4 Websites Offering Basics Can Help Those Looking To Scan Photos

“You have to be sure of yourself and your equipment.” DANICA PATRICK Racing Star, Go Daddy Girl®

Cruising at the Daytona 500 Is Like Scanning Your Still Images (Well...Sorta!)
If you are going to jump into a supercharged racecar and zoom around a NASCAR sanctioned track at nearly 200 miles per hour, like Danica Patrick does, then you can understand why there's a need to be certain about both your abilities to drive and the equipment you're driving!

And, though scanning still images doesn't exactly move at the speed of a NASCAR buggy travelling around the Daytona Speedway, Danica's concept still applies. You must be sure about your abilities to be able to properly scan photos while understanding the important components of the techniques and equipment used to accomplishing the digitization feat.

Since all scanners have a number of components in common, taking the time to delve into the nature and meaning of scanning basics can go a long way to help add this level of confidence. We have found 4 websites offering the basics of scanning that have an abundance of useful information to help. Though some of these sites may be slightly dated, the information contained within them is fundamental and remains useful.

JISC Digital Media
JISC Digital Media exists to help the UK's Further and Higher Education community embrace and maximize the use of digital media - and to achieve solutions that are innovative, practical and cost effective. This website offers 3 distinct categories of information; Advice - Training - Blog.

Contained within the Advice section is a relatively comprehensive overview of details surrounding the scanning of still images/photographs. Contents include:

• Resolution
• Colour depth
• Dynamic range and dMax
• Noise and crosstalk
• Scanning speed
• Scan area
• Optional accessories
• Interfaces
• Scanner software
• Colour management systems
• Scanner types

A Few Scanning Tips
Originally published as a book, authored by Wayne Fulton, is now a website whose purpose is to offer some scanning tips and to explain the basics for photos and documents. It offers the fundamentals of digital images and describes some of the basics to help get the most out of a scanner.
Topics include:

• The First Fundamental Concept
• Video Resolution - How much to scan?
• Say No to 72 dpi - It's a false notion
• Images for television or for PowerPoint
• Printing Resolution - Scaling and Resampling
• Finding the Scaling and Resampling Menus
• Printer Resolution - How much to scan?
• Line art and Threshold - Copy and OCR, Printed Text
• Line art and Grayscale
• Descreen to remove Moiré Interference 
• Interpolated Resolution - 9600 dpi?
• Photo Resolution - How much can we scan?
• Image File Formats - Which format?
• Transparent Media Adapter - 35 mm slides?
• What about Film Scanners?
• Dynamic Range - 24 bit or 36 bits?
• A Simple Way to Get Better Scans
• Histogram
• UnSharp Mask sharpening
• Curve Tool
• Clone Tool
• Restoration of Genealogical Photos
• Correction of Faded Slides
• Scanning / Printing Calculator
• Links to Other scanning sites

Scanner Resource Center
The Scanner Resource Center offers itself as..."your one-stop source for any kind of information about scanners." Designed to offer insight about Document Scanners, those looking to scan photographs can still benefit from its integrated sections loaded with scanning information.

This site is offered by ITAZ, which develops and markets software solutions for information management. The Scanner Resource Center is divided into the following sections:

• News & Reviews
• Scanner 101
• Articles

Tips on Scanning
This website was created by Peter G. Aitken. It is especially designed with special reference to creating digital images of philatelic materials (postage stamps). Mr. Aitken has gathered some basic information to help you get started creating digital images and covers:

• Introduction
• Selecting a Scanner
• Scanner Software
• Choosing Scanner Settings
• Which File Format?
• Calibrating Your Scanner
• Your Scanner Bulb
• About Image Size and Resolution
• Scanning Watermarks
• Reading Difficult Postmarks
• Lifting Postmarks and Overprints
• Detecting Forgeries and Printing Varieties
• Scanning and Uploading Images for On-line Auctions
• What About Digital Cameras?

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Your photos and treasured documents are a vital link to the past. Digitizing them allows you to keep, protect, share & connect with them in new and exciting ways. Visit E-Z Photo Scan to learn more about the possibilities for achieving your digital preservation goals. E-Z Photo Scan is also part of the National Digital Stewardship Alliance and member of its Outreach Working Group.