Originally Posted by Nesster
Oh don't be so hasty, after all the site had a major melt down... oh the withdrawal...
I have a 4490. Here are some tips with the Epson software -- I've since switched over to VueScan which is better but is also confusing as all hell. I still don't know how a lot of stuff works, it just does. LOL so I emphatize with you there.
First, you should scan at >300 DPI, I found 600, 800, 1200 were decent compromises between too large and time consuming vs. losing a bit of detail. At 300, which is a photo print quality scan, it's as though you're scanning a print the size of the negative. In post processing you can always re-size to what you need.
Auto balance & auto exposure sometimes is close enough, sometimes needs tweaking. If your software allows different settings or curves, try them out.
The ICE stuff is a mixed blessing: on the one hand it is effective, on the other sometimes the artifacts it produces are too much for a given photo. The artifacts include a general softening of the image, and sometimes streaky skies.
It occurs to me, I'm assuming your software is Epson... what software does Epson package with the V500?
For web viewing I agree that 300 dpi is more than adequate. However, for printing shouldn't I be scanning at a much higher dpi quotient?
The software appears to be the same that came with my older Model 3490. I also have Vuescan 8.4.47 which doesn't seem to be as sophisticated or complex as the Epson software. I need to experiment with both to compare the results. I see that the digital Ice does soften the image a bit, too; not always an effect I desire to achieve. I will probably just scan the image 'as is' and manipulate the image produced in Photoshop.