"Sylvia S. Edwards" wrote:

> I picked up this tip from Conch-L, not long ago.  When the shell is too
> thick to close the scanner cover, leave the cover open and cover the shells
> and the total scanner surface with an old black T-shirt.
>
> If the shell is dark in color, then use a light-colored shirt.
>
> One of the biggest secrets is having a good scanner.  You can't get a good
> scan with a $100 scanner.  My personal preference of the current scanners on
> the market is the HP 5200C.  It will scan up to 1200 dpi, which I discovered
> is more than my 96MB of Dram can handle.  I scan my shells at 150 dpi and
> get excellent results.
>
> Another note: scanners' output is in Bitmap format.  These are very large
> files.  A good scan of a shell at 150 dpi can be over 6MB.  In order to
> share it on the internet, you have to convert it to JPEG or GIF, and you
> lose a lot of quality.
>
> A box is a good idea.  A shoebox is about right for most larger shells.  You
> can line the box if you wish.
>
> One problem is getting the shell to hold still in the position you want to
> scan.  I've tried various tools.  To get a clean scan, I have found reaching
> under the black T-shirt and rotating the shell to the desired place, then
> letting the shirt hold it in place works.  I used an adjustable wrench
> today, but it doesn't make a pretty picture.
>
> Scanners have an advantage over cameras.  There is no restriction on how
> close you can get without losing focus.  I have scanned photos of small
> shells that are 90% background.  You can scan the photo and crop it, resize
> it, and have it as close-up as you want.  I've maintained a screen saver of
> my own shells for several years now.
>
> A good photo enhancer program is another necessity.  I use several.  It
> depends on what image I am working on.  At a symposium at COA Convention
> 1999 on using a digital camera recommended Adobe's latest program.  But I
> have some others I prefer. You need a program to balance color, contrast,
> and brightness.  I have discovered a MS program associated with Word that
> has an automatic balancer and it saves a lot of time.
>
> Since I have plenty disk space, I leave my scan in Bitmap format for my
> screen saver, but I reduce the size.  A higher resolution will result in a
> very large image.  So you have to resize the image to get it to fit on the
> screen.
>
> I can give you more info on printing and other hints, since I do a lot of
> graphics, if you want to ask me questions directly at [log in to unmask]
>
> Sylvia S. Edwards
> Huntsville, Alabama
> [log in to unmask]
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Thomas E. Eichhorst <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 1999 9:41 PM
> Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] Scanning specimens directly
>
> > > Re backgrounds: how about building a large black velvet lined
> > > box to fit over your scanner when scanning shells.
> > >
> > > Regards, Peter
> >
> > I am sure the black velvet would work and you probably do not have to
> build
> > anything, just drape it over the shell.
> >
> > Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA
> >

--
Marlo
Merritt Island, Florida
[log in to unmask]