Negative Conversion

My Minolta-Konica Dimage 5400 scanner only produces 16 bit scans in negative mode. So, you get an inverted picture. How depressing. Works find in 8-bit mode, but why the heck pay so much for a scanner if you only get 24-bit (3 colors x 8-bits) and not the full 48-bit range. So how to fix this?

Here is how I did it in Photoshop Elements 2.0 after some experimentation:

• Open the TIF file that is the negative
• Choose Image/Adjustments/Invert
• Choose Image/Adjustments/Equalize

This isn't documented, but Equalize seems to be the way to get the orange mask in negatives out.

Three Easy Ways of Negative Conversion. Took a while to find this site, but with Photoshop Elements, you can do the following:

If you just invert the color it doesn't work because negatives have an orange cast in them (for some technical reason that I don't understand, but Alex loves since he loves orange).

But here is the way to fix this:

Method 1 (easy) in Photoshop

1. Load the scan that is in negative mode
2. Enter the menu command: Enhance, Auto Levels
3. Enter the menu command: Image, Adjust, Invert (Ctrl-I)

This works because Auto Levels fixes the Orange (which becomes Blue in the positive world btw).

Here is a more elaborate way:

1. Load the negative scan
2. Open the curves dialog (Ctrl-M).
3. Press the Auto button. This sets the black-white points for each of the 3 color channels and eliminates the orange mask.
4. Open the red channel.
5. Grab the black anchor point and drag it to the top of the graph.
6. Grab the white point and drag it to the bottom of the graph. This inverts the red channel.