Microtek ScanMaker 8700 Pro, ScanWizard Pro TX Reference Manual

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Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX

Reference Manual

For Mac OS X

Trademarks

Microtek®, AritxTM, and ScanWizardTM Pro are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microtek International Inc. Adobe

and Acrobat® are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Macintosh® and Apple

are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other products or name brands are trademarks of their respective holders.

Important

Documents that you scan may be protected under copyright law. The unauthorized use of such documents could be a violation of the rights of the copyright holder. Microtek bears no responsibility for the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials.

To obtain optimal results from the Microtek scanning software and user's manual, you should be familiar with such Windows concepts as pointing, clicking, dragging, and selecting from menus and dialog boxed. If these things are new to you, refer to your Microsoft Windows User's Guide.

Microtek Lab, Inc.

16941 Keegan Avenue Carson, CA 90746 Main: 310-687-5800 FAX: 310-687-5950 http://www.microtekusa.com

Microtek Europe B.V.

Klompenmaker Str. 76 3194DE Hoogvliet-RT The Netherlands TEL: +31-10-242-5688 FAX: +31-10-242-5699 http://www.microtekeurope.com

Microtek International, Inc.

6, Industry East Road 3 Science Based Industrial Park Hsinchu, 30077, Taiwan TEL: 886-3-5772155 FAX: 886-3-5772598 http://www.microtek.com

February 2003

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Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................. 1

ScanWizard Pro for Mac OS X: The Interface ................................................................ 2

Launching ScanWizard Pro ............................................................................................. 3

Exiting ScanWizard Pro...................................................................................................3

The Preview Window .................................................................................. 4

Elements of the Preview window .................................................................................... 4

The File Menu .................................................................................................................. 6

The Context Concept ................................................................................................ 7

New ScanWizard Context......................................................................................... 8

Load ScanWizard Context ........................................................................................ 8

Save ScanWizard Context As ................................................................................... 8

Show Current Context Path ...................................................................................... 9

Quit ........................................................................................................................... 9

The Scanner Menu ......................................................................................................... 10

Scanner Model ........................................................................................................ 11

Current Scanner Info............................................................................................... 11

Scanner Probe ......................................................................................................... 11

Scanner Driver Manager ......................................................................................... 12

Scanner Controls..................................................................................................... 14

The View Menu.............................................................................................................. 15

Overview and Prescan ............................................................................................ 16

Zoom in / Zoom out ................................................................................................ 18

Resize Window to Fit.............................................................................................. 19

Bring Settings Window to Front ............................................................................. 20

Show / Hide ... Window commands ....................................................................... 20

Show / Hide Low & High Value Markers .............................................................. 20

About ...................................................................................................................... 20

The Preferences Menu ................................................................................................... 21

Scan Material .......................................................................................................... 22

Color Matching Setup ............................................................................................. 23

White/Black Points Setup ....................................................................................... 26

Cursor Auxiliary Lines ........................................................................................... 28

Prescan Setup .......................................................................................................... 29

Invert ....................................................................................................................... 31

More........................................................................................................................ 32

The Correction Menu ..................................................................................................... 36

The Help Menu .............................................................................................................. 36

The Toolbar .................................................................................................................... 37

Scan Frame tool ............................................................................................................. 38

Zoom tool .......................................................................................................................39

Move tool .......................................................................................................................40

Tag Windows tool .......................................................................................................... 41

Overview, Prescan, and Scan ......................................................................................... 46

Rulers, Unit of Measurement ......................................................................................... 47

Preview Area and Eject button ....................................................................................... 48

Auxiliary information and Handy buttons ..................................................................... 49

The Settings Window ................................................................................ 50

Elements of the Settings window................................................................................... 50

Job .................................................................................................................................. 52

Input Profile (Scanner ICC) ........................................................................................... 53

Type................................................................................................................................ 54

Resolution settings .........................................................................................................56

Scan Frame and related settings..................................................................................... 58

Locks .............................................................................................................................. 62

Transform.......................................................................................................................63

Image Category .............................................................................................................. 64

Advanced Image Correction Tools ................................................................................ 66

The LCH Color Model ................................................................................................... 67

AIC Tools in LCH vs. Native Color Mode .................................................................... 68

AIC Tools and your Image Type .................................................................................... 69

Workflow for Optimizing Images .................................................................................. 70

Accessing the AIC Tools................................................................................................ 72

Elements of the Advanced Image Corrrection screen .................................................... 73

The Action Buttons ........................................................................................................74

Custom Settings ............................................................................................................. 75

The Default Button ........................................................................................................ 77

Dynamic Range tool ...................................................................................................... 78

White & Black Points tool ............................................................................................. 80

Gradation tool ................................................................................................................ 83

Color Cast tool ............................................................................................................... 86

Saturation tool ................................................................................................................ 88

Selective Color tool ....................................................................................................... 89

Tone Curve tool.............................................................................................................. 95

Filter tool........................................................................................................................ 97

Brightness and Contrast tool ........................................................................................ 101

Color Correction tool ................................................................................................... 102

Threshold tool .............................................................................................................. 103

The Information Window ........................................................................ 104

Elements of the Information window .......................................................................... 104

Color Meter Options .................................................................................................... 106

Creating Color Tag Windows....................................................................................... 107

The Job Panel Window ........................................................................... 108

Appendix A: More Color Matching Information.................................... 110

Appendix B: Kodak Color Management System ...................................111

Reference: The Preview Window 1

This Reference manual covers the various commands and features found in the ScanWizard Pro TX scanning software for the Mac OS X system. The reference information is divided into four major sections, corresponding to the four major windows of the program:

• Preview

• Settings

• Information

• Job Panel

The Reference manual is part of the comprehensive documentation included with your Microtek scanner package.

Another important component of the documentation, the User's Guide, covers basic and advanced scenarios for scanning (e.g., how to scan film, how to scan multiple jobs, etc.). Please use both these manuals in learning to make full use of your ScanWizard Pro TX software.

Introduction

2 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X: The Interface

ScanWizard Pro TX consists of four major windows: Preview, Settings, Information, and Job Panel.

All four windows appear automatically after ScanWizard Pro TX is started up the first time. You may hide or show the Job Panel and Information windows by clicking on the Hide / Show toggle commands in the View menu of the Preview window.

Job Panel window provides functions

for managing scan jobs

Settings

window

contains

scanning

parameters for

image type

and,

dimensions. Includes image correction tools

Information window

provides color information on a selected area of the image

Preview window has commands and tools for controlling the scanner

Reference: The Preview Window 3

Launching ScanWizard Pro TX

Start ScanWizard Pro TX from the Applications folder in your Mac OS X system. The first time you launch ScanWizard Pro TX, you will be prompted to set up color matching for your scanner. If you are not sure about what to do, simply click the OK button to accept the settings; you can always change the settings at a later time. For more information, see the Color Matching Setup section of the manual.

You will also see the ScanWizard Pro TX menu at the top left portion of your desktop. Here, you will see commands for specifying your preferences in ScanWizard Pro TX, hiding ScanWizard Pro TX, quitting ScanWizard Pro TX, and other commands.

Exiting ScanWizard Pro TX

To exit ScanWizard Pro TX, go to the File menu and choose the Quit command, or press the Apple + Q keys simultaneously.

4 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

The Preview Window

The Preview window is the prominent window and includes the various commands and tools for controlling the scanner.

Elements of the Preview window

I. Rulers

H. Unit of

measurement

A. Menu bar

C. Overview button

J. Auxiliary bar

D. Prescan button

F. ToolbarE. Scan

button

B. Scan Material menu

L. Preview area

M. Status bar

K. Handy buttons

G. Eject

Reference: The Preview Window 5

A. Menu bar: This area includes the different menus for controlling and

operating the scanner.

B. Scan Material menu: This shows the type of your scan material — Positive

or Negative.

C. Overview button: This button previews the film or slides in your holder and

displays the overview images as thumbnails in the Job Panel window.

D. Prescan button: This button shows a higher-resolution view of the selected

overview image as shown in the Job Panel window, and displays the resulting prescan image in the Preview window.

E. Scan button: This button starts the final scanning process.

F. Toolbar: The buttons in the Toolbar perform specific actions on the

Overview or Prescan image. The Toolbar includes the Scan Frame tool, Zoom tool, Move tool, and Tag Windows tool.

G. Eject: This button ejects the holder from the film scanner.

H. Unit of Measurement: Select the unit of measurement for the rulers and the

ruler colors by clicking the arrow at the 0,0 point of the rulers and choosing from the drop-down menu.

I. Rulers: Rulers are located on both sides of the Preview window to help you

with measurement and alignment.

J. Auxiliary bar: This area shows the scan resolution of the preview image

and the Zoom or magnification scale for the image.

K. Handy buttons: These buttons include Zoom in, Zoom out, and the Flasher

for Low Value and High Value Markers. L. Preview area: This area in the Preview window shows the Prescan image. M. Status bar: This area shows you information pertinent to the operation

underway or being performed.

6 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

The File Menu

The File Menu lets you do the following:

• Create a new context for scanning

• Load a previously saved context

• Save a context for scanning as an extra copy

• Show the current context for scanning

• Exit ScanWizard Pro TX

Reference: The Preview Window 7

The Context Concept

The “Context” feature in ScanWizard Pro TX has to do primarily with setting up scan jobs and customizing your scanning environment for increased scanning efficiency. It is a powerful tool to help you get the most productivity out of your scanner, especially if you do many similar scanning jobs.

A “context” is really a Mac OS folder that contains any number of scan job files and a ScanWizard Pro TX preferences file with information on these scan jobs. Think of a context as a complete scan setup or environment, with each context having its own characteristics, such as scan material (reflective, positive, or negative film), ColorSync profile selections, scan quality control, interpolation method, and others.

When you quit or switch to another context, the settings of the current context are automatically saved. You will have exactly the same setup when you run or switch back to this context, so there is no need to start from scratch.

