Pacific Image PrimeFilm PF1800 Silver Film Scanner

investmenttool.com technology journal

Pacific Image's film scanner is small, lightweight, and relatively easy to use.

The installation was a bit rocky. Although the instructions were clear that you must install the software before plugging the scanner into the USB port, it's not so clear in which order to install the software. It comes with 2 install CD's, one with the scanner's drivers, the other with Adobe Photoshop LE. One set of the enclosed installation instructions begins with the installation of what appears to be the drivers, although even this is not completely clear. The other set of instructions clearly say to install Photoshop first, but are folded in such a way that the 1st page appears to be the 2nd page of the instructions. This set also says to disable any virus protection software. Especially with so many viruses circulating today, I found this very suspicious. I ignored this part of the instructions, and so far haven't seen any adverse behavior.

Even with installing the software in the correct order, there were still glitches along the way.

Neither CD provided the super-easy, automated, self-install to which I've become accustomed. I was disappointed to have to manually hunt down the 'setup.exe' file on both CD's. Once I did, though, the installation of Photoshop went smoothly.

The installation of the driver's, however, was not so easy. When I inserted the disk, the 'auto-install' opened Window Explorer. I not only had to find the setup.exe file, I also had to know if I wanted the Photoshop driver or a TWAIN driver. There was no explanation of TWAIN, so I took a guess that since I would be using Photoshop, that was the driver I wanted.

During the install, it said it couldn't find the Photoshop plug-in directory. I didn't pay much attention to the error message the 1st time around, and when I went to use Photoshop, it couldn't find the scanner. I re-installed the entire mess, and the 2nd time manually found the Photoshop plug-in directory. Then it worked.

Once I got everything set up, I found the scanner pretty easy to use. Open the lid of the scanner, click the tabs to open the film holder, insert your negative and line it up properly, close the film holder and the top, and you 're good to go.

The scanning software is a 'plug-in' to Photoshop, and is activated via the Photoshop menus. Once open, it allows you to pre-scan your image, then make adjustments in color, contrast, and output dpi before making the final scan. Each change is relatively easy to do, and the effect each change has on the image is immediately evident. Another feature I liked was that when I changed the output dpi or output image size, the program showed me the adjusted output file size. I also liked that the software held my values between scans, even after a re-boot. Often photos taken in the same place at the same time require the same corrections, and I was happy not to have to re-adjust my values for each image. On the other hand, I'd like a global reset button to clear all the values when I move on to a new roll of film.

I also liked the built-in "Image Type" filter which allowed me to select filters for common color corrections, such as snow, gold tones, skin tones, and evening. As with the other color correction options, the effects of the filter are immediately evident.

There were a few details I didn't like about the software. I found it annoying that the scan software closes down after each scan when using the Photoshop driver. I later installed the TWAIN driver, and was surprised to discover I could use it through the Photoshop interface as well. With the TWAIN driver, the scan interface stayed open until I closed it, but I couldn't get back to the Photoshop interface without closing the scanner software first. I also would have liked a way to more accurately control the color balance tool. You can use control-z to undo only the most recent command, and since there are no numeric values shown, it was difficult to return to exact previous settings.

I also used the TWAIN driver with another imaging program. On the 2nd scan, it crashed. I'm not sure if it's the driver, the software, or the interaction between the two. Subsequent tests with the TWAIN driver and Photoshop went smoothly.

A few last notes: I was disappointed to find that the demo button took me to their website. Since I was installing the software on a computer that's not usually connected to the Internet, and I work on a slow modem, I found the fact that the demo wasn't part of the CD a bit frustrating, particularly considering the amount of space available on CD's.

I'd have also liked the option to save sets of settings under a profile of some sort for multiple images which require the same settings, but aren't necessarily scanned in succession.

I'm still wondering what the 'scan' button on the front of the device is for. It doesn't do anything when I push it. Not a major defect, just intriguing.

Overall, I think the PrimeFilm 1800 Film Scanner is a good device for amateur and beginning professionals looking for a cheap, fast, and easy way to get started with image scanning.

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Amy Willis
investmenttool.com

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