Scanning Objects

[OhThatGirl2001]

Again I forget the attachment! Grrrr.

[CJ Swartz]

G. -- dare I ask where the rest of the spider is...?

I've seen some websites with scanned images (Thanks, Doug, for showing me that Cat Scan is still alive and well - hadn't seen it in a few years) but never motivated myself to experiment (Deb -- I like your thoughts about "not moving too far from the chair" )

You folks have tapped into the resources of another potentially useful tool -- it'll be fun to see what you come up with next.

[G. Couch]

CJ - The rest of the spider is still there! I was cleaning out a closet when I found the poor dead spider. I tried to scan a living one, but it proved to be impossible as it would not stop moving. This one had been dead for some time....everyone who hates bugs has run screaming from this thread!

Lisa - That's a nice photo. You need to go find a spider to model for your new camera! I have a close-up lens for my old Canon AE1, but never had much luck with it due to the very limited depth of field.

[jeaniesa]

Greg - that looks like some of the well-preserved spiders I find in my closets.
Jeanie

[DJ Dubovsky]

I tried scanning my spider but it didn't work too well. I ended up having to take his/her picture with an Epson PC 700 digital camera on macro about 4 inches away. Luckily it was a very cooperative subject.
DJ

[OhThatGirl2001]

Furry little critter!

Great picture.

Lisa
P.S. what do you feed the little guy?

[DJ Dubovsky]

What ever he want's, he's not my pet. Actually the only way I would get that close to something that big and hairy is if it were dead already. He's encased in a resin globe. That's why the scanner didn't work so well. Every light source reflects off it. I actually was surprised at the detail I was able to get. It's an older Epson digital and I used the built in flash. All I had to do was clone out one small flash point on the stones.
DJ

[jerry]

YO Greg

"Enough Spiders Already"

I have been giving your scanning technique some thought and tried it. I don't have a great scanner but it will scan up to 2400 dpi resolution. It is a canon canoscan 1240u. One of those scanners that is only 1" thick.

This is what I tried.

- I plucked a tail feather from my pet Bubba's tail (just kidding he gives them to me by the bunch)

- I put the feather under a printer paper box. Approx 3/4" tall.

- I cropped and scanned at 1200 resolution.

- The results are not terrible, but I noticed that if any part of the item is off the glass, it is out of focus. You don't seem to have that problem.

- I also tried a watch.. Same results.

Questions:

Do you clean up noise and artifacs. I seem to have a lot.

Is there a way to increase the depth of field??

Is there a better way to do this. Is the box the right size?

Here is a dumb one. How do you clean your scanner glass. I'm curious if there is a better way.

I am attaching my results, I reduced the resolution to 150 dpi.

Thanks for the help
Interesting thread

Jerry

[jeaniesa]

Jerry, I think your Canoscan uses CIS (Contact Image Sensor) technology, which does not give any depth of field when scanning. (Other scanners use CCD (Charged-Couple Device) technology - which does give some depth of field.) I don't think there is any way to increase the DOF for CIS-type scanners.

Jeanie

[jerry]

Thanks Jeaniesa

I figured it was something like that. CIS vs. CCD technology is not something that I would have investigated when I was scanner shopping. I'll just have to look at the impressive scans that Greg and the others can produce.

Jerry

[G. Couch]

Jerry - Jeanie hit the nail on the head. The only reason I know that is because I used to have the Canoscan 1240 before I got my current scanner! One of the reasons I got rid of it, was because of the small depth of field. I like to scan small paintings, monoprints, and etchings I have done over the years, and the textured paper some of these were made on was giving the scanner fits. On nearly every hi-res scan, I had to place a heavy book on top, just to hold the paper perfectly flat.

For cleaning, I just use an alcohol and distilled water solution. The real key is to buy some lint free cloths. Most people just use paper towels, but glass can build up a static charge and pull every little piece of lint and dust back down. I usually do a quick cleaning anytime I'm going to scan an object at high resolution or if I'm scanning transparencies.