You can set up as many contexts as your hard disk can hold. And because contexts are regular Mac OS folders, you manage them (e.g., copy, duplicate, or delete) easily by using the Finder.

The ScanWizard Pro TX context can be easily customized to your particular need and used for many applications, such as the following:

• Repeated or frequent use of project/job settings

• Saving different experiments on the same project/job

• Different setups involving scan material selections, CMS settings, scan jobs

• Various templates of a user's work

• Scanner sharing among multiple users

• Archiving of scan projects/jobs

• Proofing on prescans and adjustments before final scans

8 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

New ScanWizard Context

This command creates a new context folder with default settings for scanning. Subsequent scan jobs are then stored in the newly created context folder. The newly created context also becomes the current context.

To create a new context:

1. Choose New ScanWizard Context from the File menu.

2. Select your scan material from the Scan Material menu in the Preview

window or from the Scan Material command in the Preferences menu.

2. When the browser dialog box appears, create a new folder.

Load ScanWizard Context

This command loads a previously saved context folder. The loaded context then becomes the current context.

To load a context:

1. Choose Load ScanWizard Context from the File menu.

2. When the browser dialog box appears, select the folder to be loaded, and

click the Select button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Save ScanWizard Context As

This command lets you save an extra copy of the current context to a new location. The settings of the current context are saved first and then copied and switched to the new location. This is particularly useful when you want to work on a new context based on the current context settings.

To save a context:

1. Choose Save ScanWizard Context As from the File menu.

2. When a dialog box appears, choose the folder where the scan jobs will be

saved. Subsequent scan jobs are then saved to the specified folder.

Reference: The Preview Window 9

Show Current Context Path

This command shows the current context for scanning. By default, the current context folder has the same name as your scanner model, and is located in the Plug-ins folder of your image-editing software. When you load or create a new context folder, the loaded or newly created folder then becomes the current context.

To show the current context: Choose Show Current Context Path from the File menu.

Quit

This command lets you exit ScanWizard Pro TX.

10 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

The Scanner Menu

The Scanner Menu lets you:

• Show your scanner model or select a scanner if you have multiple scanners

• Get information about your scanner

• Get scanner information on the SCSI or FireWire chain

• Easily manage the scanners you wish to use with your system

• Perform special scanner controls unique to the scanner

Reference: The Preview Window 11

Scanner Probe

This command shows the scanner information on your SCSI or FireWire chain. If your scanner does not show in the Scanner Probe dialog box, make sure your scanner is properly installed, connected, and turned on, and then click the Probe button. For details on connecting your scanner, refer to your scanner hardware installation guide.

Current Scanner Info

This command provides information about your current scanner. When you choose this command, a dialog box appears showing the scanner model, the SCSI ID number, and the firmware version.

Scanner Model

The scanner model (and its SCSI or FireWire ID number) is shown at the top of the scanner. If you have multiple scanners on your system, all the scanners are shown with their respective IDs, and the current scanner is indicated by a check.

Only one scanner can be accessed at a time. To switch among various scanners, select the scanner to be used.

SCSI / FireWire devices

on your system (including

your scanner)

Click the Probe

button to update

scanner information

on the SCSI or

FireWire chain

Choose your hardware interface here

The scanner displayed with its SCSI or FireWire ID number. The current scanner is marked by a check

12 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Scanner Driver Manager

The Scanner Driver Manager keeps track of the scanners being used on your system and the bus / ID numbers occupied by the scanners. By keeping a record of this information, the Scanner Driver Manager allows ScanWizard Pro TX to start up more quickly, as there is no need to look for scanners that are not available.

When ScanWizard Pro TX is run the first time, all connected scanners are added to the list.

To add a scanner: Follow the hardware installation instructions for connecting a scanner to your

system. You can then use the Scanner Driver Manager in ScanWizard Pro TX to add or include the connected scanner to your scanner list.

1. Go to the Scanner menu in the Preview window, and choose Scanner

Driver Manager. A dialog box will appear showing the current scanner list

with the corresponding SCSI or FireWire bus/ID number.

2. Click the Find Scanners button. In case you have added new scanners, the

newly found scanners will be appended to the scanner list. If a scanner on

the list is not detected (not turned on, not ready, or removed from the

system), the model will not be removed from the list but will have a

question mark before it. See below for details on how to remove a scanner.

3. Click the Close button to close the dialog box.

Reference: The Preview Window 13

To remove a scanner:

1. Choose Scanner Driver Manager from the Scanner menu.

2. Choose the scanner you wish to be removed from the list.

3. Click the Remove button.

4. Click the Close button to close the dialog box.

To update your scanner list: The Update List button is used to refresh your scanner list. For instance, you

may have three scanners on your system, with two of them currently turned off. When you choose Scanner Driver Manager, the dialog box may show a question mark in front of the two scanners that have been turned off. In this case, simply click the Update List button, and the scanner list will be refreshed and show only the connected one on the list.

Clicking the Update List button produces faster results than clicking the "Find Scanners" button. Update List simply searches the scanner models already on your list, while Find Scanners goes through all available scanner drivers and searches for scanners.

Scanner Driver Manager cont.

14 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Scanner Controls

This command lets you use some of the special features of your scanner, such as lamp control.

Note: Not all scanner models support these features. If your scanner model is not supported, the Scanner Controls command will be grayed out in the Scanner menu.

Lamp Control

This the power-saving feature of the scanner lamp to save energy and extend the life cycle of the lamp. By default, the lamp turns off automatically if the scanner is idle for 15 minutes. You can change the lamp idle time in your preferences or disable this feature completely by unchecking the Auto Power Saving Mode check box.

By default, the lamp warm-up time is 3 minutes. A lamp warm-up dialog box will appear if you try to perform a scan or preview operation without the lamp having fully warmed up. If the lamp is not fully warmed up, the light intensity of the scanner may not be stable and may adversely affect the quality of your scanned image.

The current lamp status is indicated. You may specifically turn the lamp on or off if you wish. Please note that the lamp On / Off state is automatically controlled by the software, and no user intervention is necessary. You may want to do this manually if and only if you wish to turn on and warm up the lamp a few minutes before you actually finish your scan job editing.

Reference: The Preview Window 15

The View Menu

The View menu lets you:

• Select an overview or prescan view of an image

• Magnify or reduce (zoom in / zoom out) the Overview image

• Resize the Preview window to fit

• Bring the Settings window to the front

• Show or hide the Info, Job Panel and Tag windows

• Show or hide the High and Low Value Markers

• Show the ScanWizard Pro TX splash screen

16 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Overview & Prescan

These commands allow you to see the image obtained with the Overview and Prescan buttons, respectively.

Clicking the Overview button will let the scanner do an overview of the slides in your scanner, and thumbnails of the images will appear in the Job Panel window. Clicking the prescan button will give you a prescan or high-resolution view of the selected image as shown in the Job Panel window. The Prescan image is helpful as it shows a higher-resolution view of the image and aids in the creation of a more accurate scan frame toward obtaining the final scan image.

The parameters for the Prescan image are determined by the settings in the Prescan Setup command in the Preferences menu.

Reference: The Preview Window 17

A. To obtain the Overview image: With the image(s) placed in your film holder and with the holder inserted into your film scanner, click the Overview button.

B. To obtain the Prescan image:

1. Select the image to be prescanned by choosing the image thumbnail in the

Job Panel window.

2. Click the Prescan button. The Prescan image will then be available for

choosing in the View menu, as indicated by the title Prescan Image #1.

3. To obtain multiple prescan images: Press the Shift key and click the jobs to

be selected in the Job Panel window. When you click the Prescan button,

multiple prescans are created in the process, and the images will be

available for choosing in the View menu, as indicated by the title Prescan

Image and numbered consecutively; e.g., Prescan Image #1, Prescan

Image #2, etc.

4. To select all scan jobs, click the Select All button.

Overview & Prescan cont.

18 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Zoom in / Zoom out

These commands allow you to enlarge (zoom in) or reduce (zoom out) your view of the overview image. Only your view of the image is enlarged or reduced; the actual size of the image is not changed.

To use this feature:

• To enlarge your view, choose Zoom In.

• To reduce your view, choose Zoom Out.

Zoom in

Zoom out

Reference: The Preview Window 19

Resize Window to Fit

This command resizes the Preview window, which you may find helpful to do for conserving space on your desktop monitor (especially after you have enlarged the Preview window).

To use this feature: Choose the Resize Window to Fit command. You can also do this by pressing

the Apple command + R keys simultaneously.

Resize before

Resize after

20 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Bring Settings Window to Front

This command brings the Settings window to the forefront, which is useful if you have the Settings window hidden behind other windows or if you have a expanded your Preview window such that it covers the Settings window.

Show/Hide... Window commands

These commands allow you to switch between showing or hiding the Job Panel window, Information window, and Tag windows on your screen.

Show/Hide Low & High Value Markers

This command shows or hides the Low & High Value Markers in the Preview window. By default, the Markers are shown in the form of a circular crossbar. A

white circle in the middle represents the Low Value (black point) Marker, and a black circle in the middle represents the High Value (white point) Marker.

About

This command displays the ScanWizard Pro TX splash screen and shows the program's version number.

Reference: The Preview Window 21

The Preferences Menu

The Preferences menu lets you:

• Choose the correct scan material

• Choose the film size for your film holder

• Specify color matching parameters

• Set up White/black points settings

• Show/hide auxiliary cursor lines

• Control Prescan settings

• Create effects like invert

• Activate the smoked glass effect

• Set other options in the More Preferences command

22 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

To choose your scan material:

1. Choose the Scan Material command in the Preferences menu. From the submenu that appears, select your scan material; a check will appear next to the selected option.

2. Alternatively, you can click the Scan Material pop-up menu and then choose the correct scan material from the drop-down menu that appears.

