The “BASIC”, ”PRINT” and “SCAN” Convert color models are intended to give you a consistent conversion starting point and workflow that is accurate to what you would get with a straight darkroom print (only manually adjusting density and color balance). They offer several different suggested starting points for both traditional white light capture and for light sources that are balanced specifically for color negatives, such as our CineStill CS-LITE in the "Cool Neg" mode.
They have been designed to offer an initial conversion that can truly be considered “straight scans” because they are calibrated to the C-41 and RA-4 processes. This took years of side-by-side testing and human analysis on many different negatives, so the only thing you should have to adjust in post is the “Exposure” and “White Balance”. Other than film and processing, the only thing that should impact the colors of your camera scans is the light source.
You can then make manual adjustments in the Adobe software of your choice or customize the conversion color model selected, using the many -+ Tools also included – from saturation and contrast curve to correcting color casts introduced from your light source, exposure, push processing or expired film. The customized color models can be saved as custom user presets or lifted and applied to other images in a non-destructive workflow allowing your images to be adjusted further without needing to reconvert or analyze the image.
These conversion tools handle overexposed and underexposed images well too, offering valuable feedback for those learning how under and overexposure affects the look of the film but still offers solutions for muddy shadows or color casts.