Making 35mm Slides with MacRascol

Making 35mm Slides with MacRascol

Jo Wozniak

Former ITG Staff Member

A short introduction on how to make 35mm slides from digital images using MacRascol and the Lasergraphics Film Recorder. (LFR).

Prerequisites

You will need the following things before you can make slides:

35mm film. Ektachrome 100 ASA film is recommended for making color slides. Kodak technical pan (ESTAR-AH Base) film is recommended for B&W prints (available in film stores, not drug stores). We do not recommend use of Polarchrome film or any film that is not 100 ASA. Usually you will find Kodak Elite II most easily and this film is acceptable for LFR output.
A set of images in one of the following formats: Pict I, Pict II, scrapbook, targa, photoshop (PSD), BLL, LL (lasergraphics language), TIFF, HPGL.
Sufficient time on the LFR mac to create all of your slides. Higher resolution images can take about two minutes per image to render to film.
It is a good idea to not run any other application while MacRascol is running as it uses most of the computer's resources.

Directions

When creating 35mm slides from digital images using the LFR, you can use one of three methods to shoot the slides. You can choose the lfr as the printer from the application you are using as long as the application supports the PICT format, build a queue using MacRascol Queue Builder, or go through MacRascol Quick Print.

First turn on the LFR, as it needs about fifteen minutes to warm up. Once the green light has stopped blinking, it should be ready. Load film as you would in a normal camera. The LFR will automatically advance the film to the correct location. If you leave the room while your slides are rendering, place the "In Use" sign on the keyboard so people know not to disturb your slide-making. And be sure to turn off the LFR when you are finished, as leaving it on for extended periods of time may cause damage.

Printing to the LFR from an application

Go to the Chooser from the Apple pull-down menu. The printer driver needs to be selected to send the files to the LFR.
Select the SCSI LFR in the top left window and the LFR selection should come up on the right. It may take several seconds for the LFR to show up. After the selection is made you can close the chooser.
Open the application from which you want to shoot the slides. Remember, the application has to support PICT files. (Photoshop and Powerpoint are the most common).
NOTE: The LFR can process layered Photoshop files (PSD).
Go to the File->Page Setup option to make sure all settings are correct. In PowerPoint, make sure the box for 'Black and White' is unchecked, otherwise all the slides will be shot in B/W.
The other settings should be fine if left default but you can always change these settings when a different setting is desired.
The Camera Options setting is used to access the film type, resolution and antialiasing. If speed is the goal, select None for antialiasing and Fast (2k) for the resolution. Make sure the correct film type is selected.
To choose a different film type, left click and hold on the Film Type option

Color balance, Rastor scaling and Pen colors should usually be left at the default settings unless the images look wrong and need to be adjusted. Rastor scaling only affects TIFF, targa and Photoshop files. Pen colors affect only HPGL image files. The Color Balance window lets you change the Red, Green or Blue values of your images as well as adjust the brightness.

After going through all the options and selecting the desirable settings, go to File->Print to send the file to the LFR. If you want to create an image queue instead, click on the Destination option box and select another option: New image queue to create a new queue; or Other image queue to select an existing queue.

Using MacRascol QuickPrint

As above, select the SCSI LFR in the Chooser window.
Double click on MacRascol Quick Print to open up the application. Under File->Page Setup, make sure all the settings are correct (see above section for more details)
Choose antialiasing option desired, or None to speed up processing.
For suggestions on other options, see the section above, Printing to the LFR from an application.
To choose the files to print go to File->Print Files. This will bring up the selection box.

Select the files to be processed, hitting the Add or Add all buttons after each selection. The Film Type option at the bottom can be changed to show only certain file types. When all selections are made, press the Print button. This will start processing the files to the LFR.
For one step printing, you can select a file from the desktop and drag it on top of the MacRascol Quick Print icon and the image will be printed automatically using the options most recently set in the MacRascol Quick Print Page Setup window.

Setting up a queue with MacRascol Queue Builder

With MacRascol Queue Builder you can create a different queue for every presentation or use the same queue over and over again.
As above, select the SCSI LFR in the Chooser window.
Open MacRascol Queue Builder from the QuickFind folder.
If you have already created an image queue to process go to File->Open Image Queue. Otherwise, you can create a new queue in the Queue Builder.
When you open up the application a Print Queue window will pop up. If one does not, go to File->New Queue. This is to create a new queue. (To see what is currently being processed on the LFR you can go to File->Open Print Queue. As the slides are processed, they are deleted from this window.)
The queue window shows several attributes. To display more or different ones, go to the Attributes pull down menu and select the attributes you want selected.
To add images to the queue either go through the File menu or hit the Add Image or Add Many... buttons in the Print Queue window. A box pops up to let you select the images you want to place in the queue. Select the images to process. When all images are selected hit Done if using the Add Many option.
To change any of the attributes for the images, go to the attribute to change in the Print Queue window and with the left mouse button click and hold on the attribute. An option window will pop up which will give you other options for that attribute. Use this to change resolution, film type, etc.
To crop an image, highlight the image to crop and hit the Crop image button at the top of the Print Queue window. The image appears in a new window surrounded by a selection rectangle. Move this rectangle to surround only the part of the image you want to keep.
For suggestions on other options, see the section above, Printing to the LFR from an application
Once the images you want to process are in the queue either hit the Process button in the Print Queue window or under the File Menu

Don't forget to turn off the LFR when you are done.