Scan Material

This command allows you to select the correct scan material for use with ScanWizard Pro TX. Choose from either:

• Positive transparencies, such as slides; or

• Negative film, such as the negative film you use for your camera.

Scan

Material pop-

up menu

Reference: The Preview Window 23

Color Matching Setup

Color Matching is an important feature of ScanWizard Pro TX that ensures consistent color — from the initial input stage when an image is captured by the scanner, to the final output stage when the image is output to your monitor or printer (through either the Kodak CMS or Apple ColorSync™ technology).

Color matching is a critical component in the imaging process, because the color space of your monitor is different from that of your printer (in terms of output devices), just as the color space for RGB mode is different from the color space for CMYK mode (in terms of image types). For this reason, color matching was developed to allow an equivalent "mapping" of colors from one device or from one color space to another, ensuring that no major color shifts occur in the transferrence process.

To use the color matching function of ScanWizard Pro TX: The first time you launch ScanWizard Pro TX, you will be prompted to set up

color matching for your scanner. You may also access the color matching parameters for ScanWizard Pro TX at any time in the future by choosing the Color Matching Setup command in the Preferences menu.

24 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Color Matching Setup cont.

A. Display using monitor compensation

This check box affects only the way the image data is displayed and not the image data itself.

B. Monitor

The monitor selection shown here is the monitor set in your Monitor Control Panel. To verify this information, go to your System Preferences, then Displays. Your selected monitor will be shown, which should be the same as the entry in this dialog box. This setting only affects how the image is shown on the screen — not the final scanned image.

C. Native Mode RGB color matching

This option is available only for Native color space mode. This check box should generally be checked unless you want to scan raw color data, in which case you lose the compensatory effects of the Color Matching System. Take note that it is not desirable to scan in raw data and then perform ColorSync data conversion, which will not generate the correct CMS effect.

D. Embed ICC destination profile in scan image

This feature will enable ScanWizard Pro TX to embed the Destination ICC profile into the image data. The information will then be properly interpreted by any ColorSync-savvy application.

Reference: The Preview Window 25

E. RGB Destination

This feature lets you select the ICC profile in the ColorSync folder for outputting images to the RGB color space. You may select from Scanner RGB, Monitor, RGB printer (e.g., inkjet printers), a special color space, or the internal color space profile.

A large number of RGB profiles is supplied by ScanWizard Pro TX. If you do not see the ICC profile for your monitor or RGB device, contact your device manufacturer. To load a specific ICC profile from a different folder, click the RGB profile button (beside the drop-down menu), and select the profile you need.

F. CMYK Destination

This feature lets you select the ICC profile in the ColorSync profile folder for outputting images to the CMYK color space. ScanWizard Pro TX has supplied a large number of CMYK profiles. If you do not see the ICC profile for your printer, contact your printer manufacturer. To load a specific ICC profile from a different folder, click the CMYK profile button and select the profile.

G. Preview check box

This immediately updates the Preview window image when a new color profile is selected, so that the preview image reflects colors consistent with the newly selected color profiles.

H. Profile Info

This lets you review the information on the currently used ICC profiles.

26 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

White/Black Points Setup

This command provides you with advanced controls for setting the clipping points for your white and black points, as well as determining the output levels for the white/black points on your printer.

To use this feature:

1. Choose the White/Black Points Setup command from the Preferences menu.

2. As an alternative, you can click this command from the Color Correction Menu. This is also the same thing as clicking the White/Black points tool in the Settings window and then clicking the Setup button from the dialog box that comes up. When the dialog box comes up, specify your preferences.

A. Auto Clipping

The Auto White Point Clipping and Auto Black Point Clipping fields allow you to specify the percentage by which the white and black points, respectively, can be clipped from the histogram. The clipping is done after you click the Auto button in the AIC White/Black Points dialog box.

For example, if you specify 10 percent as your White Point clipping value and then click the Auto button, the white point on the histogram is adjusted so that 10 percent of the color information is "clipped" or ignored. The resulting 90 percent information leftover is then remapped, resulting in an image with less highlight detail.

The same principle above applies to the Auto Black Point Clipping feature, which governs the black point for shadows.

These fields are normally used by more advanced users, and the features are taken care of automatically if you have set up Color Matching correctly early on in ScanWizard Pro TX.

LCH Color Mode

Native Color Mode

Reference: The Preview Window 27

C. High and Low Value Markers

This lets you adjust the settings that define the High Value Marker (shown as a black circle) and the Low Value Marker. The High Value Marker is shown as a black circle in your preview image, while the Low Value Marker is shown as a white circle. You can specify the range of the markers to either the entire preview (by selecting the “Overview or Preview image” option) or to only within the scan frame (by selecting the “Current Scan Frame”).

In the White/Black Points Setup window, clicking the “Preview” button will obtain instant results; clicking the “OK” button lets you exit from the Setup window and applies the High and Low Value Markers setting you have made to the preview image.

B. Output Levels

The Minimum Output Level lets you set the minimum output level of the black point. The higher the percentage value, the lower the contrast will be.

The Maximum Output Level lets you set the output level of the white point. The lower the percentage value, the lower the contrast will be.

LCH Color Mode

Native Color Mode

LCH Color Mode

Native Color Mode

28 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Cursor Auxiliary Lines

This command allows you to show or hide cursor auxiliary lines to help you define a scan frame or measurement off the rulers more precisely. The cursor auxiliary lines show only when the Scan Frame tool is selected.

To use this feature:

1. Choose the Cursor Auxiliary Lines command in the Preferences menu. From the submenu that appears, select how the cursor lines will appear.

• On both the x (horizontal) and y (vertical) axis

• On the x axis only

• On the y axis only

• None (no cursor lines)

2. Click the Scan Frame tool. When you move the pointer to the image, the cursor auxiliary lines will appear.

Cursor

Auxiliary Lines

Reference: The Preview Window 29

A. Auto detect scan frame

If this box is checked, the scan frame is automatically detected for you and the scan frame marquee encloses precisely the prescan image (the slide frame and unexposed parts of the film are ignored). This feature works only if Full Frame is selected for the "Prescan Scan Area" option.

B. Auto Focus

If this box is checked, the prescan process is will include the Auto Focus function before the actual prescan is carried out. The prescanned image will look clear and sharp, but the prescan process may be slowed down a bit.

C. Fast Prescan

If this box is checked, the prescan process is speeded up, but the resulting image is grainier. If unchecked, the prescan process is slowed down a bit, but the resulting image is of better quality.

D. Keep All Prescan Image(s) After Quit

If this box is checked, the preview images stay after you exit ScanWizard Pro TX. Otherwise, all prescan images are deleted after you exit ScanWizard Pro TX.

Prescan Setup

The Prescan Setup command lets you set or specify various parameters related to the prescan image.

30 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

E. Prescan Scan Area

This option allows you to select what area of the image will be prescanned: Full Frame, which includes the unexposed film area; or Scan Frame, which prescans only the image area enclosed by your scan frame.

F. Prescan Image Margin

This option allows you to specify how wide or narrow the margin around the scan frame is for the prescan image. Options are: Minimal, Small, Medium, and Large. Smaller margins give you more room to capture the preview image, while larger margins will allow you to have more room to expand your scan frame.

This is helpful because selecting the exact scan frame (through the Scan Frame tool) can never be a completely accurate process, and what appears to have been selected by the scan frame when you view the image in the lowerresolution overview may or may not actually include the portion you wish. The margin — depending on how wide or narrow it is — can then provide a berth or allowance for extending the boundaries of the scan frame around the prescan image. Margin options include minimal, small, medium, and large.

G. Prescan Image Dimension

This option lets you specify how large the prescan image will be: Full screen ("screen" meaning your main monitor), 75% screen, 50% screen, and Fit Current Preview Window. The larger the size, the higher the prescan resolution. The maximum prescan resolution is the scanner's optical resolution.

H. Background Prescan

If checked, the background prescan function is enabled. You can assign a number of scan jobs to execute a prescan while carrying out other jobs in the meantime (e.g., performing color correction to other scan jobs). If unchecked, this function is disabled. Select also from the Completion Sound menu the type of completion sound desired after the background prescan is completed.

Reference: The Preview Window 31

Invert

This command inverts images of all scan jobs. Take note that all scan jobs are inverted at the same time; you cannot invert an individual scan job alone.

When an image is inverted, the brightness value of each pixel is converted to its inverse value. In the case of 24-bit images, for example, a pixel in a positive image with a value of 255 is changed to 0, and a pixel with a value of 5 is changed to 250.

To use this feature: Choose the Invert command in the Preferences menu. A check appears next to

the command when it is enabled.

Inverted imageOriginal

32 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

2. Smoked Glass Background

This option lets you apply a smoked glass background that makes your scan jobs stand out more clearly and allows you to focus on the scan jobs. This feature can also be used for multiple scan jobs to show their respective image modes (example: one job in color, another in B&W), as well as their imageediting settings.

More...

The More... command shows the More Preferences dialog box, where you can specify other options for ScanWizard Pro TX. There are three tabs (General, Final Scan, Orientation) with varying options under each tab.

A. General Tab

1. Auto Overview

If this option is checked, an automatic overview of the images on your holder will be performed if the holder is inserted into the film scanner, without you having to click the "Overview" button in the Preview window.

A smoked glass background masks the areas outside

of the relevant portion of the scan image.

Reference: The Preview Window 33

3. Warn if No Holder is Inserted

If this option is checked, an error message will appear if you attempt to perform a preview or scanning operation and there is no slide holder inserted into your film scanner.

4. Working Color Space

This option lets you choose between the default LCH color space or the Native color space.

5. Thumbnail Size

This menu lets you choose the thumbnail size for the images displayed in the Job Panel window. Select from 96 x 96 pixels or 128 x 128 pixels.

