Crosfield & Fujifilm Celsis Drum Scanners
Crosfield
drum scanners, especially the Celsis scanner, 
which
later became a
Fujifilm scanner, are often regarded as the world's finest
scanners. We offer both conventional (CMYK) and full ICC
Colour Management (RGB scanning) for Celsis and other
Fuji scanners such as the Lanovia and Finescan highend flatbed
scanners. You will find
details of our Colour Managent and Training services here. You
will also find history
and background
information on the Crosfield & Fuji scanner range.
You will also find a few hits and tips on this site. These mainly concentrate on the Celsis 5250 & 6250 & 6180 drum scanner range, including the Celsis CASC scanners. Some of the information may be pertinent to the older Crosfield Magnascan 636 & 646 drum scanners, and some to the newer Fuji Lanovia flatbed scanners. Some may be of interest to users of the outstanding Fujifilm ColourKit software; and some to users of other varieties of scanner! Some of this info will be old hat to experienced operators, especially those who were trained by Crosfield Electronics.
Scanner
Optimisation (Colour Managent) for CMYK Scanning
Drum
scanners, in particular Crosfield
and Fuji (Magnascan or Celsis), utilise a bewildering array of curves
and tables, etc. These are all collected together in
files known as Setups
or Customer Values (CV Blocks).
These need to be
optimised to match your particular photographic originals and
printing process. You need to have different setups for
transparency and reflection copy originals. Phil
Cruse
has many years of
experience of
this. He has developed special Luminosity,
Print Density, Grey
Balance and Black
Printer Curves
to give improved detail for today's
printing conditions.
It is highly unlikely that any of the supplied "generic" or "canned" setups or ICC profiles (which date back many years and are based on older industry standards) will match your particular requirements and quality expectations. This applies equally to those working in RGB and CMYK.
Test images will then be scanned and proofs made, followed by further adjustments until you are satisfied.
This service was sometimes provided by the scanner manufacturers, but alas this is no longer the case.
ICC Colour Management, RGB
Scanning
& Scanner Profiling
Modern
ICC Colour Management for scanners entails scanning images in the RGB
colour space for
later conversion to CMYK.
It is generally agreed,
that RGB scanning can give results which are as good as, or even
better than direct CMYK scanning. This only applies
to a scanner which has been carefully calibrated, setup and
professionally
profiled,
however!
With some high-end scanners,
especially the Celsis scanners, it can be tricky to obtain acceptable
RGB scans, and much modification of gradation curves, ranging targets
and
operating
procedures may be required. The scanner also has to be
professionally calibrated. This includes checking and
adjusting the
autobalance
"tracking" and various other procedures. This has
to be
done before the ICC
Profiles can
be created. Generic or "canned" scanner ICC Profiles, even if
available, are
seldom of a suitable quality for discerning users ("one size does NOT
fit all"). These generic profiles were probably made many years ago
when ICC Profiling software was in it's infancy and the
scanner used
was brand new with it's optical and electronic components in top
condition. We
create custom Profiles for individual scanners
and users. The ICC Profiles
generated will
be tested, and
if necessary,
edited for colour, gradation, etc.
Colour Negative Scanning
In the past this has been a "No-No" for most Crosfield scanner
users!
Many photographers are now using colour negatives and are presenting
them for scanning. Colour negatives require completely
different
gradation curves and other parameters, than do
transparencies.
We have carried out much research on this subject using Celsis
scanners. We
have created special Luminosity,
Print Density
and other curves to get
the best possible tone and detail from
colour negatives. A lot of operator skill is
still required due to the lack of a visible original photograph, and
the
tremendous variation in film emulsions, processing and
lighting. A considerable amount of editing (using the Celsis
software on the Mac) may be required for individual scans, particularly
for Colour Cast. We now
always scan colour negatives as RGB scans, preferably using a Celsis
drum scanner. However
negative
scanning is very successful on later Fuji Lanovia and Finescan flatbed
scanners thanks to their ColourKit software.
How do
you know if your scanner or camera Colour
Management
could be improved?
This is very
easy! This is when you
notice that every
image scanned from
a good original, or every digital camera
image, needs "editorial" adjustment in
PhotoShop. This
includes Levels, Gradation, Color Correction, Sharpness,
etc. If so, then you probably need help with ICC Profiles or
scanner "Setups".
Our Home Page is a great place to
start for details of our services and for tips on Colour
Management.