GammaScan!


GammaScan! 2.0, an advanced software package, provided NeXT users with the power of Optronics' prepress color scanners.

GammaScan! 2.0 provided access to the Optronics ColorGetter and ColorGetter Plus scanners for color graphics publishers and their prepress service suppliers. The software combined Optronics' high quality scanning capability with the speed of the NeXT computer.

The Optronics' ColorGetter Plus was used in high resolution applications including the creation of second generation photographic originals, reproduction of high quality fashion photography, and enlargement of small originals for poster production.

This high resolution scanner could handle color and black & white transmissive or reflective art in a range of sizes from 35mm to 10 x 14" in one pass at scan resolutions of 4064 lines per linear inch. The unit included three photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) which simultaneously capture RGB information from the original and provide precise color registration. The PMTs supported a broad dynamic range from 0.0 to 3.8D Max for brilliant highlights and deep shadows.

GammaScan! 2.0 provided infinite, continuous user-adjustable gamma curves and user-selectable filters. It allowed the user to preview color values on the computer screen and make global or local color corrections. The program also displayed histograms of the color information in the image.

GammaScan! 2.0 accessed the complete suite of enhancement controls available on the ColorGetter for exceptional detail and vibrant colors. The software provided on-screen densitometer reading in real time as well as zoom and rotational functions with variable sensitivity.

GammaScan! was both a scanner driver and a light image editing program. Its basic use was to scan images on the Optronics ColorGetter with the abilities to:

  • Choose different scan resolutions from 18 to 4064 dpi,
  • Gangscan multiple images at once,
  • Precisely control the Area to be scanned,
  • Color Correct the scan on the fly,
  • And eventually Seperate RGB to CMYK while you scan.

You could manipulate a scan by:
  • Using the Densitomiter to measure RGB in a pixel,
  • Using the Preview Panel to preview image changes,
  • Rotating the image to any arbitrary angle,
  • Zooming the image to an arbitrary size,
  • Directly manipulating the Gamma Curves of the image,
  • Using Tonal Compression on the image,
  • Changing groups of colors using Bandranging,
  • Filtering the image in a variety of ways.

Also, the last four items on the above list could be applied to either the entire image or to an image mask.

GammaScan!
c/o Chromagrafx Imaging Systems