Scanning Sketches

wrote:

I had some sketches (simple pictures; color) made by an artist that I would like to get into an electronic format. These sketches will be customized on the computer with text and then printed. I want them to retain exactly the quality how the artist drew them. I have a cheap HP scanner that doesn’t seem to be doing this. Anyone have suggestions how to do this?

In the future, would it be beneficial to find a computer graphic artist? I assume they would costs more to do this work.

There may be settings for adjusting your scanner to scan drawings etc, but personally I don’t own an HP so I’ll leave it to owners to tell you if this is so. It would probably help if you gave the model number

Good luck

—
Paul (We won’t die of devotion)
——————————————————- Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

wrote in message

I had some sketches (simple pictures; color) made by an artist that I would like to get into an electronic format. These sketches will be customized on the computer with text and then printed. I want them to retain exactly the quality how the artist drew them. I have a cheap HP scanner that doesn’t seem to be doing this. Anyone have suggestions how to do this?

In the future, would it be beneficial to find a computer graphic artist? I assume they would costs more to do this work.

How to scan graphics (line art).
http://www.scantips.com/basics04.html

The results depend on your skill in using your scanner and the tools you have available.

—
CSM1
http://www.carlmcmillan.com
—

Recently, posted:

I had some sketches (simple pictures; color) made by an artist that I would like to get into an electronic format. These sketches will be customized on the computer with text and then printed. I want them to retain exactly the quality how the artist drew them. I have a cheap HP scanner that doesn’t seem to be doing this. Anyone have suggestions how to do this?

In the future, would it be beneficial to find a computer graphic artist? I assume they would costs more to do this work.

Perhaps you are arriving at the realization that there is more to scanning than just pressing the "go" button. 😉

It is possible that your scanner is capable of representing the artwork more accurately. The first step is to understand the differences between the result that you got and that which you want. If you can describe that accurately, you may be able to adjust the scanner’s controls to compensate for the differences, or at least get close enough that the rest of the work could be done in an image editor.

If the above suggestion seems beyond your skills and knowledge, then it probably would be beneficial to find someone to do the work for you.

Regards,

Neil

This should not be a problem, really. Scan in color (at least 36 bit color), 300 or 600 dpi, and do a preview scan and adjust the 3 exposure controls (the names vary, I call them black level, white level and gamma, but you can find a good half-dozen names for each) to JUST not clip (at either dark or light ends) and for what looks like proper rendering of mid-tones.

You should be able to capture the image just about perfectly, even with a relatively cheap scanner (cheap is usually ok, but it does have to be working properly). The problem is that most people don’t really know how to use their scanner software, and for that matter don’t know enough about light, color or photography to even understand the terms necessary to describe what is going on.

wrote:

I had some sketches (simple pictures; color) made by an artist that I would like to get into an electronic format. These sketches will be customized on the computer with text and then printed. I want them to retain exactly the quality how the artist drew them. I have a cheap HP scanner that doesn’t seem to be doing this. Anyone have suggestions how to do this?

In the future, would it be beneficial to find a computer graphic artist? I assume they would costs more to do this work.

"CSM1" wrote in message

wrote in message

I had some sketches (simple pictures; color) made by an artist that I would like to get into an electronic format. These sketches will be customized on the computer with text and then printed. I want them to retain exactly the quality how the artist drew them. I have a cheap HP scanner that doesn’t seem to be doing this. Anyone have suggestions how to do this?

In the future, would it be beneficial to find a computer graphic artist? I assume they would costs more to do this work.

How to scan graphics (line art).
http://www.scantips.com/basics04.html

The results depend on your skill in using your scanner and the tools you have available.

—
CSM1
http://www.carlmcmillan.com
—

I missed the color part. The above page is a good starting place, but you do need to scan in color.

This page is a good starting place on getting great scans in color. http://www.scantips.com/simple.html

—
CSM1
http://www.carlmcmillan.com
—

wrote in message

I had some sketches (simple pictures; color) made by an artist that I would like to get into an electronic format. These sketches will be customized on the computer with text and then printed. I want them to retain exactly the quality how the artist drew them. I have a cheap HP scanner that doesn’t seem to be doing this. Anyone have suggestions how to do this?

There have been several good responses. I would add that we can help more if you either describe the problem you’re seeing, or post example images on a photo site like flickr, and provide a link to them here.

In the future, would it be beneficial to find a computer graphic artist? I assume they would costs more to do this work.

Certainly, and you can also do it yourself, provided you have the time to spend. Use the money you save to go out to several fancy dinners 🙂 —
Mike Russell – www.curvemeister.com

wrote:

I had some sketches (simple pictures; color) made by an artist that I
would like to get into an electronic format. These sketches will be customized on the computer with text and then printed. I want them to
retain exactly the quality how the artist drew them. I have a cheap HP scanner that doesn’t seem to be doing this. Anyone have suggestions how to do this?

In the future, would it be beneficial to find a computer graphic artist? I assume they would costs more to do this work.

Depending on the number of sketches it may be worthwhile to get them Photographed in a Studio using a Digital Camera. We use this procedure for paintings and the clients are happy with the results. An option is to find a Pre Press Shop or Printer that has a drum scanner or professional flat bed scanner. Due to limitations of the 4 colour print process you will not be able to reproduce the full range of colours eg bright oranges and greens come to mind immediately. Good Luck
Denis

wrote:
"I want them to retain EXACTLY the quality how the artist drew them."

No Can Do!!
No inkjet printer or scanner can reproduce the entire gamut of colors that are available in Artists’ paints, pigments or inks. Going from an original color sketch to a scanned image to a print only compounds the problem of the limited color gamut of each device. Having said that, I must report that I have made inkjet prints of original Watercolor paintings that I scanned on my Canon 8400F, and printed on the same paper as the original with my Canon Pixma iP3000 printer that looked very close to the original.
However,when placed side-by-side, subtle color differences were obvious. Bob Williams

Although your comment about color gamuts is entirely correct, in most cases, as a practical matter to the untrained eye, the real issue is more one of color calibration than of gamut. While the printer (or monitor) can not reproduce every color, it can reproduce MOST colors EXACTLY, and it can get close on the rest. But if it isn’t calibrated, it won’t even be trying to reproduce the same color.

[In this situation, calibration involves both the scanner, the display and the printer(s)]

Bob Williams wrote:

wrote:
"I want them to retain EXACTLY the quality how the artist drew them."
No Can Do!!
No inkjet printer or scanner can reproduce the entire gamut of colors that are available in Artists’ paints, pigments or inks. Going from an original color sketch to a scanned image to a print only compounds the problem of the limited color gamut of each device. Having said that, I must report that I have made inkjet prints of original Watercolor paintings that I scanned on my Canon 8400F, and printed on the same paper as the original with my Canon Pixma iP3000 printer that looked very close to the original.
However,when placed side-by-side, subtle color differences were obvious. Bob Williams