6. Scratch Directory

The scratch directory is the folder where ScanWizard Pro TX creates temporary files, with the temporary files deleted at the end of an operation. You should change to a different folder only if the scratch directory is located in a disk volume that is too small for scanning operations. To specify a new scratch directory, choose Other Directory... from the menu.

34 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

More Preferences cont.

B. Final Scan tab

1. Auto Focus for Final Scan

2. Scan Quality

This option allows you to select the image quality by controlling the scanner hardware and the maximum image processing depth.

• Speed: Choose this option if your primary concern during scanning is speed.

Image data is delivered faster and the image data is processed in 8 bits per channel.

• Quality: This is the default setting. Scanned data is delivered a little slower

but in high quality, and the image data is processed in 8 bits per channel.

• Best Quality: This setting is available only to higher-depth scanners (10-, 12-

bit, or higher). Scanned data is delivered a little slower but in high quality, and image data is processed in maximum bits per channel (i.e., 10-, 12-bit, or higher), and then converted to the desired output depth. This special operation results in the best image quality possible.

3. Multiple Sampling

If this box is checked, the scanner will perform multiple sampling, a process that reduces random image noise and yields higher-quality images as a result. Take note that this option is enabled only if you select Quality in the "Scan Quality" menu. Enabling multiple sampling will also slow down your scanning as it takes the extra time to yield better-looking images.

Reference: The Preview Window 35

C. Orientation

Three choices for orientation are each provided for slides, film strips, or APS film. The orientation choices are None, 90 degrees counterclockwise, and 90 degrees clockwise. These options govern how your slides are oriented when new scan jobs are created; i.e., as you insert a different holder into your film scanner and as the system asks if you wish to use "current" settings or "new" scan job settings.

4. Interpolation Mode

The interpolation mode controls the way ScanWizard Pro TX interpolates (either expands or shrinks) image data. Interpolation always occurs when the scan resolution you select is different from the scanner's optical resolution. The trade-off is speed vs. quality. If your application requires higher quality, use Bilinear (Quality) mode, especially if you are scanning higher-resolution line art images.

1. Nearest Neighbor (Speed): When this option is selected, ScanWizard Pro TX

will do the following:

• Expanding (when scan resolution is higher than optical resolution): Linear

interpolation is used (i.e., makeup pixels are created by using the average of the neighboring pixels).

• Shrinking (when scan resolution is less than optical resolution): Pixel drop is

used to match the resolution.

2. Bi-linear (Quality): When this option is selected, ScanWizard Pro TX always

scans in a high-enough resolution and then applies a bi-linear interpolation algorithm to expand or shrink image data. This is a complicated mathematical formula, and thus, takes longer to process.

36 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

The Help Menu

The Help menu lets you access on-line help for ScanWizard Pro TX and the Microtek web site. The contents of this menu may vary and will depend on your scanner package.

The Correction Menu

The Correction Menu lets you use the Advanced Image Correction (AIC) features of ScanWizard Pro TX. The commands in the Correction menu correspond to the AIC buttons in the Settings window.

For more information, see the section of the manual on Advanced Image

Correction.

Reference: The Preview Window 37

The Toolbar

Zoom

Scan Frame

Move

Tag Windows

38 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Scan Frame tool

The Scan Frame tool lets you select the area to be scanned. The scan frame can be more easily distinguished if you turn on the Smoked Glass Background command (in the Preferences menu).

To use the Scan Frame tool:

1. Select an image to be prescanned from the Job Panel window, then click the Prescan button to obtain a prescan image. Then click the Scan Frame tool.

2. Move the pointer (now a crossbar) to the Prescan image, and draw a frame enclosing the area to be selected. When you release the mouse, a flashing marquee will indicate the scan frame. To create multiple scan frames, hold down the Shift key and drag your next scan frame.

3. To resize the scan frame, drag a corner of the scan frame and resize to the desired area you want.

4. To change the position of the scan frame, drag inside the scan frame and move to a new location

Resize the

scan frame by

dragging

Reference: The Preview Window 39

Zoom tool

The Zoom tool lets you zoom in (magnify) and zoom out (reduce) your view of the image. Only your view of the preview image is changed; the actual size of the image remains unaffected.

Each click of the zoom tool magnifies or reduces by a factor of 2. Thus, the magnification levels increase from 100% to 200%, to 400%, to 800%, and to the maximum 1600%. When you reach the maximum magnification factor, the center of the Zoom tool will appear empty.

To zoom out (reduce), hold down the Option key and with the Zoom tool selected, click the image. A minus sign will be in the middle of the lens to indicate the image is being zoomed out.

To use the Zoom tool:

1. Click the Zoom tool.

2. Place the pointer — now a lens with a plus sign inside it — on the image and click. To reduce the view, hold down the Option key (the Zoom tool changing to show a minus sign inside it), and click again.

Original image view

Image view enlarged with

Zoom tool

40 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Move tool

The Move tool lets you scroll through an overview or prescan image, allowing you to move parts of the image into view quickly without using the scroll bars.

You can use the Move tool for scrolling through zoomed-in images that were enlarged through the Zoom tool, or for scrolling through parts of an image not included completely within the frame of the preview window.

To use the Move tool:

1. Click the Move tool.

2. Move the pointer (now in the form of a hand) to the image. Hold down the mouse and move the Move tool left, right, up, or down, and you will see portions of the image come into view.

Scrolled imageZoomed-in image

Reference: The Preview Window 41

Tag Windows tool

The Tag Windows tool lets you set the shadow (black) point and highlight (white) point of an image.

It also creates tag windows, which are used to isolate and identify precise colors in a given image, providing a visible and retrievable record of color values. This way, ScanWizard Pro TX lets you pinpoint and “tag” the color on the image, showing you the original or “Before” values, as well as the corrected or “After” values following the application of image adjustment controls.

The Tag Windows tool is useful especially if you are making color adjustments based on known mathematical values, as the displayed color information provides a basis for knowing how close or accurate are the color changes that have been made.

Also in the tag window are the Magic Diamonds for adding or removing a color cast, as well as for setting the shadow / highlight point.

Magic Diamonds (L-R black, RGB, & white diamonds

Tag Windows tool

Tag Windows

Color Strip shows selected or adjusted color for a particular area in the image

42 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

To create a tag window

Click the Tag Windows tool, then move to any part of the preview image and click. The tag window displays the x/y coordinates of the selected pixel and the color value of that pixel (RGB, CMYK, Lab, etc.), depending on the image mode selected.

To close a tag window

Click the Close box on the upper left corner of the Tag window. To close all Tag windows, hold down the Option key, then click the Close box of any tag window.

Tag Windows at these points show the x, y coordinates and the color values of the selected pixels (maroon and brown in this example)

Tag Windows tool cont.

Reference: The Preview Window 43

Choosing the White & Black Points of an image

There are two ways to choose the white and black points of an image: A. By using the Tag Windows tool in the Toolbar.

1) To choose the highlight (white) point in an image, click the Tag

Windows tool, press the Apple Command key, and click on a white point in the image.

2) To choose the shadow (black) point in an image, click the Tag

Windows tool, press the Option key, and click on a black point in the image.

B. By using the Magic Diamonds. See the next section for details.

Tag Windows tool

Magic Diamonds

Reset

44 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Using the Magic Diamonds

The Magic Diamonds is another way of setting the white (highlight) and black (shadow) point in an image. The Magic Diamonds can also be used to add or remove a color cast.

• To set the shadow (black) point on the image: Click the Tag Windows tool,

then click a black point in the image. When the tag window appears, click the Black Magic Diamond.

• To set the highlight (white) point on the image: Click the Tag Windows tool,

then click a white point in the image. When the tag window appears, click the White Magic Diamond.

• To remove a color cast: Click the Tag Windows tool, then click a color in

the image that corresponds to the color cast to be removed. In the tag window, click the RGB Magic Diamond in the middle

• To add a color cast: Click the Tag Windows tool, then click a color in the

image that corresponds to the color cast to be added. Hold down the Option key, and click the RGB Magic Diamond (the diamond will have a + sign next to it.)

Black, RGB, and White Magic Diamonds

Reference: The Preview Window 45

Color Meter Options button

To restore original settings

Do either of the following:

1. Select No Correction from the White/Black points menu in the Settings window.

2. Click the Default button in the Settings window.

To display color information for a pixel or an averaged area

1. Click the Tag Windows tool.

2. As you pass over a point in the image, see the Information window — the values will be displayed in the Input and Output area of the Information window. These values are based on the sample size you selected.

To change the sample size of the Tag Windows tool

1. Open the Information window by choosing the Show Info Window command in the View menu.

2. Click the Color Meter Options button.

3. Choose your options.

• Select Value or Percent to determine how the pixel information will be

displayed.

• Select the sample size. For instance, the 1 by 1 option will display the

value of one pixel — the one in the middle of the sample size area. The 3 by 3 option reads the average value of an area that is 3x3 pixels

4. To choose display mode, select Native or LCH. Take note that the Value and Percent options are grayed out if you are working in the default LCH color mode and become active only in Native color mode.

46 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Overview, Prescan, Scan

The Overview button previews the images in the film holder and shows the overview images as thumbnails in the Job Panel window.

The Prescan button previews in higher resolution the overview images as shown in the Job Panel window. Multiple prescans can be done if you have several selected scan jobs, and the prescans are done one after another in the order that they are listed in the Job Panel window. Options governing the prescan function can be found in the Prescan Setup command in the Preferences menu.

To obtain multiple prescan images:

1. Press the Shift key and click on the jobs to be selected in the Job Panel window.

2. Click the Prescan button in the Preview window. Multiple prescans are created in the process, corresponding to the number of scan jobs defined, and you can then switch among the various prescan images.

The Scan button scans the images on your scanner and delivers the images to your image-editing software. The images that are scanned are the scan jobs that have been checked in the Job Panel window.

Reference: The Preview Window 47

Rulers, Unit of Measurement

The rulers on the top and left sides of the Preview window help you with measurement and alignment, marking off measurement according to the selected unit (inch, pica, pixel, etc.).

