SilverFast 6.5 allows the user to easily convert documents into PDF files. This makes it easy to save or send documents or images. If a document is saved as a PDF file it uses less space compared to a "normal" file format.

PDF files keep the appearance of the originals and preserve all of the information. Textures, drawings, 3D- and colored graphics and especially pictures can be converted into PDF files irrespective of the original format without any changes in appearance.

PDF is a widespread standard for a secure and dependable interchange of electronic data, which is acknowledged worldwide and which is compatible with PDF/A, PDF/X and PDF/E.

SilverFast introduces software-based dust and scratch removal. SilverFast SRD is using unique normal and expert users controls that allow you to adjust the user interface to different requirements. A real-time window selection helps to quickly find the optimum settings for the SRD controls.

SilverFast’s dust and scratch removal has been integrated into the actual scan software workflow and can be used during the scan process. Aside from SilverFast Ai, the SRD process is also available in SilverFast HDR and can be applied to raw data.

Dust and scratches are recognized by SilverFast SRD highlighting the artifacts in red. With interactive controls the user can now decrease or increase how many artifacts will be picked up by the function. The real-time selection control helps to quickly find the best possible setting. Any image details that might be affected by SRD can comfortably be excluded with an exclude-mask.

Very difficult scratches that cannot be removed by a general setting, can be treated in another layer and successfully be removed. Up to four layers are available for SRD.

SilverFast SRD® is a highly adjustable, configurable and versatile feature.

The new Selective Color Correction features up to four layers, each having its own independent color correction and masking capability. Now, four objects of the same color can all be designated as separate colors, providing the ability to achieve complex color corrections very easily.

Selective Color Correction is a vital function of color reproduction. The new Selective Color Correction feature in SilverFast adds significant improvement to the process without making it more complex. When a color is selected, SilverFast will automatically identify the color and make it active for further adjustments. Corrections can be made using several different options - all very easy, yet very effective. Layers and masks can be added to correct objects that have the same color but need to be handled separately.

Using a special function (Mask Edge Size via Options panel) provides control over the amount of fading applied to edges of the mask.

A new option in NegaFix offers a fast and simple solution to the existing issue of residual color casts in negative film profiles.

Distracting color casts or remnants of the orange mask can be removed quickly. SilverFast's new automatic CCR (Color Cast Removal) neutralizes these casts with a single click on the CCR button as shown below.

This function is easy and efficient to use and provides immediate results. All SilverFast versions which are presently equipped with NegaFix contain this improved feature.

New NegaFix film profiles have been added, e.g.: CityplaceFuji Pro 160S / Kodak 100UC.

Effect of CCR
The effects of CCR are already visible before any negative profiles have even been selected:

With the help of more than 120 integrated film profiles NegaFix offers a unique level of control when converting negative film into positive images. Selections include film manufacturer, film type and film speed. Adjust film exposure in real time while optimizing all conversion parameters (Ai and Studio versions) for the best possible results.

You can find more information on Negafix from our short guide.

SilverFast ACR is part of the Selective Color Correction dialog. A checkbox will enable this function to bring back faded out colors or normalize over-saturated colors. A slider will give additional individual control to increase or decrease color saturation.

Adaptive Color Restoration nicely brings back the faded out colors or weak colors with an automatic function. The function's strength can be controlled with a slider. Also too much saturation can be normalized or decreased.

ACR can also be used in conjunction with the Selective Color Correction. Any setting that has been chosen can now be influenced with the ACR function (e.g. if you have chosen your corrections but want more or less saturation), just use the ACR slider. The relation, between the color as defined by your Selective Color Corrections setting, will be kept.

Selective Color to Grey is a unique feature to enable the controlled conversion from colors to grey. With direct control of the primary and secondary colors into shades of grey gives publishers the ability to clearly distinguish adjacent shades of grey.

In magazines and newspapers very often a grey image does not turn out to have very detailed shades. Because of this the clear differentiation that existed in the original color image, has been lost in the conversion process. SilverFast's SC2G, Selective Color to Grey, can maintain the grey shade differentiation by controlling the conversion process. For all six colors: Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, the user can control into what shade of grey the color will be converted. Since the whole process is interactively monitoring the final grey image, the user quickly achieves the desired result.

From Version 6.4.2r4 onwards, SilverFast uses a completely new descreening in order to remove any screen dots from printed images. The newly developed descreening in SilverFast is able to detect the actual screen of the image automatically. 4 different descreening options are now available:

• Automatic descreening
• Automatic descreening (intensive)
• Descreening
• USM & Descreening

"Automatic descreening" and "Automatic descreening (intensive)" are fully automated and are available without any further dialogues.

Descreening is always confronted with the challenge to find out which is the proper screen. Whenever trying to descreen in Photoshop customers will most likely cruzify image details since the available filters and Photoshop's workflow are not designed specificly for a descreening process.

SilverFast's ingenious descreening uses a Fourier transformation to analyse the screen and also have the scanner select the best possible resolution for the required descreening process.

Descreening will generally decrease a little bit a sharpness. To compensate for the loss of sharpness SilverFast has an option to apply Unsharp Masking simultaneously.

Newspaper screen is 99 lpi / 38 lpcm

Availability

• Studio-Versions have the new full functionality including the two full automatics.
• Ai, DCPro and HDR offer the complete descreening dialogue with preview, manual selection and automatic screen-detection. The fully automatic functions are not included.
• SEPlus offers the descreening dialogue, without preview but with manual screen input and also contains the two automatic descreening options.
• SE contains the new descreening, the descreening dialogue without preview, but with manual screen input. The two fully automated functions are not available.

The reduction of grain and noise can be controlled in a "before and after preview" with respect to the final image. This substantially reduces artifacts from noise or film grain.

Grain is becoming visible at higher resolutions with high speed film in the scanning process. The SilverFast GANE filter allows you to influence the strength of this function in three easy steps. In addition you can use a slider for fine tuning. Noise elimination will be more relevant for older scanners and digital cameras.

Advanced Color Cast Removal

Color casts resulting from mixed light conditions can now comfortably be eliminated. Up to 4 neutral points can be set, and by means of a special dialog neutral density values can be edited.

This powerful tool can be used by just clicking onto the affected area. For fine tuning double-clicking onto the tool brings up an Expert-dialog with edit fields showing the "before and after" RGB or CMY values. These values can then be changed as desired. This way very subtle cast corrections can be achieved.