I've seen there is the possibility to use multiscan on the minolta scan
dual IV but not on the nikon coolscan V. Is it a real disadvantage ?
Is it possible on the nikon to take 2 scan (different exposure) to then
make a digital blending using photoshop ?
That's known as *multi*-pass multi-scanning, as opposed to regular,
*single*-pass multi-scanning.
As Kennedy mentioned, the problem is that multi-pass scans don't line
up. What's more, this misalignment is usually on sub-pixel level. And
that means having to line up the scans before you combined them
otherwise you'll be just blurring the image. Indeed, the same effect
can be achieved by applying a small amount of Gaussian Blur to the
shadows.
The problem is that in many cases 2 scans are just not enough and
you'll need 4 or 8 if not more. And lining them all up gets old real
quick! It also leads to boldness... You'll be tearing your hair out
before long... ;o)
What I'm doing instead is twin scans, one a regular scan (for
highlights) and another one with boosted exposure to bring out the
shadows. They still have to be sub-pixel aligned, but at least you
only have to do it once. The down side is that the two scans (due to
exposure difference) are no longer in "color-sync".
That means you will not only have to bring the shadow scan "down"
(darken it) but due to non-linear nature of color registration you
will also have to adjust its color to match the color of the normal
scan.
This sounds more complicated than it is, but the advantage is that you
will get much better shadow detail. Search the archives, because I've
described the procedure I came up with, several times before.
Don.