The unit of measurement can be selected in two ways:

• Through the Unit box in the Settings window.

• Through the arrow at the corner where the rulers meet in the Preview window. The drop-down menu through this method also lets you format the text color and background color of your rulers.

The options for unit of measurement include inch, centimeter, millimeter, point, pica, and pixel. The pixel option is dimmed if the selected resolution unit is lpi.

Select the unit of measurement for the rulers in either the Settings window or the Preview window.

48 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Preview Area and Eject button

The preview area is where the overview or prescan image appears. You can increase the size of the preview area to see more detail in your image.

Take note of the following:

• When you perform an overview, the overview image size is determined by the current preview area dimension. The bigger the preview area, the higher the preview resolution.

• When you perform a prescan, the prescan image size is determined by the settings in the Prescan Setup dialog box.

Another helpful feature in the Preview window is the Eject button located at the end of the Toolbar. The Eject button is used to eject the film holder from your scanner.

Preview area

To increase or decrease the preview window, drag the window to resize

Eject button

Reference: The Preview Window 49

Auxiliary information and Handy buttons

Preview image resolution

This shows the image resolution for the Prescan image. The preview image resolution will change, according to the size of the preview window and the amount of available memory. To resize preview window, drag any side or corner of the window.

Zoom scale

This shows the zoom factor, or how many times the image has been magnified using the Zoom tool or the Zoom in / Zoom out icons to the right of the Zoom scale. You may select the exact Zoom scale from here.

Zoom-out

This lets you reduce a zoomed-in or magnified image one level down with each click, up to the minimum 100% view.

Zoom-in

This lets you magnify or enlarge the image one level up with each clickEach time you click, up to the maximum 1600% view.

Flasher for High and Low Value Markers

When the overview or prescan image is displayed, the High Value and Low Value Markers are shown. If the two markers cannot be visually detected with ease (depending on how your image may obscure the markers), clicking the flasher activates the markers to flash a few times for easier detection, allowing their locations on the oveview or prescan image to be seen.

Flasher for High and Low Value Markers

Zoom in

Zoom out

Zoom scale

Resolution for

Prescan image

50 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

The Settings Window

The Settings window contains the parameters for outputting your scanned image for the current scan job and includes the advanced image correction tools of the program.

Elements of the Settings window

K. Custom options

E. Scan Frame

options

A. Job

C. Type

F. Unit of measurement

H. Transform

B. Profile (Scanner ICC)

I. Image Category

L. Default button

G. Image Size

J. Advanced Image

Correction (AIC) tools

D. Resolution settings

Reference: The Settings Window 51

A. Job: This shows the current scan job as indicated in the Job Panel window.

B. Input Profile (Scanner ICC): This lets you select from different ICC

scanner profiles for your scan job.

C. Type: This shows the image type of the current scan job.

D. Resolution settings: This area includes the following: the Resolution box

for specifying your output resolution; the Resolution list box (with the up/ down arrows) that provides predefined resolution values for easier selection of the resolution setting; and the Resolution unit, which lets you choose from ppi and several lpi options. Your most recent scan resolution settings will be recorded as well.

E. Scan Frame options: This area includes the Scan Frame settings which

represent the dimensions of the image that you wish to scan; the Scaling factor for creating larger or smaller images from the original source image; and the Output settings, which represent the dimensions of the image when it is output. Pressing the small arrows underneath the Scan Frame, Scaling, and Output fields will reveal a set of predefined values for those fields. The Locks provide you with additional functions for setting the scan frame.

F. Unit of measurement: This lets you choose your desired unit of

measurement, which will then be reflected in the rulers alongside the Preview window. Choose from inch, cm, mm, point, pica, or pixel.

G. Image size: This shows the size of the file when the image is scanned.

H. Transform: This lets you flip the image horizontally or rotate the image in

increments of 90 degrees.

I. Image Category: This lets you select the image characteristics that most

closely resemble your original.

J. Advanced Image Correction : The Advanced Image Correction (AIC) tools

let you adjust and enhance the image, and image corrections are displayed in real time. The AIC tools available for use will vary, depending on the color space (LCH or Native mode) chosen in the "More" command under the Preferences menu (found in the Preview window).

K. Custom options: These allow you to add or remove custom settings through

a pull-down menu for each Advanced Image Correction control.

L. Default button: This changes settings in the Advanced Image Correction

controls to their default values.

52 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Job

The Job box shows the currently selected scan job, which is also shown in the Job Panel window and the Preview window.

Correspondence between the Job box in the Settings window and the current scan job in the Preview and Job Panel windows

Reference: The Settings Window 53

The Input Profile is a feature that lets you select different ICC scanner profiles for your scan job. In ScanWizard Pro TX, a default scanner profile is always selected (provided with your scanner model).

To select a scanner profile:

1. Click the Input Profile button in the Settings window; or go to the pop-up

menu located to the right of the Scanner Profile button, and choose the Select Scanner Profile... option. You may also select other profiles available in the pop-up menu. To create a scanner profile, use the Microtek Scanner ICC Profiler (MSP) program for Mac OS X. Details on how to use the program can be found in the MSP documentation.

Input Profile (Scanner ICC)

2. The Scanner Profile dialog box below will appear. This dialog box allows

you to select your scanner profile and also lets you view the profile information of the selected scanner profile before you make your final decision.

Menu contains the scanner profiles that match your current scanner model and are found in the ColorSync™ Profiles folder in your /Library/ ColorSync/Profiles folder (default)

Browse button lets you select a scanner profile in another folder in your system

Profile Info section shows the profile of the currently selected scanner

Checking this option lets you immediately see changes applied by the selected scanner profile to the preview image

Default scanner profile selection

Click either of these options to select your scanner profile

54 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Type

A. RGB: RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) images use three colors to reproduce up

to 68.7 billion colors. Because scanners and monitors are RGB devices, the RGB color space is the most commonly used space for capturing and displaying images. The 48-bit option can be used with image-editing software (such as Adobe Photoshop) that support 48-bit RGB image processing.

B. Grayscale: Grayscale images use shades of gray to simulate gradations of

color or tonal values, and contain 8 bits per pixel. The 16-bit option can be used with image-editing software that support 16-bit grayscale image processing.

C. CMYK: CMYK images are made up of the standard four colors (cyan,

magenta, yellow and black or K) for separated film or digital files used for sheetfed or web offset printing. CMYK mode instantly converts the scanner’s RGB input to the CMYK color space. CMYK images are fourchannel images, containing 32 bits per pixel.

D. Lab Color: Lab images are three-channel images containing 24 bits per

pixel. Lab mode is useful for editing a pixel’s luminance but not its color values. Lab mode produces device-independent color and is recommended for moving images between systems or printing to a PostScript Level 2 printer.

E. Web / Internet Colors: This mode is useful for displaying images on the

Web or Internet. Output for the Web / Internet color mode in ScanWizard Pro TX is 8-bit, 256 indexed color images in the sRGB color space.

The Type box shows you the image type of the current scan job. ScanWizard Pro TX allows direct scanning in the following color spaces described below.

Reference: The Settings Window 55

• Palette: The Palette option lets you choose the method for creating the color palette table. Uniform uses a 6-6-6 fixed color palette table. Adaptive (default) creates a color palette table from the more commonly used areas of the color spectrum that appears in the image.

• Dither: The Dither option can improve the color quality of the 256indexed color image for photographs or continuous-tone images, using a technique of mixing available colors to simulate missing colors. None provides no dithering. Pattern uses a structured pattern to simulate missing colors. Diffusion (default) uses the error diffusion technique to dither colors and produces the best quality for 256 colors.

G. Line art: Line Art images are made up of one bit of color (black or white)

per pixel. Few editing options are available in this mode, but this mode is useful for images consisting purely of black and white or even single colors, such as mechanical drawings, blueprints, or fine-line illustrations.

H. Black-and-White Diffusion: This is a single-bit black-and-white image

dithered with error diffusion. The black and white pixels are arranged in a way as to “fool” the eye into seeing gray.

F. 256 Colors (Default) / 256 Colors (Custom): These are single-channel

images (8 bits per pixel) that use a color lookup table containing up to 256 colors. The file size is smaller for images in this mode. As an initial setting, selecting 256 Colors (Default) uses an Adaptive palette with Diffusion. If the 256 Colors (Custom) option is selected, the dialog box below appears.

56 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Resolution settings

The settings related to resolution include the resolution box, the resolution list box, and the resolution unit.

Resolution is the sampling of image pixels per measurement unit or the amount of pixel information stored in an image. Together, the image resolution and dimensions determine the file size of the image, which is measured in kilobytes (KB) or megabytes (MB).

The resolution of an image is important in determining the quality of the output image. Resolution is also directly related to file size, and the higher the resolution, the larger the resulting file size will be.

When dealing with resolution, remember to distinguish between optical resolution and interpolated resolution.

Optical resolution is the "real" resolution as measured by the scanner's optics. Interpolated resolution is software-enhanced resolution and can be useful for enlarging very small images or for printing line art to obtain superior results.

A. Resolution box

This shows the resolution setting. To set your resolution: Enter a resolution setting in the Resolution edit box, then press Enter. If the

value you enter is too high or too low, the maximum or minimum resolution value is entered for you instead.

Depending on the type of image you have selected (grayscale, color, line art, etc.), a default resolution is displayed in the resolution box. After you enter your own resolution value, this value is then recorded for subsequent use, until a new value is entered and takes over.

B. Resolution list box

This provides predefined resolution values for easier selection of the resolution setting.

To select your setting, press the up/down arrows next to the Resolution box, and choose your setting from the list box.

Reference: The Settings Window 57

C. Resolution unit

The unit of measurement for resolution is in ppi (pixels per inch) or lpi (lines per inch). Take note that lpi settings are dimmed if the ruler unit is in pixels.