Another tip is to take a flashlight and shine it at a angle to the glass. This will allow to see far more dust than just using regular room lighting.

This is a scan of a leaf I made last fall when I still had my 1240. You can tell in the zoomed in section just how small the depth of field is. For this scan I placed a white sheet of paper over the leaf and then placed a thick phone book on top.

[Doug Nelson]

For cleaning I used pre-packaged wipes made by Glass Plus (a Windex clone). Then, since the little scanner barely touches the full usability of one wipe, I also clean my monitor, and my tv, and my desk, and the window...

[jerry]

Greg and Doug

Thanks for the cleaning tips.. I am disappointed to hear about the 1240 but it does a really good job on the prints that I bought it to scan.. Maybe a new scanner in the future to do some of the more interesting scans.

Thanks
Jerry

[Ed_L]

Okay Greg - you got me! Here's my attempt of a scan of a 3D object on a cheap flatbed. This is right out of the scanner except for the red writing, which signifies approx. how far (by reading a ruler) that portion is above the scanner bed.

Ed

[Ed_L]

And the close-up.

Ed

[CJ Swartz]

My Epson 1200's version of a grinning cat - ceramic, of course.

I'll have to try measuring the depth of field like Ed has, but this guy shows "some" depth. (some = non-technical term for too lazy to measure)

[Ed_L]

Love it!

Ed

[DJ Dubovsky]

Oh that's so cute.
DJ

[jerry]

Good one CJ. I hate my canoscan.

Jerry

[CJ Swartz]

Jerry, don't feel too bad, we all had an earlier model of scanner that doesn't seem wonderful now, but when we first got it -- it was still great to finally be able to scan a print into PShop (or PSP, etc.). When we all get our new StarTrek replicator scanners (which provide 3D replicas of whatever we aim it at), we won't even be impressed by the drum scanners.

Sorry, StarTrek Inc. just informed me that they have extended their release date from July 2002 to April 1, 2020.

[G. Couch]

Ed - I really like your flower scans. It's nice to see what is growing around everyone's part of the world!

Jerry - I actually loved the quality of scans I got from my 1240. It did a great job at matching colors and as long as things were held very flat on the glass, the scans were sharp. The only thing I disliked about it, was the lack of depth...but most people are not using it to scan shells, insects and plants!

CJ - Where do I preorder that scanner?

[BigAl]

In working on the "Lisa challenge", I decided that I needed proper gems for the jewellery. Merely coloring the jewellery looked rather weak. As my wife is an avid collector of rocks, stones and polished semi-precious and precious stones (yes Chris H, on returning from those long trips there's plenty hidden in the pickup), I have a huge collection to choose from.

This is a frog made from sodalite (found mainly in the Kaokoveld and n. Italy).

(For Greg: not bad depth of field for a sub-$100 scanner!)

[BigAl]

Here is a collection of semi-precious stones on a postcard sized card. (Feel free to use these in your own work or email me for a higher res jpeg.)

[G. Couch]

Al - That turned out really well! The colors are great and the depth of field is very good. I can make out the texture of the surface it's placed on.

I wish i had thought of scanning a gem for the "Lisa Challenge"...maybe you can give her some earings or a nose ring

[CJ Swartz]

Al, thanks for sharing your collection of semi-precious stones with us -- those may come in handy. Very good scanning technique.

Now, where's your collection of PRECIOUS stones? Sodalite frogs are very nice, but diamonds are ....

[BigAl]

Sorry CJ, my wife isn't into jewellery (saves me a bit ), so the precious stuff is still in the original matrix. I'll see if I can find the diamond

Greg, the earring(s) is in place, but I just can't get the nosering's aspect right

[fugitive]

This is a gold coin at 600 on my Umax PITA
I have a chest of these in the closet.
This is a fun thread, lotsa neat stuff.

[fugitive]

Originally posted by OhThatGirl2001
Again I forget the attachment! Grrrr.

Did you play with lizards and snakes when you were a little girl?
fugitive