This may very well be a dumb question. I am in the process of digitizing lots and lots of old slides, many of them UW photos. I'm using ScanCafe and the scanned images come back as JPEGs, typically around 8MB in size. As I import these images into Lightroom 5, is there any need for applying presets upon import? I used a variety of film types, and the color balance of UW photos is variable at best, so beyond some basic sharpening, I am not sure if I should be doing more at the import step.
i wouldnt do anything at the import step . if youve gone to the trouble of actually scanning and saving each slide then by definition its a 'keeper' , so you really want to be working each one on its own individual merits and needs
Thanks, Ian. That is sort of my sense too. The slides have already been culled before sending to scanning so the real dogs (out of focus, underexposed, fish butts, etc.) have already been tossed out. Of what remains, the bulk will probably go onto a digital photoframe, with a handful getting individual treatment for printing. But I sure do wish there was an LR preset that could eliminate backscatter on import! KC
Anyway, instead of using a preset on import without knowing any of the photo metadata that would include camera, ISO, exposure, etc. in an original digital photo, you can simply select any number of the scanned images (or put them into a collection, or apply a label, etc.) and process them in bulk by synchronising the settings from one image to the rest of the slection.
Sorry, guys, I should have been clearer - UW is shorthand for underwater photographs. My earliest ones were taken with a Nikonos V and then later ones with a Nikon 8008s (autofocus, yippee!) in a Tussey housing. Even once I standardized on a favorite film (Sensia), the white balance can be all of the place due to variables in the water color and clarity, the balance of flash versus ambient light, and the depth. But Alan had a good suggestion - if I shot an entire roll under similar water, depth and lighting conditions, then I should be able to use the same LR settings for all the shots on that roll. Thanks for the tip. Having to go thru all these slides, first to cull them down for scanning, and then to get the digitized versions onto the computer with pertinent information seems like this enormous homework assignment hanging over me. Anything to speed that process is greatly appreciated. KC
Sync might be the efficiency tip I needed. In the old days of film, I tended to shoot one 36-exposure roll per dive (and learned to leave a few extra exposures in case something interesting appeared at the end of the dive). Most but not all of my rolls should be good candidates for the Sync operation. Thanks again.
