Re: filmscanners: NikSharpener Pro

["Brian D. Plikaytis" <bdplikaytis@bellsouth.net>]

Tom,
    I find your comments intriguing. Could I ask a few questions? I find
that when I sharpen using Photoshop tools, there is oftentimes an artificial
dark or light line (sharpening artifact) that appears at the juxtaposition
or boundary of a dark and light area. This causes me to spend a good deal of
time cleaning these things up. Does this this sharpening plugin eliminate
this problem? If it does I would say the price was worth it. I would be most
interested in your observations on this.

thanks,

Brian
--------------------------------------------------------------
respond to bdplikaytis@bellsouth.net


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Scales" <tscales@attglobal.net>
To: <filmscanners@halftone.co.uk>
Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2001 1:43 PM
Subject: filmscanners: NikSharpener Pro


> Just thought I'd throw in my two cents on this one.  I just bought a Nikon
> LS-4000 to replace my Polaroid Sprintscan 4000.  I made the switch purely
to
> get the roll film adapter.  In hindsight, since it sounds like the SS4000
> Plus might have the adapter that will be backwards compatible, I guess I
> should have waited.
>
> Water under the bridge, as I am happy with the LS-4000.
>
> Anyway, one of my challenges in the world of a 'digital darkroom' has
always
> been unsharp mask. I use it, but not as effectively as I would like.
Bottom
> line, I just don't understand it well enough, even after reading up on it.
>
> So, after reading a lot about Nik Sharpener Pro, I checked out their
> website. The full-blown Pro version is expensive as heck, but there is a
> 'middle version' that is Pro, but for inkjets and the internet.  Perfect
for
> me, as my two outputs are web pages and an Espon 1270 printer.  $169.
>
> So I bought it.
>
> I'm scanning madly today as yesterday was the opening day of soccer season
> for the kids.
>
> Let me tell you, the combination of the LS-4000 feeder and Nik Sharpener
Pro
> has cut the time to get the scans on the web down by, I estimate, 75%.
60%
> of that was the rollfilm adapter, but a good 15% was Nik Sharpener Pro.
> Just invoke the plugin and click OK and, by magic, the sharpening is
> perfect.  And I mean perfect.
>
> So, maybe it is pricey, but from my point of view, I just spend two grand
on
> a scanner, the extra cost of Nik Sharpner Pro is pretty small, especially
> for the benefit.  I think it compliments ICE nicely too.
>
> Tom
> P.S. and, no, I have no connection to any of these companies.
>
>