How to do it

Linearising the scanner and driver software is extremely important. This ensures that the profile has enough good data to work with. On a good scanner this process usually involves scanning a grayscale, then from that setting the highlight and shadow density and the gamma of the output.

Many consumer-level acquire modules don't have these facilities – in these cases you may like to investigate 3rd party software solutions from Vuescan or Silverfast.

Profiles are produced by first scanning a (IT8 style) target then comparing the result with the digital data read from the target itself.
If you are making both transparency and reflective scans, you’ll need to have a profile for each as the light source and often the optics used are different.

Profiles are generally not custom made for scanning negative film due to the variation in base densities and exposures. In these cases we recommend you use the suppliers profiles and make the adjustments based on what you see on your calibrated monitor.

If you own an IT8 target, Gretag Macbeth ColorChecker or Gretag Macbeth Digital ColorChecker you can just send us the scan of that and we can produce a profile for your scannerand send it to you by email.