Scanning Problem

ML
Posted By
Mel Lewis
Sep 16, 2003
Views
140
Replies
6
Status
Closed
When scanning negative film into Photshop Elements I am unable to convert the negative into a positive. I have used the "Invert" command, but to no effect. Please advise on what steps needed to convert a negative image to a positive image.
Related Tags
problem scan

How to Master Sharpening in Photoshop

Give your photos a professional finish with sharpening in Photoshop. Learn to enhance details, create contrast, and prepare your images for print, web, and social media.

RC
Richard Coencas
Sep 16, 2003
Usually the scanning software has a setting for doing the conversion. For B/W negatives and invert in Elements will work, but color negs have an orange cast that needs to be corrected. It can be corrected in Elements using the ColorCast tool or using the set graypoint eyedropper in Levels, but the scanning software usually does a good job of it.

Rich
CS
Chuck Snyder
Sep 16, 2003
Mel, are you scanning a black and white negative or a color negative? If the former, you should be able to make a positive using
Image<Adjustments<Invert or Ctrl-I. You might need to change the Mode of the image from .bmp to RGB color or Grayscale before performing this operation (Image<Mode<Grayscale or Image<Mode<RGB color.

If you’re working with a color negative, there’s another challenge: there’s a uniform orange mask layer that’s applied to the negative. Many scanners have built-in software to remove the mask and create a positive in the scanning process; if not, you’ll wind up after inverting the image with a greenish cast (whatever the inverse of the orange color is) that’s hard to remove. There was a thread on this subject about a week ago, as I recall…

Chuck
CS
Chuck Snyder
Sep 16, 2003
Hi, Rich! Believe we’re in sync again today….!

🙂

Chuck
RC
Richard Coencas
Sep 16, 2003
Noticed that too Chuck. We seem to do that pretty often. Scary. 😉
CS
Chuck Snyder
Sep 16, 2003
It’s because you’re good and I’m occasionally lucky….!

🙂
JF
Jodi Frye
Sep 16, 2003
Great minds think alike !

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections