Scanning Instructions for Creating a TIFF 1)

 

  • Begin with a clean scanner. (compressed air, H20, lint-free cloth)
  • Position the document approximately an inch from edges of scanner bed.
  • Do not scan the pages or back sides of any items that do not contain content. (i.e. blank pages; photographs with no inscriptions or other information on the back).
  • Scan pages and assign file-names in order of display.
    • For example, start with the cover of a pamphlet or page 1 of a letter, and scan the pages in the order they should be read. Another example, is to scan the front side of a photograph, then the verso (back side) if there is any content present on this side.
    • Note that the body of a letter may not appear in a typical fashion. For example, the writer may use a folded sheet of paper, writing the 1st section on the front fold, the 2nd section on the back fold, the 3rd and 4th sections on the inside.
  • Scan and save images in appropriate folders (directories). The Volunteer Voices folder-naming scheme is found on the Filenaming Schemes portion of this wiki. Your image will be saved in one of 5 folders depending on the type of content you are digitizing. (graphic or text-based; transcribed or not, etc.)
  • File names will be generated through the Administrative Database (AdminDB).  

 

 

1) Archival/Master image (from the UT Digital Library Center’s Standards and Procedures)

An archival or master image is one that is scanned or otherwise captured at a high resolution. The master image is uncompressed and unedited; thus as similar to the original as possible. The Digital Library Center may save the master image as an archival copy or surrogate of physical object, since many items are on loan to UT for digitization purposes only and may not be returned for rescanning. The Tiff format (Tag Image File Format) is chosen for master images because of it interoperability, large data capture, and non-proprietary nature. Tiff files are large, so adequate storage space for a collection should be considered.

 

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

 

  1. Open Adobe Photoshop CS 2 
  2. On Photoshop menu, select File>Import>SilverFast UMAX (32bit)
  3. Check for correct settings under Options>Auto in the SilverFast pop-up window. These settings should stay the same and not need readjusting each time you open the program, but it is important to verify each time in order to apply a conervative auto-adjustment.
    Auto Threshold Highlights/Shadow = 2 (level boxes not checked)
    Highlights Offset = 2
    Shadow Offset = 98
    Color Cast Removal = 20 (active box checked)
    Auto Frame Inset = 10
    Auto Contrast box NOT checked
    ACR when Automatic box NOT checked
    MidPip Fixed Target = 50
     
  4. The SilverFast settings should match the following:
    Scan Type:
            42>24 bit color : for documents and color photographs
            14>8 Bit Grayscale: for black/white photographs and newer documents that are a crisp black and white.

    Filter: None

    Setting: Save

    Image Type: Standard

    Dpi/Pixel Setting:

            Documents: 400 ppi 

            Photographs: 400 ppi

     

  5. Press Prescan button. A preview image will display in the SilverFast preview window.
  6. Rotate the image and enlarge the existing selection box to select the entire image. Leave a very small (less than ½ an inch) border around the edge of the image, making sure not to cut off ANY portion of the item.
  7. Examine the preview image to ensure it is reasonably straight. Minor adjustments can be made to document orientation in Photoshop. If the document is considerably crooked, then realign on the scanner bed and repeat the Prescan. Note: If the image is unable to be aligned properly in Photoshop, you will have to re-open SilverFast and rescan the image. These TIFF files are Master Images that MUST be accurate and presentable.
  8. Press the Auto-Adjust button.
  9. Click on the Densitometer to check the highlight settings after the Auto-Adjust.
  10. Click on the white portion of the Black/White Point button to indicate the brightest area of an image. The reading will show up in the Densitometer window that you previously selected.
  11. Any reading higher than 240 is generally too bright and requires adjusting. If all readings in the Densitometer are under 240, or you feel that the scanned image is an accurate representation of the original item, please continue to Step 12. Otherwise, continue to 11a and 11b. 
    If you have readings higher than 240, press the Levels Histogram button and move the right-most triangle further to the right-side of the Histogram display. 
     
    Repeat Steps 9-10. Repeat Step 11, if necessary. In some cases, it will be impossible to get a reading of 240 or below. This is the preferred setting, but, our goal is to get the best quality and most accurate representation of the original item, so you will have to use your best judgment.
     
  12. Once you are satisfied with the Densitometer readings, click the Scan button.
  13. After you have scanned 5 images, close the SilverFast Preview Window. To avoid locking up the software, no more than 5 scans at a time are suggested.
  14. Straighten the image in Photoshop if necessary.  
    Go to: Image>Rotate Canvas  
     
    You can use the Arbitrary setting to rotate images very slightly either clockwise (CW) or counter-clockwise (CCW). It is possible to rotate by 1 or 2 degrees, or even fractions of degrees, for example, .1, .25, or .5 degrees.
     
  15. Save scan in uncompressed TIFF format to the appropriate folder located in the Scan folder on the C drive. Name according to locally-developed schemes until Administrative Log is fully functional. After entering a file-name, a dialog box will appear. Make sure that Image Compression is set to None, Pixel Order is set to Interleaved, and Byte Order is set to IBM PC. Close each file after saving.

 


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