OBSERVATIONS:  In the pictures, please compare the contrast, color saturation and sharpness of the fluid scan and the dry scan.

  •        Habit has conditioned us to accept what we get from dry scanning as 'normal', just as someone who needs prescription
           lenses but does not know it,  would regard his/her impaired view as 'normal'.
  •        Light plays on dry film quite differently that it does on film submerged in the optical fluid, which explains the greater dynamic
           range, contrast, and colour saturation, etc. that we see in fluid scans.
  •        Histograms are shown below, which show an uneven rendition for the dry scan and peaked output while that of the fluid scan
           shows greater continuity, better defined shadows and greater output in the dark regions.  
  •        Imagine seeing the image bright and sharp through the viewfinder.  (The fluid scan).  Then,  place in front of the lens a soft
           filter or diffuser, or smear Vaseline on your lens: That is the dry scan.  
  •        The optics of 'Dry' apply equally to slide projection and enlarging.  Ansel Adams and company would have been overjoyed had
           they discovered fluid enlarging.  Fluid techniques can be also used conventional darkroom enlarging.  -For the latter purpose,
           a special fluid is required with properties appropriate for enlarger use.  
    NOTES ON THESE SCANS
    ScanScience Kit for Epson 3200
     LUMINA Optical fluid
    Film: Fuji NPS - Camera/Lens
    Hasselblad 6X6,.  SCAN: Epson 3200
    scanned at 3400 dpi.  Original file sizes :
    For wet scan: 167 MB For the Dry scan:
    190 MB.  No sharpening or contrast
    adjustments were made.  Images were
    scanned at 16 bit colour depth then
    changed to 8 bit so the page design
    software could see them.
                                                                        ScanScience kit for the Epson 3200
DRY  SCAN
FLUID SCANS ScanScience KIT  Vs DRY SCANS
FUJI  NPS  MEDIUM FORMAT - EPSON 3200
FLUID SCAN