Imaging Technology Group
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
405 N. Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801

Date Issued: 11 May 2000

Imaging Technology Group ITG Home Page Microscopy Suite User Information Calendars Equipment Software Techniques Policies Fees Helpful Links Contacts Visualization Laboratory About User Information Calendars Equipment Software Policies Fees Contacts Technology Development Bugscope Chickscope Remote Microscopy Virtual Microscopy 3D Reconstruction Visualization Web Atlas Publications Technical Reports News Forums Papers Exhibits Image of the Week Gallery Magazine Covers Movies ITG Developed Software ITG in the Media ITG People Search Advanced Search Search Help	Making 35mm Slides with MacRascol Jo Wozniak Former ITG Staff Member A short introduction on how to make 35mm slides from digital images using MacRascol and the Lasergraphics Film Recorder. (LFR). Prerequisites You will need the following things before you can make slides: 35mm film. Ektachrome 100 ASA film is recommended for making color slides. Kodak technical pan (ESTAR-AH Base) film is recommended for B&W prints (available in film stores, not drug stores). We do not recommend use of Polarchrome film or any film that is not 100 ASA. Usually you will find Kodak Elite II most easily and this film is acceptable for LFR output. A set of images in one of the following formats: Pict I, Pict II, scrapbook, targa, photoshop (PSD), BLL, LL (lasergraphics language), TIFF, HPGL. Sufficient time on the LFR mac to create all of your slides. Higher resolution images can take about two minutes per image to render to film. It is a good idea to not run any other application while MacRascol is running as it uses most of the computer's resources. Directions When creating 35mm slides from digital images using the LFR, you can use one of three methods to shoot the slides. You can choose the lfr as the printer from the application you are using as long as the application supports the PICT format, build a queue using MacRascol Queue Builder, or go through MacRascol Quick Print. First turn on the LFR, as it needs about fifteen minutes to warm up. Once the green light has stopped blinking, it should be ready. Load film as you would in a normal camera. The LFR will automatically advance the film to the correct location. If you leave the room while your slides are rendering, place the "In Use" sign on the keyboard so people know not to disturb your slide-making. And be sure to turn off the LFR when you are finished, as leaving it on for extended periods of time may cause damage. Printing to the LFR from an application Go to the Chooser from the Apple pull-down menu. The printer driver needs to be selected to send the files to the LFR. Select the SCSI LFR in the top left window and the LFR selection should come up on the right. It may take several seconds for the LFR to show up. After the selection is made you can close the chooser. Open the application from which you want to shoot the slides. Remember, the application has to support PICT files. (Photoshop and Powerpoint are the most common). NOTE: The LFR can process layered Photoshop files (PSD). Go to the File->Page Setup option to make sure all settings are correct. In PowerPoint, make sure the box for 'Black and White' is unchecked, otherwise all the slides will be shot in B/W. The other settings should be fine if left default but you can always change these settings when a different setting is desired. The Camera Options setting is used to access the film type, resolution and antialiasing. If speed is the goal, select None for antialiasing and Fast (2k) for the resolution. Make sure the correct film type is selected. To choose a different film type, left click and hold on the Film Type option Color balance, Rastor scaling and Pen colors should usually be left at the default settings unless the images look wrong and need to be adjusted. Rastor scaling only affects TIFF, targa and Photoshop files. Pen colors affect only HPGL image files. The Color Balance window lets you change the Red, Green or Blue values of your images as well as adjust the brightness. After going through all the options and selecting the desirable settings, go to File->Print to send the file to the LFR. If you want to create an image queue instead, click on the Destination option box and select another option: New image queue to create a new queue; or Other image queue to select an existing queue. Using MacRascol QuickPrint As above, select the SCSI LFR in the Chooser window. Double click on MacRascol Quick Print to open up the application. Under File->Page Setup, make sure all the settings are correct (see above section for more details) Choose antialiasing option desired, or None to speed up processing. For suggestions on other options, see the section above, Printing to the LFR from an application. To choose the files to print go to File->Print Files. This will bring up the selection box. Select the files to be processed, hitting the Add or Add all buttons after each selection. The Film Type option at the bottom can be changed to show only certain file types. When all selections are made, press the Print button. This will start processing the files to the LFR. For one step printing, you can select a file from the desktop and drag it on top of the MacRascol Quick Print icon and the image will be printed automatically using the options most recently set in the MacRascol Quick Print Page Setup window. Setting up a queue with MacRascol Queue Builder With MacRascol Queue Builder you can create a different queue for every presentation or use the same queue over and over again. As above, select the SCSI LFR in the Chooser window. Open MacRascol Queue Builder from the `QuickFind` folder. If you have already created an image queue to process go to File->Open Image Queue. Otherwise, you can create a new queue in the Queue Builder. When you open up the application a Print Queue window will pop up. If one does not, go to File->New Queue. This is to create a new queue. (To see what is currently being processed on the LFR you can go to File->Open Print Queue. As the slides are processed, they are deleted from this window.) The queue window shows several attributes. To display more or different ones, go to the Attributes pull down menu and select the attributes you want selected. To add images to the queue either go through the File menu or hit the Add Image or Add Many... buttons in the Print Queue window. A box pops up to let you select the images you want to place in the queue. Select the images to process. When all images are selected hit Done if using the Add Many option. To change any of the attributes for the images, go to the attribute to change in the Print Queue window and with the left mouse button click and hold on the attribute. An option window will pop up which will give you other options for that attribute. Use this to change resolution, film type, etc. To crop an image, highlight the image to crop and hit the Crop image button at the top of the Print Queue window. The image appears in a new window surrounded by a selection rectangle. Move this rectangle to surround only the part of the image you want to keep. For suggestions on other options, see the section above, Printing to the LFR from an application Once the images you want to process are in the queue either hit the Process button in the Print Queue window or under the File Menu Don't forget to turn off the LFR when you are done. Imaging Technology Group Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 405 N. Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801 Date Issued: 11 May 2000 Copyright © 1996, Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, All Rights Reserved.
The ITG is part of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois.
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