SilverFast
 SilverFast Ai Studio GUI | |
| Developer(s) | LaserSoft Imaging |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1995 |
| Stable release | 6.6.0r2
/ August 13th, 2008 |
| Operating system | Win 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X 10.3-10.5 |
| Available in | english, multi-lingual |
| Type | Scanning, Image Processing, Printing, Digital Camera, HDR |
| License | proprietary |
| Website | SilverFast.com |
SilverFast is a software for scanning and image processing, which is developed by LaserSoft Imaging (Kiel, Germany) since 1994. Providing a software supporting any conventional scanner to digitize analog graphic material like photos, slides, documents and similar is LaserSoft's main field of activity. Beside this they are developing some specialized image processing applications for usage with digital cameras, printers and 48 Bit raw image processing.
History
SilverFast is developed and distributed by LaserSoft Imaging since 1994. The first version was introduced at the Hanover CeBIT fair in 1995. Version 2.0 was presented at the CeBIT at 1996 and version 3.0 was finished in December of 1996. The latest version 6.6 is available since May, 2008. Today SilverFast is the sole software supporting the Heidelberg high-end Scanner on Mac OSX und Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista. Some scanner manufacturers bundle their hardware with SilverFast. The EDP (European Digital Press Association) awarded LaserSoft Imaging's SilverFast as the 'Best colour mangement software of the year 2008' for improving the dynamic range of most scanners and for creating ICC profiles automatically.[1] The Company has designed a couple of new technologies in the field of scanning and image processing; for some of them patents are pending. These are amongst others:
- Multi-Exposure (with Auto-Alignment, Patent-Nr.: EP 1744278)
- Auto-IT8 Calibraion (Patent-Nr.: EP 1594301)
- ScanPilot
- ICC Printer Calibration
- GANE ® (removes grain and noise from the image)
- HiRePP ® (High Resolution Picture Performance)
- NegaFix ® (allocation and generation of film-profiles for negatives)
- PhotoProof ® (color true printing without the need of a RIP)
- PrinTao ® (color managed print helper with implemented Layout functions)
- SC2G ® (selective color to gray)
- SCC ® (selective color correction)
- SRD ® (Dust and scratch removal tool)
- iSRD ® (dust and scratch removal tool with infrared technologie)
Product Range
The products can be classified in four different categories :
| Scanner Software | Digital Camera Software | HDR Software | Printer Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| SilverFast SE | SilverFast DC SE | SilverFast HDR | SilverFast PrinTao 3) |
| SilverFast SE Plus 1) | SilverFast DC VLT | SilverFast HDR IT8 | |
| SilverFast Ai | SilverFast DC Pro | SilverFast HDR Studio 3), 4) | |
| SilverFast Ai IT8 2) | SilverFast DC Pro Studio 3), 4) | ||
| SilverFast Ai Studio 1) | |||
| SilverFast Ai Studio IT8 1), 2) | |||
| SilverFast X-Ray |
optional: 1)Multi-Exposure, 2)ICC Printer Calibration, 3)PhotoProof, 4)ColorServer
A detailed description of the different versions:
SilverFast SE / Ai / Ai Studio (Scanner-Software)
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SilverFast X-Ray
- SilverFast X-Ray is a special version of SilverFast Ai that was designed to digitize radiographic films, appropriate to scientific and medical radiography.
SilverFast DC SE / DC Pro / DC Pro Studio (Digital-Camera-Software)
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SilverFast HDR / HDR Studio (48 Bit Image-Processing-Software)
SilverFast HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a software for processing 48 Bit RAW images. Many actual scanners are able to output the image directly with all existing data instead of breaking it down to 24 Bit. This 48 Bit raw image could be saved immediately, where the digital processing could be done later on.
- SilverFast HDR[2]
- SilverFast HDR IT8 - with IT8-target for Icc profiling
- SilverFast HDR Studio - with additional features
SilverFast HDR contains the functionality of SilverFast Ai for 48 Bit raw data like Defining Output Size & Resolution, Auto-Adjust of Highlight/Shadow, Three Part Histogram, Gradation Curves, Selective Color Correction, Unsharp Masking, Color Cast Removal Slider, Color Separation, CMYK-Preview and more. SilverFast HDR could be used as native plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, as universal TWAIN module or as a stand-alone application.
