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Computer graphic by K. BallashHOWTO: How to use a Scanner
Updated March  30,  2000

  The following steps address how to use a basic scanner with a Mac, but the procedure applies to Windows  equipment too. The main feature often offered in more expensive scanners is more advanced graphics software bundled with the hardware, such as Adobe Photoshop light. The following directions involve using the Mac shareware GraphicConverter to crop, resize, change resolution,  save images as TIFF or PSD, and change the graphics file format to GIF or JPEG for a presentation or web page.

 
1. Turn on the computer.

2. Turn on the scanner.

3. Open the Applications menu and locate Scan Wizard software.

4. Start Scanner Wizard software

5. Make sure the scanner has been detected by the computer. If not, turn the scanner off and back on again.

6. Place the photo, face down on the scanner

7. Select Preview to get a preliminary view of the photo

8. Crop the photo to better select the content. Remember that a photo on a web page should be small, generally less than 3 x 3 inches, and less then 40K. This means that you have to crop up close to the image.

9. Open Graphic Converter software (an image editor) to do more work on the photo. Save as TIFF or PSD first. Then change the format to JPEG,  JPG,  or  GIF as the final step if it  will be used on a web page. You can also crop the photo again and resize it, set the resolution to 72 pixels per inch, and try to keep it under 40K.

There is a good article on scanning tips in the May 2000 issue of Macworld. Ben Long suggests the following tips:
 
1. When scanning a slide or negative, most scanners require that you place the emulsion side (less shiny side)  down.

2. If your scanning software includes an Acquire plug-in that lets you scan directly into an image-editing program such as Photoshop or GraphicConverter, use this feature since it saves you a step when you don't  have to move between two programs.

3. Set your scanner to scan in color, even if you are scanning a black-and-white image. Image editing software like Photoshop are usually better at converting images to B&W then your scanner software is.

4. One of the most important steps is to set the correct scanner resolution when configuring your scanner. If you set the resolution too high, the file is too  big and takes forever to print and display. If the resolution is too low, the images are blurry and can not be edited well. In general, make the scan at roughly 2 to 1.5 times the final resolution. For most ink-jet printers, for example, scanning at 200 dpi is as good as you will normally need. If you are going to enlarge an image, scan at 600 or 1200 dpi. At 600 dpi you can enlarge a 2 x 2 inch image to 6 x 6 inch at 200 dpi will no loss of data.

5. If you have a series of similar photos, once you tweak the color setting for one image, see if your scanning software lets you save the settings as a file. If not, write down the settings so you can quickly set up the remainder of your photos.

6. If any scanning artifact effects have crept in, you can remove them with one or two passes of your image editor's Despeckle filter.

7. Save functions like sharpening, focusing, and changing resolution until AFTER you have resized your image.

8. Save you images first as TIFF and PSD, and save the original scan. Don't convert to JPEG or GIF, because you lose resolution, until the final step.

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Computer graphic by K. Ballash. All other graphics downloaded from Anthony's Icon Library, WWW Images: http://www.cit.gu.edu.au/images/Images.html , December,  1998.