An ordinary flatbed "photo" scanner proves extraordinary for macro-like close-up images of live botanical specimens. Insects, dried specimens, fruit, vegetables and other objects (shells, minerals, pebbles) which aren't reflective are all appropriate studies. You can also scan body parts such as hands and face- just don't press hard against the platen. Paints, ketchup, rain, snow and ice can also be scanned, but cover your scanner with a piece of framing glass so they don't leak into the mechanicals. Saran wrap doesn't work as well.
Remove the scanner lid for a black background.
You can use a paper or fabric background, or even a lightbox to illuminate to experiment with various textured and colored backgrounds.
Scan at 300dpi resolution for a printable image at life size. Increase the dpi accordingly for larger-than-life enlargements. Alternatively, software such as Genuine Fractals can be applied to a 300dpi image to increase the print dimensions.
(For web use- use Photoshop to decrease the dpi to 72 or 96 dpi on a DUPLICATE of the image.)
The source image is usually "spotted" for irregularities and dust motes and the contrast adjusted using Photoshop or an image editor.
Sharpening may improve the contrast and DOF (depth of field), BUT it also magnifies pesky dust motes.
(I prefer to apply NO sharpening to the source image, then apply "hi-pass" sharpening in PS as needed to a copy of the source image. Generally, sharpening helps when the output is printed on matte paper.)
SAVE the source image, unretouched as a .TIF or .PSD file ONLY. (NO JPeGS!)
Only modify a DUPE of the original.
Web images for blogs and web pages and e-mailing must be reduced to "fit" a browser window.
First, REDUCE the PIXEL dimensions to the desired size, for example, a good size might be 600px x 400px (1200px is probably the maxium width a browser image should be and that's huge!)
In PS employ Image Ready by clicking on the "Save For Web" rather than just "Save As". This will automatically optimize an already reduced dimension picture.
Scanned images for PRINTING are waaaaaay too huge to be viewed in a web browser unless they are reduced considerably from 40mb to 40KB.
Note: Reduced images cannot be re-scaled UP again and they don't contain enough pixels to make a print image in most cases.
If you are terrified that someone is going to steal your image to use commercially without your permission put an obnoxious watermark in it and present it no larger than 400px. Copyright your images on a regular basis.
To view more images like this one visit my web gallery at: view link
CALL FOR SCANOGRAPHERS!!!!!
If YOU are an obsessed fine art scanner, or know of anyone else who uses a scanner as camera, please contact me as I am compiling a complete listing of artists working in this medium. So far, "The List" has nearly 100 names on it. For a copy of this list, send me an e-mail requesting it.