To select your resolution unit:

• Choose ppi if your scanned images are intended for on-screen display. In this case, you need not go higher than the target resolution of your monitor (usually 72 dpi for Macintosh). A higher resolution value will simply increase the file size of your image without any perceptive improvement in image quality.

• Choose lpi if your scanned images are to be printed. If you choose 1x, for instance, your scanned image will be printed at 133 lines per inch, resulting in a 133-dpi image. At 1.5x, the image will be printed at 199.5 dpi; and at 2x, the image will be printed at 266 dpi. The Custom option allows you to set an lpi value of your own specification.

In choosing an appropriate lpi value, keep in mind that if the resolution is

too low, the image becomes pixelized, resulting in a deterioration of image quality. (Pixelization is the process in which the Postcript language uses a single pixel's color values to create more than one halftone dot.) Conversely, if the resolution is too high, the file size becomes unwieldy, and your file ends up containing more information than the printer needs, slowing down the file transfer and the printing process.

58 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Scan Frame and related settings

These settings allow you to adjust the various factors that affect your image, including the width and height of your image when it is first scanned (Scan Frame settings), the Scaling factor (how big or how small the resulting scanned image will be), and the dimensions of the image when it is output (Output settings).

The Scan Frame settings, Scaling, and Output Settings work closely with the Locks beside them.

In the default settings of ScanWizard Pro TX, where none of the locks are in place, take note of the following:

• Changing the Scan Frame settings (width or height) will change the Output settings (width or height).

• Changing the Scaling will change the Output settings (width AND height).

• Changing the Output settings (width or height) will change the Scan Frame settings (width or height).

Note: When an illegal value is entered (e.g., the input width exceeds the scan frame size), the value will appear in red as a flag or warning indicating an out-ofrange value.

Scan Frame settings

Output settings

Scaling

Locks

Reference: The Settings Window 59

A. Scan Frame settings

The Scan Frame settings (width and height) represent the area on the scan bed that you wish to scan.

To specify your settings, enter the dimensions manually in the width and height edit boxes; or use the Scan Frame tool to define or resize your scan frame. Changes made in the Preview window are automatically displayed in the Scan Frame setting edit boxes.

If you wish, you can also choose from a menu of predefined Scan Frame settings. To do this, point your mouse to the words "Scan Frame" in the Settings window, and choose the setting you wish from the drop-down menu that appears.

60 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

• Add / Remove Custom Setting: These options let you customize and create your own output settings for use in subsequent scans.

B. Output settings

The Output settings (width and height) represent the dimensions of the image when it is output to either the monitor or the printer. If the size of the image to be output is different from the size of the original source image, adjust the scaling percentage, or manually increase / decrease the output values accordingly.

If you wish, you can also choose from a menu of predefined Output settings. To do this, point your mouse to the words “Output” in the Settings window, and choose the setting you wish from the drop-down menu that appears.

Reference: The Settings Window 61

C. Scaling

Scaling lets you create larger or smaller images from the original source image. Take note of the following:

• Keep the scaling at 100% if you are outputting at the same size.

• Reduce the scaling if you are outputting your image at a smaller size. Increase the scaling if outputting at a larger size.

To choose the scaling percentage, click the up/ down arrow next to the scaling box, or enter a value in the scaling edit box.

If you wish, you can also choose from a menu of predefined Scaling settings. To do this, point your mouse to the words "Scaling" in the Settings window, and choose the setting you wish from the drop-down menu that appears.

• Film scale mapping: Choose your image material and the output dimension. For example, “35mm to 5” x 7"” means your image source is 35mm film, and output size is 5" x 7".

• Add / Remove Custom Setting: These options let you customize and create your own image-mapping scale for use in subsequent scans.

Scaling is also affected by your resolution setting. When you change resolution and specify a value that has no exact equivalent for scaling, the scaling may be affected and adjusts itself to the nearest allowed value. For instance, if your resolution is 100, your scaling becomes 99 (instead of a full 100), because that is the closest scaling equivalent, given the resolution value.

D. Image Size

The Image Size field indicates how big the file will be when you accept the dimensions shown in the edit boxes, together with the resolution setting that you have selected. Size is calculated automatically. The resulting file size depends on the image type (color, grayscale, etc); resolution; and dimensions of the image.

E. Unit of Measurement

The Unit of Measurement lets you select the desired unit (inch, cm, mm, point, pica, pixel) for your image dimensions.

Important: Make sure you select the correct unit of measurement before entering any of the values for width or height in the Scan Frame Settings or Output Settings.

62 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Locks

The Locks control the behavior of the Scan Frame settings and the Output settings. A third Lock lets you keep the proportion for image width and height.

A. Scan Frame lock

This lets you lock in the settings of your scan frame, so that the width and height dimensions of the frame are always preserved no matter where you move the frame in your preview image.

If you know the exact input size for your image, or if you wish to “lock” the settings of your scan frame to a particular size, enter the Scan Frame width and height values first, then click the Scan Frame lock. Your scan frame will be “fixed” at those values, so even if you move the scan frame around the preview image, the dimensions of the frame itself will remain unchanged.

B. Output lock

This lets you lockin the values specified for the width and height of the image when it is output. For example, if you know the exact output size for your image, enter the output width and height values first, then click the Output lock. The image will then be scanned and output at the values you specify.

Note: If any of the input values are changed after the lock is on, the scaling will be adjusted automatically to preserve the output dimensions correctly.

C. Keep Proportion lock

This lets you keep the proportion of the image width and height despite changes made to either setting, and thus preserves the aspect ratio of the image correctly. The Keep Proportion lock is automatically turned on when you enter values in either the Scan Frame settings or the Output settings.

C. Keep Proportion lock

B. Output lock

A. Scan

Frame lock

Note: The Scan

Frame Lock and Output Lock are

each mutually exclusive. This means that only one lock can be used at a time.

Reference: The Settings Window 63

Transform

The Transform command allows you to rotate and / or flip the image in increments of 90 degrees.

The effects of the Transform command will be seen in the Prescan image or are after you click the Scan button and scan the image in; the Transform effect is not shown in the Overview viewing mode.

To use the Transform command:

1. Click the Transform button in the Settings window.

2. From the options that appear, choose the degree of rotation you wish.

3. Click the Scan button in the Preview window. When the image is scanned,

it will be rotated or transformed according to the selected option.

64 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Image Category

The image category function in ScanWizard Pro TX applies predefined settings to your image and brings out characteristics specific to that image type. This is helpful in providing a more accurate output image.

To select the correct image category, go to the Settings window and choose the option you wish from the Image Category menu. Select the image category that corresponds most closely to the image characterstics of your original.

• None: No image category conversion.

• Standard: Used for an image not falling into any of the categories described below. You can also use this category for images of good quality (neither underexposed nor overexposed, with accurate color and tones).

• Landscape: Used for images with cool atmosphere with broad tonal varia- tion and a wide hue range. Examples: Natural scenery; skyline with an expanse of blue sky; mountains and fields.

• Portrait (Skin Tones): Used for images with dominant skin tones and mid- tone details present. Examples: Portraits and objects with fleece- or skinlike covering.

• Jewelry (Gold Tones): Used for images featuring dominant gold / silver hues. Examples: Gold and silver jewelry, silverware.

• Sunsets: Used for images with warm reddish hues or a color cast reminiscent of sunsets. Examples: Scenes at dusk or twilight.

• Metallic Subjects: Used for images with broad highlight and shadow details but with very narrow mid-tone details. Examples: Audio equipment, Cameras.

Reference: The Settings Window 65

In the example below, an overexposed original is shown in two different image categories. Because the original was overexposed to begin with, choosing the Overexposed image category had the result of neutralizing the exposure, resulting in a better image.

The same original did not fare as well when it was assigned the Standard image category (too bright overall, not enough contrast), because this image category is best used for originals of fairly good quality (sharp, neither underexposed nor overexposed) and not, in this case, for an original with flawed exposure settings.

This example then shows the importance of choosing the correct image category that corresponds most closely to your original to obtain optimal results.

Image assigned “Standard” image category

Image assigned “Overexposed” image category

• High Keys: Used for images with broad highlight tonal variation but with less shadow detail. Examples: Snow-covered landscapes; wedding gowns.

• Low Keys: Used for images with broad shadow tonal variation but with less highlight detail. Examples: Nighttime scenery; dark suits and clothing.

• Underexposed: Used for images with compressed tonal variation particu- larly in the shadow areas, characterized by an overall dark appearance typical of underexposed positive film.

• Overexposed: Used for images with compressed tonal variation particularly

in the highlight areas, characterized by an overall bright appearance typical of overexposed positive film.

• Custom Settings: These let you create, select, or delete your own custom

image category settings for future use.

66 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Advanced Image Correction Tools

The Advanced Image Correction (AIC) tools form an integral part of ScanWizard Pro TX. With the AIC tools, you can adjust or enhance images right from within ScanWizard Pro TX and preview the changes to your image even before you scan.

Before we go to the use of the AIC tools, we will briefly discuss the LCH color model, which is important for working with images in ScanWizard Pro TX.This is followed by other information relating to the LCH model, including the availability of the AIC tools in LCH vs. Native color mode, and recommendations on a workflow for optimizing images.

The following topics are covered:

• The LCH Color Model

• AIC tools in LCH vs. Native Mode

• AIC tools and your image type

• Workflow for optimizing images

• How to access the AIC tools

• Elements of the AIC dialog box

• The Action buttons

• Using Custom Settings

• Discussion of the individual AIC tools

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction Tools 67

The LCH Color Model

One of the strengths of ScanWizard Pro TX is its ability to let you work in the LCH color space. Unlike the RGB color model, which corresponds to the color space as defined in monitors and printers, the LCH color model is a more intuitive way of working with colors, based on the values of Lightness (the “L” in LCH), Chroma (C), and Hue (H). For instance, if you wish to change the color of the sky in an image to a darker blue, your own eye — and your own judgment — will be the guide to making those color changes. This is easier than, say, knowing the mathematical equivalent in RGB or CMYK values that would correspond to a “dark sky blue”.

