]

So many people make this mistake.

[@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.

[@raycoyleiv]

Always can make me laugh - love that

[@ewi2772]

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

[@woohoo0237]

the video that i needddddd!!! thank youuu!

[@megzjr]

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

[@HouseOfHorusWorld]

Great video, love the comparisons!

[@peteystix]

Best film dude on the web

[@alexmoliname]

This was awesome.

[@jacksonjacksonnguyen]

I really enjoyed this video and your humor 😆😭😂

[@dogdive]

I found that it took a while to get Vuescan set up correctly to produce the best file to process with NLP. I shoot only bnw pretty much. If you don’t scan as raw with 48bit rgb selected (even bnw) you won’t be able to have NLP profiles available to you in Lightroom. I feel like what I want is the best most information rich file to import into Lightroom and hit it with NLP. A crappy scan and/or a bad negative and no amount of fiddling in Lightroom will fix it. This is where I know I could improve. Tweaking vuescan to produce the best file to send to Lightroom and NLP. Also not mentioned is the enhanced metadata that NLP has available for film photography. The tips from Nate in the first comment are awesome. I never thought of cropping the image to just one part, converting in NLP and then recropping back out to the whole thing.

[@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