In regards to scanning

[Rich T]

All, I was looking with interest at the scanning article in the Nihonto section. It is something I have experimented with for a long time but have just been too lazy I am afraid to sit down and write anything on it.

 

Having read that recent post, and my putting up two scans recently of the same tsuba with fairly different results, I thought I might show how the equipment can effect the results of your scanning as well as the software we chose to use. There are many techniques involved in position etc of items but don't forget the hardware/software as well.

 

Scanners come in many guises, and I have seen them range from $50 to the $1850 model we have at our home office. The first image below was made with default settings on the scanner ( Epson 440 I think ) we have at work. The second scan was done with a Microtek Scanmaker 4 and then the last was taken this morning with my Nikon D70. All images are unaffected by digital imagery software and fresh off the press as it were.

 

Also worth mentioning is a big caution. Scanner beds are glass, and for the most part, nihonto and fittings are iron and they are not a good mix. Tsuba and swords scratch scanner glass with out much effort, do a day of scanning without taking constant care and you WILL find yourself painting scratched out of your art.

 

And with swords, have plenty of towels and cloth about. If your sword is in fresh polish, then it will not take a lot to scuff or scratch it, especially if you have been working on your scans for an hour or two and are getting a bit tired.

 

Another tip, and I am not sure if I read this in the other document, is that things scanned I feel generally look better over black than white. Richard George put up an excellent article on this on Tosogu.com if you are interested. The best way to scan over black is to leave the lid up and turn the room lights out.

 

In regards to software, Photoshop is probably the best way to go but I feel it may be overkill for many people, it has a lot of functionality but cost's a bit so you have to justify it's overall value for you. Programs like XnView are free and easily found via Google and do a very good job for no cost.

 

So, these are just 3 samples from different sources. I just thought I would point the differences out as the cost of the hardware does make a difference. If you are using a $50 scanner, expect $50 results. Of course you may get lucky but generally, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

 

Cheers

 

Richard

 

Epson 440 scanner (app AU$400)

 

Microtek Scanner (app AU$1600)

 

Nikon D70 Digital SLR

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[Brian]

Rich,

 

Wow...great article and excellent practial example. The results are staggering. The difference in scanners here could easily mean a few $100 difference in a sale. It also shows how a digital photo would often need quite a bit of tweaking before it can be posted, unless you are 100% familiar with your camera and its settings.

That second scan really does the tsuba justice..beautiful patina.

I hadn't considered how different scanners would give different results. I know the software than comes with them usually needs quite a bit of tweaking to optimise for swords and tsuba. You also need to consider if your subject is reflective or not. Very seldom are the default settings perfect for every subject. And those of you like me with some colour blindness have additional disadvantages, and often need outside help when calibrating colours.

I'm still a Photoshop fan, but as Rich pointed out, there are many cheaper or free substitutes. Paintshop Pro is prefered by my girlfriend, and has some great features, and costs much less than someother programs. Older versions of Photoshop can be found much cheaper than the latest version, and are usually quite capable.

 

Brian

[Nobody]

Some of you are experts in image handring and may be familiar with CMS (color management system). Although I only know the elements of that, I think that you had better adjust the colors of your scanners through calibration before tweaking the image.

 

I have adjusted the colors of my monitor, printer, and scanner with a CMS tool. I used "Monaco EZ color 2" and "Monaco OPTIX", and it was not so expensive as a CMS tool. (Monaco was acquired by some company lately.)