The LCH model, in effect, makes it easier to comprehend colors as they are couched in the terms we are familiar with: Lightness (how dark or light a color is), Chroma or saturation (how rich or dull a particular hue of green is), and Hue (the property that distinguishes, say, the color red from the color blue.)

In the LCH color model, colors of equal brightness lie on a single plane of the model, as shown below. Red and green lie opposite each other on the horizontal axis, as blue and yellow lie opposite each other on the vertical axis.

On the color sphere shown below, you can see how the different LCH properties play out:

• The different hues (red, green, yellow, blue) are spread around the sphere.

• The chroma (saturation) for each hue increases from the center of the sphere outward, with the most saturated colors lying on the edge of the sphere.

• The brightness values increase from the bottom of the model to the top.

68 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

All the AIC tools are available when you work in the default LCH color space, but a different set of tools is available when you choose to work in the Native color space. As discussed in an earlier section of the manual, you can select the color space of your choice in the Preferences menu | More... command in the Preview window.

AIC Tools in LCH vs. Native Color Mode

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction Tools 69

AIC Tools and your Image Type

The AIC tools do not apply to all image types. See the table below to determine which AIC tool can be used for a particular image type.

RGB CMYK Lab Gray Line Art B&W Remark

Diffusion

Dynamic Range V V V V White/Black Points V V V V V Gradation V V V V * Color Cast V V V Saturation V V V Selective V V V Tone Curve V V V V Filter V V V V V Descreen V V V V ** Brightness & Contrast V V Color Correction V

* For Line art, Gradation tool becomes the "Threshold" tool. ** For negative film, this function changes to "Film Type" selection.

70 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Workflow for Optimizing Images

Dynamic Range Manual or auto determine image density range (darkest tone to lightest tone)

Gradation Manual or auto-adjust midtones of the Lightness channel "L"

Saturation Curve Adjust image saturation by manipulating the saturation curve

Tone Curve Adjust tonal distribution of each channel of a CMYK/ RGB image

Color Cast Adjust gray balance by removing color cast or adjust desired cast by adding color cast

White & Black Points Manual or auto-adjust shadow and highlight points

Selective Color Manipulate a specific color range without affecting other colors

Filter Apply a particular filter for special effects (e.g., unsharp masking to sharpen image)

To prepare and optimize your images for the final scan, we recommend the use of the Advanced Image Correction tools in the sequence that they appear in the Settings window. Following this order will significantly influence the overall quality of your images.

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction Tools 71

The sequence is the same if you are working in Native color mode. However, the Gradation, Color Cast, Saturation, and Selective Color tools (#3 to #6) will not be available. The Brightness / Contrast and Color Correction tools are offered in their place.

The Brightness /

Contrast and Color

Correction tools are

offered in the Native

color mode

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Accessing the AIC Tools

1. To access an AIC tool, click a particular tool in the Settings window or

choose its counterpart in the Correction menu in the Preview window.

2. After clicking a tool, the AIC dialog box appears. The elements of the AIC

dialog box are explained in the next section.

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction Tools 73

Elements of the Advanced Image Corrrection screen

1. Left thumbnail: This shows the image before enhancements are applied.

2. Right thumbnail: This shows the image after enhancements are applied.

3. Preview option: If checked, changes or enhancements are applied immediately to the Preview window image. If unchecked, changes are seen only after you close the AIC dialog box.

4. Advanced Image Correction Tools (AIC): These tools adjust or enhance your images. Click any tool in this area, and see how the core of the AIC screen (#9) changes to reflect the properties of that tool.

5. AIC pop-up menu: This contains custom and other settings you have created for the particular AIC tool shown. This corresponds to the AIC pop-up menus in the Settings window.n Tools (AIC): These tools adjust or enhance your images. Click any tool in this area, and see how the core of the AIC screen (#9) changes to reflect the properties of that tool.

6. Thumbnail option: If checked, the before and after thumbnails are shown in the AIC screen. You can choose to uncheck this option and hide the thumbnails, since changes can be previewed in the Preview window. If unchecked, the screen collapses to show only the lower portion of the dialog box.

7. Function icons: These icons (e.g., eyedropper, lens, etc.) perform functions specific to the AIC tool being used. Function icons are explained in more detail under their corresponding AIC tool.

8. Action Buttons: These carry out a specific action. See the next section for more details.

9. Core of the AIC screen: This is the heart of the AIC screen, and the content here changes to reflect your selected AIC tool.

74 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

The Action Buttons

Default button

This button restores all settings to their default ScanWizard Pro values.

Revert button

This button cancels out the changes that were made with the current imageenhancement tool. This means that if you used several AIC tools, Revert cancels the effect of only the last used (or current) tool, and preserves the effects of the other preceding tools.

Example: If you changed the tone curve, applied filters, changed saturation, then clicked Revert, the saturation changes will be cancelled out, but the altered tone curve and filters settings remain in effect

Cancel button

This button cancels out all image-enhancement changes you have made to the current scan job, and then closes the AIC dialog box.

Example: If you applied filters, changed the curve, and then clicked Cancel, none of the changes will take effect, and you exit the AIC dialog box.

OK button

This button applies to the current scan job whatever image enhancements you have performed, and then closes the AIC dialog box.

Example: If you increased saturation, changed the gradation curve, and then clicked OK, all the changes are applied, and you exit the AIC dialog box.

The Action Buttons

The Action Buttons in the AIC dialog box let you accept, cancel, or control the application of AIC settings.

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction Tools 75

Custom Settings

When you click on each AIC setting in the Settings window, a drop-down menu will show options for adding, removing, or loading custom settings. These custom settings are settings that you define yourself for your scan jobs.

For instance, if you wish to apply a certain setting for the Dynamic Range AIC tool to an image and then save that setting for future jobs, you can add that value as as a custom setting. The next time you wish to retrieve that particular setting, simply go to the Dynamic Range AIC drop-down menu, and choose that setting.

A user-defined setting that has been added and can now be retrieved

The Custom pop-up

menu in the Settings

window is the same

as the AIC Custom

pop-up menu

Lets you add or remove from the menu settings you have previously defined

76 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

C. Loading / retrieving user-defined AIC settings

To load or retrieve a custom setting that you have previously defined for an AIC tool, go to that AIC tool's pop-up menu, and choose the setting you wish to be loaded.

B. Removing custom settings

To remove a custom setting for an AIC tool, click the Remove Custom Setting...in that tool's pop-up menu. When a dialog box comes up, select the particular setting to be removed, then click Remove in the dialog box.

A. Adding custom settings

To add a custom setting for an AIC tool, click the Add New Custom Setting... in that tool's pop-up menu. When a dialog box comes up, enter the name of the new custom setting to be added. For instance, the added setting can be called "Alex's Custom Setting," as shown below.

Custom Settings cont.

Custom setting to be retrieved or loaded

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction Tools 77

The Default button in the Settings window brings up a dialog box where you can specify the AIC settings to be reset to their default values. To reset any or a combination of settings, check the boxes next to the targeted settings.

The Default button

Checks on these boxes indicate that these AIC settings will be restored to their default values.

78 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Dynamic Range tool (LCH & Native color mode)

The Dynamic Range tool is used to set the density capture range of the scanner and displays the density distribution (histogram) of the image to be scanned.

The Auto range (default) feature automatically determines the Dmin (minimum density, lighest tone) and Dmax (maximum density, darkest tone) of the image, and sets the scanner capture range.

Select this option to adjust the Dmin/ Dmax settings of the RGB channels

simultaneously

Select this option to adjust the Dmin/ Dmax settings of the RGB channels

individually

Enter custom

Dmin setting here

Enter custom Dmax setting

here

Drag sliders to

define custom

Dmin/Dmax

settings

Click to apply or revert to automatic setting (ScanWizard Pro algorithm) if dissatisfied with your manual setting

Select the channel in which you wish to work with the image. "All" is available if you choose the "Keep Color Balance" option. The individual color channels are available if you choose the "Adjust Color Balance" option

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 79

You can use the Black and White Eyedropper tools to define the Dmax (darkest tone) and the Dmin (lightest tone) settings, r espectively.

To do this: Click the Eyedropper tools in the Dynamic Range dialog box. Then move to the thumbnail image in the dialog box or to the preview image in the Preview window, and choose your Dmax / Dmin point.

• To define the Dmax (darkest tone) setting, use the Black Eyedropper tool.

• To define the Dmin (lightest tone) setting, use the White Eyedropper tool

White Eyedropper for Dmin settings

Black Eyedropper for Dmax settings

80 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

White & Black Points tool (LCH color mode)

The White & Black Points tool is used to change the shadow and highlight points of an image. (See note on next page for additional descriptions.)

By using this tool, you can manipulate an image to either bring out the highlights in a very dark image, or bring out more of the shadows in a very light image. The White & Black Points tool can also be used to neutralize the color cast in the highlight and shadow regions.

Check to auto neutralize unwanted color casts in Shadow (black) area or Highlight (white) area

Enter custom Lightness, Chroma & Hue values for Highlight (White area) here. C & H values are applicable only when the Auto Neutralize - Highlight check box is enabled

Enter custom Lightness,

Chroma & Hue values for

Shadow (Black area) here.

C & H values are applicable

only when the Auto

Neutralize - Shadow check

box is enabled

Drag sliders to

define custom

shadow and

highlight

settings

Click to let ScanWizard Pro TX determine the shadow and highlight points automatically

Click to bring up the White/Black points setup dialog box. For more details, see the section titled White &

Black Points Setup

(under the Preferences menu in the Preview window)

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 81

You can use the Black and White Eyedropper tools to define the Shadow and Highlight points.