The HDR Studio version provides additional features like AACO (Auto-Adpative Contrast Enhancement), JPEG 2000, USMPlus (Unsharp Mask Plus), CloneTool and PrinTao.
SilverFast PrintTao (Printer-Software)
PrinTao is a software for printing images and documents. Templates can be used to ease and quicken the workflow through reducing the amount of similar and repeating worksteps. PrinTao contains several predefined templates to which the user can add self-made ones to. Some other features:
- Positioning of pictures automatically or manually on the preview with the aid of grids and auxiliary lines
- Scaling, rirroring, Rotation, layout of pictures
- Inserting text in or araund a picture
- Adding copyright information to pictures
- Adding IPTC or EXIF meta data.
The PrinTao module is already included in the SilverFast Ai / DC / HDR Studio-versions.
optional Features
As marked in the table above, some products are available with the following additional features:
Multi-Exposure (ME)
- When scanning transparent originals like slides or negatives Multi-Exposure increases the dynamic range to a level, that gets only reached by drum scanners in general. This is afforded through scannig the original twice but with different exposure times.
ICC-Printer-Calibration
- Scanner and printer IT8-Calibration and ICC-profiling without additional hardware.[3]
PhotoProof
- PhotoProof is a tool for color-true and binding processing of images from digital camera. The image optimization gets done in the RGB color space. When activating PhotoProof, the user will immediately see a CMYK simulation of the image by means of RGB softproofing on the calibrated monitor. Thereafter a color-true contract proof can be created on any suitable, calibrated output device. The user just has to choose the ICC profile for the printer and the FOGRA media wedge to be embedded. Embedding a media wedge is used as a reference for a true-to-color proof.
ColorServer
- ColorServer executes the processes of color conversion, scaling, sharpening, separation, and optimization of image data automatically (even batch processing) in the 48 Bit color space. The possibility to save high dynamic range images in the JPEG 2000 format assures maximum compression of image data without a loss of quality. JPEG 2000 also allows a compression ratio of 10:1 without any visible loss of image quality.
IT8-Calibration
In the process chain (original - scanner / digital camera - monitor - printer) it's essential to calibrate any participating device for assuring a binding color reproduction, due to the fact that their actual color spaces differ device-specific from the referential color spaces. An IT8-Target is needed to perform a so-called IT8-Calibration.
Auto-IT8-Calibration
- The IT8-Calibration runs automatically in SilverFast. After placing the IT8-Target on the scanner the user is able to start the calibration with a single mouse-click. A combination of Barcode-technology and auto-alignment allows the patent-registered process of calibration to run completely automatically.
ICC-Printer-Calibration
- A printer calibration is necessary for keeping the colors and hues as original and predictible as possible. Therefor an ICC profile, which takes the actual printer, the ink cartridges and the paper used into account, has to be created. Traditionally this is done with a spectral photometer, which becomes redundant when using SilverFast Ai IT8, because SilverFast utilizes the scanner as the measuring device for the profiling.
Heidelberg (High-End Drum Scanner)
SilverFast Ai Studio is a solution to work with the drum scanners made by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Linotype - Hell) on actual operating systems like Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.3-10.5. Generally these high-end scanners are used in the field of professional prepress. The following scanner models are supported:
- CHROMAGRAPH 3300/3400
- TANGO/XL
- TOPAZ
- NEXSCAN
- PRIMESCAN
Free Demo Versions
LaserSoft imaging provides demo versions of their product range for downloading.
- Restriction: Watermark
Literature
An introduction to image processing, especially and comprehensivley in combination with SilverFast, is available in english:
- Taz Tally, Ph.D. SilverFast - The Official Guide. Sybex, 2003. ISBN 978-0-7821-4197-9
- Taz Tally, Ph.D. SilverFast - Das offizielle Buch. Mitp-Verlag, 2004. ISBN 978-3-8266-1521-4
References
- ^ EDP (European Digital Press) - Best Product of the Year: Best Colour Management
- ^ Software review: SilverFast HDR by filmscanner.info
- ^ Nadir Magazine: scanner- and printer-Calibration with SilverFast Ai IT8 by Agostino Maiello
External Links
- LaserSoft Imaging AG - englisch
- LaserSoft Imaging AG - german
- download: latest SilverFast demo versions
- Documentation: LaserSoft Imaging provides the complete manual, some tutorials and many Quicktime movies online