ScanMy.Family Wiki

48-bit_color

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

48-Bit Color Definition 24-bit color is 8 bits per red, green, and blue channel. Since there are 3 color channels, we multiply 8 bits per channel by 3 color channels to get 24-bit color. “24-bit color,” “8 bits per channel”, and “8/24-bit color

archiving_digital_photos

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Archiving Digital Photos Step 1: Gathering Files For each image, try to obtain the file with the most resolution and color and least generation loss (which is like a photocopy of a photocopy): 1. A RAW file such as .cr2 or .nef directly from the camera is best. 2. A JPEG directly from the camera or created from the original RAW file is second best.

backups

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Backups and Digital Storage The 3-2-1 backup strategy says you should have three (3) copies of each file, two (2) of which are onsite but on different storage mediums or hard drives, and (1) copy stored offsite in case of malware, theft, or disaster. Your first copy (#1) should be on a

cleaning_scanner_glass

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Cleaning Scanner Glass Clean the glass of the scanner using a residue-free cleaner like Invisible Glass, and wadded up newspaper instead of paper towels. This is the method that automobile detailers use to make glass windows almost invisible.

comparison_of_scanner_types

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Comparison of Scanner Types Comparison Matrix Type Scanner Cost Image Quality Workflow Speed Handling of Fragile Prints Prints Slides/ Negatives Printer Flatbed Low Medium - Slow Ok Dedicated Flatbed w/ VueScan (RAW) Low

documenting_images

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Documenting Images Document the contents of the photo in a .txt file ([here] is a template). For each photo, include the following information: Field Description File The filename from above. Hash The cryptographic hash of the file such as sha1:6620fae809b7fecb6dc18335065199d4a479cd88

file_naming

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

File Naming Quick Example Name the scan file like this: 2018-07-04_Fireworks-1_4x6print_48bpp_1200dpi_raw.tif Date Description Media Bits Per Pixel Dots Per Inch “Raw” Extension 2018-07-04 Fireworks-1 4x6print 48bpp

flatbed_scanners

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Flatbed Scanners Main Requirements For photo prints, choose a flatbed scanner, preferably with the following features: * At least 1200 dpi (dots per inch) optical resolution. Even cheap scanners support 1200 dpi. * At least 48-bits per pixel external color bit depth. Cheap scanners do not support 48 bits

generation_loss

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Generation Loss When a JPEG is reprocessed, it's like making a photocopy of a photocopy: it degrades slightly. See the Wikipedia article here for more information and examples.

motion_picture_film_scanning

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Motion Picture Film Scanning Basic Information 8mm film has a frame size of 4.5mm by 3.3mm. Super8 film has a frame size of 5.79mm by 4.01mm. However, sometimes both record more image beyond the frame into the sprocket area (click to view the full image):

optimal_scan_resolution

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-11-10T18:06:51+00:00

Optimal Scan Resolution The optimal scan resolution for a photo is one of the native resolutions of your scanner, with a minimum of 400 dpi and a maximum of 1200 dpi, chosen according to the size of the photo to achieve a scanned size of about 5,669 by 3,780 pixels for normal 35mm prints.

photo_scanning_services

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:09+00:00

Photo Scanning Services For photographic prints, choose a service that: * Uses flatbed scanners, not sheetfed scanners that can scratch and tear photographs. * Scans at no less than 600 dpi, and preferably will scan up to 1,200 dpi. * Scans in

photo_storage

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Photo Storage Care must be taken to prevent deterioration of old photographs. The enemies of photographs are sunlight, heat, moisture, and chemicals. Sunlight Ultraviolet light from the sun fades photographs and makes them difficult to impossible to restore back to their original condition. If you want to store photographs where they might see the sun, make a copy and store the original away from the sun.

raw

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Raw Files Scans A “raw” scan is the data just as it came from the scanner. It is important to archive the raw data so that it can be reprocessed later by more advanced software or a more experienced curator, without any earlier “fixes” getting in the way.

rehumidifying_curled_photographs

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Rehumidifying Curled Photographs If the photograph is severely curled, carefully rehumidify and flatten it. Do not attempt to flatten a severely curled photograph without rehumidifying it first. It may create folds in the photograph or cause the emulsion layer to crack and require digital restoration.

scanner_native_resolution

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Scanner Native Resolution A flatbed scanner natively supports a single optical resolution plus a number of resolutions that are a whole-number ratio (a.k.a. “even divisor” or “submultiple”) of the optical resolution. For example: Scanner Optical Resolution

slide_negative_scanning_services

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Slide/Negative Scanning Services ScanCafe uses a Nikon Super CoolScan slide/negative scanner for slides and negatives. Choose the following options: * Pro Library to give you the raw TIFF scan and a processed JPG scan. * Pro Resolution to give you 4,000 dpi.

software

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Software Things to look for in scanning software: * Supports scanning directly to raw files as either TIFF or .DNG format. * Supports 48-bit color VueScan Professional and Silverfast support these features. ScanSpeeder is tempting because it supports scanning multiple photos at once (as does VueScan with "Multicrop" turned on and Silverfast Batch Scanning), but it does not support 24-bit color and therefore is not recommended for archival scans.

source_media

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Source Media For the highest possible scan quality, obtain the best, most original copy of the image you can find: 1. A negative or slide is best because it is the original, has the best possible image quality, and is not cropped like a print. Send these out to a

start

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

How to Scan Old Family Photos for Archiving This article will explain how to do archival quality scans of old family photos. It is my hope that this guide will be simple enough for your grandmother to follow so that she can preserve her photos with little outside help. It will not explain image processing, digital restoration, or Photoshop. These can all be done later. The goal is to get photographs preserved as soon as possible before they deteriorate or are lost.

strategies_to_eliminate_banding

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Strategies to Eliminate Banding If you notice banding in the image running in the same direction as the sensor moves down the scan bed, the first step is to make sure the photograph lays flat on the glass, especially if you're using a CIS type flatbed scanner. If the photograph is severely curled, you may need to carefully

texture

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

Texture Texture causes glare and shadows from the light in the scanner, reducing scan quality. Scanning with a CIS scanner If you are using a CIS scanner, lightly textured prints should be scanned twice, once upside up (0 degrees) and then again upside down (180 degrees), then the two scans can be combined in Photoshop using File > scripts > statistics >

tiff

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:10+00:00

TIFF Theory TIFF is a non-lossy image file format, meaning that it contains all of the information from the scanner. JPG on the other hand discards some information that's difficult (but not impossible) to see, in exchange for smaller file sizes. We want the best possible quality for archival, so this makes TIFF a better archival format than JPG.

videotape_to_digital_transfers

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-28T01:27:13+00:00

Videotape to Digital Transfers Background NTSC standard VHS has a discrete vertical resolution of exactly 486 pixels, a continuous horizontal luma resolution of about 333 pixels (for VHS HQ; non-HQ is 320 pixels across) and a continuous horizontal chroma resolution of about 40 pixels. Nyquest says we must sample at double horizontal resolution, bringing us to 666×486 for luma and 80×486 for chroma.

vuescan_professional

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-08-27T22:11:11+00:00

VueScan Professional VueScan is a cross-platform scanning program. The Professional version (about $100) adds slide/film scanning, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and advanced features such as the ability to save raw scan files. This last point is important because we want to archive the data exactly as it comes out of the scanner, before applying any software changes, so that we can reprocess the image later using the original data.