scanning photos

[Lou]

I have microtek 4850 scanmaker 4800 x 2400. When I scan an
8 X 10 photo which looks great, the scanned image adds
specks of white and when you zoom in you can see verticle
lines I assume all products of scan process. I can clean
up the scanned photos with photosuite 4.0 but this makes
faces a little out of focus (looses detail). Have tried
scanning at both 96 dpi and 300 dpi no difference, cleaned
glass as microtek recommended with alcohol. What I want to
do is make vcd's out of photographs but want to increase
quality before I spend days scanning all of these photos.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[John Inzer]

I get the best results if I clean the scanning
glass and dust off the picture (I use a lint free
dry cloth for both). It's surprising how much
dust can be right on the picture itself.

Next...do not use the automated tools in your
software to clean up an image. Do it manually...
one speck at a time using a clone brush or
a speck removal tool. Yes...it takes some time
but the final result is well worth it.

I find 300 DPI to be a good setting for scanning
old snapshots that I plan to print...but this only
controls the resolution (size) of the scan...not
the quality as far as blemishes are concerned.

Here's a good source for scanning info:
http://www.scantips.com/

As for the vertical lines... if they only show when
the image is enlarged considerably, it may not
be worth worrying about but if they show on your
screen at regular size this may be a mechanical
problem with the scanner.

Here's an article that may shed some light:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~willshak/scanner.html
--

John Inzer
Picture It! MVP
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