negadoctor challenge - old negative scanned with a DSLR

Thanks for the negative. It’s the first time I processed one.

Darktable 3.6
Kirstenbosch Neg 35.CR2.xmp (74.1 KB)

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First edit with ART

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Kirstenbosch Neg 35.CR2.pp3 (15.6 KB)

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Kirstenbosch Neg 35.CR2.xmp (11.5 KB)

new trial with ART

With Darktable 3.9

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My attempt :slight_smile: Nice picture btw

First I set all the color profiles to Adobe RGB, I found the default profiles screw up the colors, especially yellows and bright greens. (I also set the Camera profile to Adobe RGB normally)

  1. Turn off everything effecting colors turned on by default
  2. Set the white balance from the film stock at the side of the image
  3. Turn on negadocter and set the color of the film stock from the same place as the white balance
  4. Return the exposure settings to the middle position
  5. Move Dmax till the image is bright and set it to just as the image starts to loose detail in the brightest parts
  6. Move the scanner exposure bias slightly to the right, to darken the image slightly.

If at this point the image is suspiciously dark, bump the R G and B components of the Dmin each by the same amount maybe 10%, if its still to dark bump it more. (I don’t know why Negadocter stunts the colors on some images but it does especially ones taken in low light) If things start to grey out the image was probably underexposed.

  1. Set the corrections, firstly the highlights white balance on a light white area (just above the stairs)
  2. Set the shadows color cast on a shadow (find one that doesn’t throw the colors funny)
  3. Finally I increase the contrast slightly and add some saturation to get colors closer to real life.
  4. If at this point there is a weird color cast, (such as a slight blue), I turn on RGB levels, unlink the channels and after choosing the right color move the black cutoff slightly to remove it.
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