The Dynamic Range of all scanners becomes significantly enhanced using SilverFast’s Multi-Sampling with Auto-Alignment feature!

SilverFast is the award-winning high-end scan software from LaserSoft Imaging from Kiel, Germany, the place where scanners have been invented. SilverFast has become famous through its world-wide bundles with scanner manufacturers such as Epson, Umax, Microtek and others.
Now a new invention from LaserSoft Imaging called Multi-Sampling with Auto-Alignment enhances a quality limiting factor in scanners: Noise from CCD-Elements.

SilverFast Ai STUDIO and SilverFast SE Plus supply the most dramatic boost in quality to scanners with SilverFast’s patent pending Multi-Sampling with Auto-Alignment.
What differentiates a very expensive high-end scanner, such as drum- or Linotype-Hell or Scitex Flatbed scanner, is the low noise of these scanners due to cooling of CCD and other constructive methods. When a scanner has very low CCD-noise so much more Unsharp Masking can be applied. That is the main reason that high-end scanners deliver very sharp and brilliant scans.

With multiple sampling turned on, SilverFast will perform either 4, 8, or even 16 scans during scan time. You can specify the count, usually the more the better. After performing the scans, the single images are averaged together into one image. Since noise is random, a special averaging procedure will cancel only the noise but leave the image details untouched. There is a problem associated with this process: Every scan might not exactly be in the same position with reference to each other, so normal averaging would blur the resultant Multisampling scan. That is why LaserSoft Imaging had to develop an intelligent auto-alignment, so no blurring effect can occur.

More info on the mechanics of Multi-Sampling can be found here: http://www.silverfast.com/show/silverfast-multisampling/en.html

Dynamic Range Increase with SilverFast Multi-Sampling

We have measured the Dynamic Range increase according to the new upcoming ISO standard ISO 21550 and as you can see in the diagram below, SilverFast’s Multi-Sampling yields dramatic improvement for scanner Dynamic Range. It is interesting to see that even for scanners that already have Multi-Sampling built into their hardware such as the Nikon LS5000, there is a significant increase in Dynamic Range from 2.9 to 3.4. That exemplifies the unique quality of SilverFast’s Multi-Sampling process.

Benefits of SilverFast’s Noise Reduction and Dynamic Range Increase Clearer Shadows More Shadow Details Less Image Artefacts Much Sharper and Crispier scans as much more Unsharp Masking can be applied Better Quality even with enlargements beyond optical scanner resolution will produce better quality