The Scanning Process
These are the processing steps that occur in scanning film in a CCD film scanner such as the Nikon LS-2000. The scanner operator can affect results by specifying the LED brightness, the bits/channel, and the tone curve.
| Control | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| LED Brightness | More light images more shadow detail. Continuous value space | Globally affects tonal values. Can aggravate CCD flare. Preview image may have to be regenerated for each new setting |
| Bits/channel | Enables greater precision through smaller intervals. 12 bits enables 16x precision | Increase from 8 bits doubles file size. Image application (e.g. Photoshop) functionality may be restricted |
| Tone curve | Greatest flexibility. Can globally or locally shape tonal curves. | Works in more restricted digital domain. Note however that with NikonScan 3 curves are applied prior to downsampling, enabling the user to obtain an 8-bit file with a full range of intensities |