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Working
with Scanned Images
Working
with Scanned Images
Useful tips and guidelines for scanning images.
Our previous article on Scanners acquainted you with the basic terminology
used in order to assist with your scanner purchase.
If the bundled software programs that came with your scanner are
not sufficient for the projects you have in mind then simply shop
around for the programs that will do the job for you. An excellent
software program to manage your images is Paint Shop Pro 7 that
is useful for both the home hobbyist or for the photo enthusiast.
It retails for about $100.
Installing the program of your choice onto your system doesn't necessarily
guarantee its placement in the "send to" options of your
scanner's tool menu. In such an instance, send your scanned project
to one of the scanner's listed options and save your project to
My Documents to be opened up by the software program you do wish
to use.
A scanner magnifies any glitches that the original project may have,
so be sure to start out with as good a quality image as possible
to scan. Locate and try the sharpen tool option to improve the images'
appearance. You will know if you've sharpened your image too much
if smaller objects develop a halo.
Older Polaroid photos often scan with a yellowish tint that can
be corrected by locating an option to change the hue or tint of
the scan until the yellowish tint has been eliminated in your scanned
image.
Saving the scanned image in JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
is the optimal choice for photographs since JPEG will best retain
the original quality of your image.
JPEG is a method of compressing color graphics that sacrifices some
bits of data to achieve different rates of compression. Avoid setting
the JPEG compression options too high as that may cause color banding
(bands of different colors in a what should be a solid colored area),
pixel or color splotching, or color bleeding where reds or blues
bleed into the surrounding areas in an image. 35% compression is
usually pretty safe for most photos.
Lines through your scanned image may be a result of EMI (Electro
Magnetic Interference) and can be resolved by repositioning your
cabling to your scanner or by moving the scanner itself to another
location. Lines that are not due to EMI may be indicative of a hardware
problem within the scanner itself.
If your scanned images look like you're displaying a work of needlepoint
art on your monitor, your video card is probably set to 256 colors
or lower. At least a 24bit capable video card is necessary for adequately
viewing scanned images on your computer.
Corrupted scanned images or black scans may be signs of corrupted
scanner drivers. Contact your scanner's manufacturer for instructions,
or if that is not possible, try uninstalling your scanning software
followed by deleting the twain files from your Windows folder. (Start>Find>Files
or Folders>Named: type in twain.*>Look in: select C>Find
Now>highlight and right-click to select delete.)
Next, choose a resolution to save your finished image in..... 75dpi
(dots per inch) is adequate for emailed images or photos intended
to be inserted into a Word document. If your scanner software allows
you to specify the output in pixels, that is actually the most important
consideration for web use. You can also resample the image to a
smaller size afterwards with Paint Shop Pro or any good photo editor,
but specifying the correct pixel size in the original scanner output
should produce the best image quality.
Images that you wish to print on a photo-capable printer suitable
for framing should be saved with about 1200dpi. This should be ample
dpi for an 8x10 framable photo for display.
Is your system hanging while scanning? Scanning large images requires
ample system memory to function properly. For an informative how-to
install more memory into your computer system, see my article on
memory card installation.
Familiarizing yourself with your software's capabilities will reward
you with quality-scanned images for work or play.
Scanning in text is a whole new ballgame. You'll appreciate a good
quality OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software program to
assist you with such tasks. Be sure to check the OCR program you
select against its list of compatible scanners before you make your
final selection.
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