Scanning Q

[Niloc]

Hey all, got a quick Q

 

I no longer have the use of a digital camera :-(

 

So I've been placing my minis directly on top of my flat bed scanner ... been fooling around with different resolutions (from 300 - 1200dpi), I was thinking about trying my max setting (9600dpi) ... here's my question:

 

Do I really need to go to 9600dpi just to get a good picture, or is there a faster way to set this up?

 

I'm half desitating in posting this, just seems like I'm spinning my wheels here.

 

Any thoughts on this would be great .... later.

[Darkstar]

When I first started using CMON I didn't have a digicam at the time so I scanned mine.

 

I've been a professional Desktop Publisher for the last 10 years so scanning was something I have a good grasp of.

 

Here are the steps I used to get good scans.

 

1. Clean glass of scanner. Absolutely clean. Windex then dry rag for dust. No paper towels as it leaves particulate matter on the glass.

 

2. Use scanner setting software to adjust scanner brightness to Gamma 1.88

That's usually the default anyway, but sometimes it's a little lower and tends to scan dark. Check the instructions or the help guide for your particular model.

 

3. Scan at a native resolution of no higher than 600 Pixels Per Inch in a .tiff or .bmp format, do not scan in as a .jpg. There's no need to go higher than 600 dpi since most images that are hosted on the web need to come in at such small file sizes that you'll most likely end up at a 72 ppi image anyways.

 

4. Postediting...I hope you use Photoshop. I can't help you if you don't.

In Photoshop, take your scanned image, .bmp, .tiff whatever, then use Image-->Levels--->Auto Levels. That should take the filmy scanned appearance away from your scan. Then crop your image down to around a max image size of 600 pixels wide by 1000 high at 72 dpi. Remember, I said MAXIMUM. That's as big as anyone needs to go with minis. My typical format for a single shot is 300 pixels wide by 450 pixels high at 72 dpi.

 

5. Compression...take your image and save it in .jpg format at around ~150 kb and you should be G2G.

 

Hope that helps...there's a ton of info on the web, just google scanning minis...while your shopping for a new camera that is! The scanner is good in a pinch though.

[Niloc]

Thanks man ...... that's helps a bunch. I'll post something in the Show Off soon.

 

Later

[Qwyksilver]

Hmmm, my camera fu is lacking, mostly because my camera is lacking (that's my story and I am sticking to it). Maybe I will try the scanner approach.

[pae]

Zaphod posted a great article on scanning miniatures on CMoN a while back.

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/68

[Spike]

One of the tricks I used to use when I was scanning my minis was to temporarily fasten the base to anchor the figure in a somewhat perpendicular position in relation to the scanner-glass. (poster-gum works really well) This way the mini not only looks a bit more natural, but it saves scratches on your scanner-glass and dings in your mini. I also liked using a thin material behind my mini. I'd recommend a dark lightweight cloth of some kind that is as lint-free as possible.

 

There's not much I can think of to help with the shallow focus-field of a scanner when it comes to "deep" minis. Some detail will inevitably be blurred no matter how well you place the mini or what resolution you use.