To do this: Click the Eyedropper tools in the White & Black Points dialog box. Then move to the thumbnail image in the dialog box or to the preview image in the Preview window, and choose your Black / White Point.

• To define the Black (shadow) point, use the Black Eyedropper tool

• To define the White (highlight) point, use the White Eyedropper tool

Note: You may also set the White & Black point by using the Tag Windows Magic Diamonds. For more details, refer to Using the Magic Diamonds” under the Tag Windows tool section.

Enable this check

box to show the

adjustment effect

on the prescan

image

White Eyedropper to define the Highlight point

Black Eyedropper to define the Shadow point

The shadow point is defined as the lightness value “L” in an image that is output as black (mapped to the Minimum Output Level), while the highlight point is defined as the lightness value “L” that is output as white (mapped to the Maximum Output Level). The default values of the Minimum Output Level and Maximum Output Level are L=5.0 and L=95.0, respectively.

82 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

The W&B Points dialog box in Native color mode

In Native color mode, the White & Black Points dialog box allows you to modify the histogram in your RGB, CMYK, or Lab channel. Channels can be modified individually or collectively (when you select "All") in the Channel box.

Following the selection of your channel, you can move the black and white sliders below the histogram to set the shadow and highlight values, respectively. The edit boxes below the sliders will reflect those values.

Channel box

Sliders

Edit boxes for shadow & highlight values

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 83

Gradation tool (LCH color mode)

The Gradation tool lets you adjust the midtones (the mid-level grays) of the lightness channel “L” of an image without altering the color itself. This is because even with changes to the luminance or lightness value, the chroma and hue values are kept constant.

To prevent color images from losing saturation when adjusting the lightness, ScanWizard Pro TX provides a Saturation Range option. With this option, colors outside of a given chroma range are not affected by the manipulation of the gradation curve.

Check to enable the Saturation Range option. Then drag the sliders or enter the values in the edit boxes to define the saturation (chroma) range. The colors outside the chroma range will not be affected by the Gradation curve.

Defining a chroma range is helpful if you wish to prevent images from losing saturation or color intensity.

Click to create handles from which to drag and manipulate a portion of the curve . The more handles are created, the easier and smoother it is to manipulate the curve. To remove a handle, drag it off the graph or the grid.

Click Auto to let ScanWizard Pro calculate the Gradation setting automatically

Coordinates of cursor position within the grid

Choose the method you wish to display the gradation curve. Select from Curve, Line, or Gamma

84 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Appearance of curve if Method chosen is "Line"

Instead of dragging the Gamma handle, you can also directly enter the appropriate Gamma value in the edit box. Dragging points on the curve to a Gamma value above 1.00, will lighten the dark tones. Dragging points on the curve to a Gamma value below 1.00 will add shadows to light tones

Appearance of curve if Method chosen is "Gamma"

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 85

You can also use the Black and White Eyedropper tools to define the Saturation Range.

To do this: Click the Eyedropper tools in the Gradation dialog box. Then move to the thumbnail image in the dialog box or to the preview image in the Preview window, and choose the setting for your high chr oma and low chroma range.

• Use the Black Eyedropper tool to define your low chroma range setting.

• Use the White Eyedropper tool to define your high chr oma range setting.

Black & White Eyedropper tools

Gradation tool cont.

86 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Color Cast tool (LCH color mode)

The Color Cast tool is used to eliminate any unwanted color casts in an image, as well as to add a color cast without altering the lightness channel “L” values.

Enter values in the edit boxes and see how the handles get positioned in the color box

Conversely, move the handles in the color box and see how the values change in the edit boxes

Color (Hue

or Chroma)

Handle

Lightness

Handle

Select whether to add or remove a color cast. "Remove Cast" is the default

Color Cast Eyedropper

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 87

Use the Color Cast Eyedropper to add or remove a color cast

It is more convenient to use the Color Cast Eyedropper tool in removing or a adding color cast. Click the Color Cast Eyedropper in the Color Cast dialog box. Then move to the thumbnail in the dialog box or the pr eview image in the Preview window, and pick the color cast to be added or r emoved.

Note: You can also use the Tag Windows Magic Diamonds to add or remove a color cast. For more details, see “Using the Magic Diamonds” under the Tag Windows tool section.

Color Cast tool cont.

88 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

Saturation tool (LCH color mode)

Select Saturation method. "Curve" is the default

Select Saturation Range. "All" is the default. Other selections let you change the saturation for Highlights only, Midtones only, or Shadows only

Drag the curve above the default diagonal line to increase saturation. Drag the curve below the default diagonal line to desaturate color into gray levels

The Saturation Curve tool lets you increase or decrease the color intensity (chroma or saturation) of an image without altering its hue and lightness values.

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 89

Selective Color tool (LCH color mode)

The Selective Color tool is used to perform color correction to a specific color range without altering the other colors in an image. This is done either to increase the visual impact of a color or to completely change the relationship of the targeted color to the other colors in the image.

Click the New or Delete button to add or remove colors from the color box

This sector

represents the

values of the

"From" color

This box shows you

the affected colors:

the “From” color (left

column) and the "To"

color (right column)

∆LCH values expand or reduce the affected color area. LCH edit boxes in 2nd and 3rd column show values of “From” and “To” color

Eyedropper tools

Drag the “From”

color slider to

change the

lightness ("L") value

of the "From" color

Drag the “To” color

slider to change the

lightness ("L") value

of the "To" color

Values affected by dragging the From /

To color sliders

90 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

How to use the Selective Color tool

1. Define a From color setting with the following steps: A. Click the New button. For the first color to be changed, this step need

not be performed. Each subsequent color to be changed, however, requires this step.

B. Select the color to be altered with any of the following methods:

1) Click the round eyedropper tool in the AIC screen, then go to your prescan image in the Preview window and pinpoint the color to be altered.

2) Click the color wheel to select the From color; the selected From color will be enclosed in a sector. Within the sector is a hollow dot, and the position of the hollow dot cor responds to the From color Chroma and Hue values. If you wish to change the C & H values, click a new spot within the sector.

3) Enter numerical values directly in the From LCH edit boxes.

Positionof hollow dot corresponds to “From” C & H values

Round eyedropper

New button

Selected From color is

enclosed in a sector

with a hollow dot in it.

Resizing this sector will

change the ∆LCH

values in the edit boxes

“From” LCH edit boxes

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 91

Selective Color tool cont.

2. Drag the “From” color slider of the lightness bar to the desired tone range. As an alternative, you can also click the triangular eyedropper, which lets you add or expand the range of the From color. With the eyedropper, go to the Prescan image and click on a range of colors similar to your chosen From color. As you click, you will see the sector in the color wheel expand or reduce to reflect the chosen range of colors.

3. Adjust the ∆LCH values to expand or reduce the region of the color area to be altered. This can be done by: a) Adjusting the Lightness bar and the radius, intersection, and arc of the sector in the color wheel; or b) Directly entering numerical values in the ∆LCH edit boxes.

Lightness bar

From color

slider

∆LCH edit boxes

Triangular eyedropper

Sector

expands or

reduce with

use of

triangular

eyedropper

4. Define your To color setting with the following steps: a) Enable the To LCH column. This can be done by: 1) Clicking the To

option located on top of the LCH edit boxes; or 2) Entering directly the LCH To values in the To LCH edit boxes.

b) Select a To color with one of the following methods:

• Click the square eyedropper in the AIC screen, then go to your prescan image in the Preview window and pinpoint the desir ed To color.

• Click the color wheel to select the To color. Note that the selected color spot is highlighted with a square ( ) sign.

• Click near the ar c of the From color sector to increase the hue of the selected color. Note that the position corresponds to the Chroma and Hue values of the To color. Thus, C & H values change as you click at new positions within the color wheel.

• Enter numerical values dir ectly in the To LCH edit boxes.

“To” LCH edit boxes

Square eyedropper

92 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

To move the From color sector without changing the hollow dot position, press the Shift key and click inside the sector. When the pointer changes to a hollow cross, drag the sector to a new position. You will see that the sector can only be expanded or contracted in a limited fashion, as it is constrained by the position of the hollow dot. If you need to move the sector around, you will also need to reposition the hollow dot, which then changes the Chroma and Hue (C&H) values.

Likewise, you can move a defined lightness range of the From color along the Lightness bar without moving the From slider (fixed L value). Press the Shift key and click inside the lightness range. When the pointer changes to a hollow cross, drag the lightness range vertically to its new position. Note that the lightness range cannot go beyond the fixed “From” slider position.

More Tips on using the Selective Color tool

“From” color

slider

Lightness bar

"To” color slider

Range (the blue bars) within which the lightness can be moved without actually touching the "From” slider. You can move the bars up or down the slider to define the lightness range to be affected

To color preview

From color sector To reposition From color sector without moving the hollow dot, press the Shift key and click, and drag the sector around the hollow dot position. The sector cannot break away from the fixed position of the hollow dot.

From color

preview

Hollow dot

Reference: The Advanced Image Correction tools 93

Lightness value here reflects the position of the "To" slider in the Lightness bar

E. If you are not satisfied with the resulting preview image, you can always

go back to redefine your From color settings. To go back temporarily to the

From color setting environment, pr ess the Option key and perform the From color adjustment. Release the Option key and the To color setting is

again enabled.

Selective Color tool cont.

94 Microtek ScanWizard Pro TX for Mac OS X

F. Use CMYK or RGB values as From and To Selective colors. This

can be done in one of the following ways:

• Define such requirement in the CMS Setup dialog box.

• Click on the expansion arrow provided in the Selective Color dialog box.

Then proceed to set the From and To settings as they are done under the LCH mode. Note that changes to LCH settings remain visible as you manipulate colors in CMYK/RGB mode.

Select RGB or CMYK here

Click DEL button to

delete a selected color

Microtek ScanMaker 8700 Pro, ScanWizard Pro TX Reference Manual

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Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual