I’ve been using NLP for a while now with my Epson V700, scanning DNG’s in Silverfast 9. I’ve noticed a recurring problem, where the highlights get blown out despite there being detail in the negative.
This is a crop of a sample image taken recently, converted with NLP:
The highlights on the branches are very blown out, but looking at a scan of the negative there is definitely detail.
For good measure I converted the same DNG file in photoshop and here said highlights stay intact.
I’ve tried fiddling around with the settings, scanning at 1.8 gamma in SF and tried bringing the exposure down in NLP but no luck yet. Maybe I’m just a dummy missing something, I’d be very happy if someone has an idea!
The default tone profile (LAB-Standard) adds a fair bit of contrast and pushes the blackpoint/whitepoint right up to clipping.
If you want to start with a flatter, more neutral tone profile, try changing the profile to one of the “Linear” or “Cinematic” tone profiles. The flattest tone profile would be “Linear + Flat.”
Also, you can specifically adjust end points using the “BlackClip” and “WhiteClip” settings. For instance, if you want lots of room, you can set them both to “-15”.
