A side bar has buttons for modifying the prescan, the most important of which control the tonal range and colour balance.
You can also save your own commonly used settings as jobs. web, inkjet printer) and desired output size of the image. The job function is particularly useful if you are new to film scanning, allowing you to choose from a range of resolution settings, depending on the intended use (e.g. A top bar includes buttons for prescan, scan, choice of film type, general preferences and job type. The controls are logically arranged in three groups. Holding the mouse over any of the controls brings up an explanation of its function. The user interface is simple and intuitive, with online help readily available. Although it has been superseded in terms of speed by the Scan Elite, the Scan Speed remains pretty nippy, producing a maximum resolution scan in about 45 seconds and a prescan in about 12 seconds.
Minolta dimage scan software software#
The scanning software works as a standalone or as a TWAIN plug-in in Photoshop. The scanner comes with Adobe Photoshop 5 LE, a bonus if you don't already have good quality imaging software. If you haven't got a SCSI card installed, you will need to buy one of the Adaptec cards recommended by Minolta for about 50. Everything worked first time with no hassle.
Minolta dimage scan software manuals#
Just follow the instructions in the paper manuals to install the software, plug the SCSI connector in and off you go. The bonus came when my local photographic retailer had the Scan Speed in stock and on special offer for 439. With no real need for batch scanning or Digital Ice, and pushing brand loyalty to Nikon aside, the Scan Speed won my vote, particularly as it has received good reviews in the photographic press. The main difference seems to be that the Scan Elite, like the Nikon Coolscan LS2000, offers batch scanning and comes with Digital Ice automatic scratch-removing software. These two Minolta scanners appear very similar in their basic specifications, with a dynamic range of 3.6D and 2820ppi maximum resolution. The alternatives are Minolta's new Scan Elite at around 800 or their older Scan Speed, which has halved in price to 500 since the advent of the Scan Elite. As a Nikon fan, my first thoughts went towards the Nikon Coolscan LS2000, which is well-specified, but has a street price of between 1000- 1200. Dynamic range is measured by a mysterious parameter, D, which ranges from less than 3.0 up to 3.6 in top of the range desktop scanners.Īny scanner sporting a dynamic range of 3.6D will undoubtedly be satisfactory in other quality-determining departments, such as maximum resolution and bit depth. This is not a fault with the Coolscan II, but a consequence of its low dynamic range, a property that determines a scanner's ability to capture shadow detail.
No amount of tweaking in the scanner software or in Photoshop can capture the shadow details, which are plainly visible on the slides. Carefully exposed sunsets turn into virtual silhouettes and landscapes taken in less extreme lighting have dense, murky shadows. I've learnt this from using my existing scanner, a Nikon Coolscan II, that simply can't cope with dense or contrasty slides. For me, the basic prerequisite in choosing a new scanner is a well-endowed dynamic range.
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