Need some help on creating a color correction "process"

[rianhall]

Recently, I had 250+ pictures scanned from film negatives to TIFFS. Since then I have been trying to come up with a "minimum set of corrections" that should be performed on all of them. Unfortunately, I am not a professionally trainer photographer or Photoshop guru and I am not sure what is considered "best practices." Therefore, I am looking for advice or comments on the process I have been using so far. Specifically, I am interested in knowing if my approach is correct or if i am missing something.

Steps:
1. Verify my monitor is properly calibrated using Monaco Optix Colorimeter.
2. Open the image in Photoshop CS2 and apply the SRGB colorspace (that is what my images were scanned using)
3. Apply the Noise Ninja filter in Photoshop to try to remove some of the noise.
4. Remove any specks, dust, or scratches using the Spot Healing Tool.
5. Locate the Lightest and Darkest points in the image using a Threshold Layer.
6. Add a Curves layer and "apply" darkest point to the black eyedropper and the lightest point to the white eyedropper.
7. Change the Color Mode to LAB
8. Apply an Unsharp mask to the lightness layer.
9. Change the color mode back to RGB.

That is all.

Based on the steps above this is a before and after version of the same image.

Any comments or things I am missing in my process?

[René Damkot]

Apart from the contrast being too high IMO (Shadows are too black IMO, because of the use of the black eyedropper), they seem okay to me.

For removing dust, a quicker way might be to use a rather agressive 'dust and scratches', set the source for the history brush (history palette, tick box left to the history state), undo dust and scratches, and use the history brush to paint back the filter where there is dust. (blending mode lighten or darken, depending whether it is black or white dust).

[rianhall]

Thanks for the comments. I actually got really lucky with the dust and scratches as this one had VERY little.

Please forgive this next question, but I thought an overly dark shadow was a sign of over saturation and not too much contrast. I always imagined pictures with too much contrast as being flat and lifeless whereas over saturated pictures were dark and "spooky." Am I right?

[René Damkot]

As I see it: High contrast = black and white, low contrast = lots of graytones. I'd say flat = low contrast.
When you adjust contrast, for instance using curves, the image does look more saturated. (unless you do it only on the lightness channel in LAB, or use luminoscity blend in RGB)

[rianhall]

Ahhh. I see. I also used the adjustment curves to add a "S" curve as many people I know suggested it. Therefore, would you say I went too far and made it over saturated?

[PacAce]

Recently, I had 250+ pictures scanned from film negatives to TIFFS. Since then I have been trying to come up with a "minimum set of corrections" that should be performed on all of them. Unfortunately, I am not a professionally trainer photographer or Photoshop guru and I am not sure what is considered "best practices." Therefore, I am looking for advice or comments on the process I have been using so far. Specifically, I am interested in knowing if my approach is correct or if i am missing something.

Steps:
1. Verify my monitor is properly calibrated using Monaco Optix Colorimeter.
2. Open the image in Photoshop CS2 and apply the SRGB colorspace (that is what my images were scanned using)
3. Apply the Noise Ninja filter in Photoshop to try to remove some of the noise.
4. Remove any specks, dust, or scratches using the Spot Healing Tool.
5. Locate the Lightest and Darkest points in the image using a Threshold Layer.
6. Add a Curves layer and "apply" darkest point to the black eyedropper and the lightest point to the white eyedropper.
7. Change the Color Mode to LAB
8. Apply an Unsharp mask to the lightness layer.
9. Change the color mode back to RGB.

That is all.

Based on the steps above this is a before and after version of the same image.

Any comments or things I am missing in my process?
The problem with using the black and white eye dropper to set your black and white points is that they tend to make the darkest and lightest parts of an image totally black and totally white. But that may not recessarily the case in real life. For example, a low-key scene may not necessarily have anything that is bright white in the scene. Likewise, a high-key scene may not have anything that is pitch black in the scene. But using the black and white eye droppers will force the darkest and the lights areas in these scenes to become black and white.

Using the black and white points is akin to using the default Auto mode of the Levels or Curves adjustment tool. The better option is to use the black and white point sliders and adjust them manually yourself for a more natural look.