Many different types of media can be scanned: Slides, negatives, photographs, paper drawings, etc. Are all possible to scan, but each may require a different approach or a different scanner. Take note of the types of things that you are scanning and approach the process accordingly.

Several different types of scanners are available for student use. Each of which is suited for different jobs. There are Flatbed Scanners, Slide Scanners, and a Large Format Scanner. You should select the type of scanner which is most appropriate for the job you are working on.

Since the computers in Campbell Hall are almost always left on, you usually won't have to worry about turning the scanner on or off. If, howver, either the scanner or the computer is not already on, it is important to remember the proper order in which to turn them on. As with other many computer accessories, digital scanners obey the following rule of thumb: first on, last off. In other words, always turn the scanner on before the computer; when you are through with the computer, turn the scanner off after the computer.

The digital scanners in Campbell Hall, Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library and the Robertson Digital Media Center in Clemmons Library are accessible through Adobe Photoshop, a graphics application in which you can manipulate your scanned images. Before you open Photoshop (by double-clicking on the icon), it is usually a good idea to make sure that no other memory-intensive applications (such as Microsoft Excel, Adobe PageMaker, Microstation, etc.) have been left open on your computer. Having too many applications open can increase the chances of your computer "freezing up" during complicated operations (such as scanning a large full-color image).

Once you have opened Photoshop, look for the "Acquire" command under "File" on the menu bar (some versions of Photoshop call this command "Import" rather than "Acquire"). Under "Acquire," you will see several scanner paths. You should then select the appropriate path (usually the name of the scanner; see specific scanner instructions for details).

Once you have selected the appropriate scanner path, a dialogue box will appear on the screen, accompanied by an image window, through which you can view your image. The dialogue box will contain a number of command buttons, including "scan" and "preview." The "scan" button will convert your image into a digital photoshop document, which you can then manipulate and save under a variety of image formats. The "preview" button will allow you view your image before scanning. Previewing the image will allow you to make important scanning decisions, such as cropping your image, choosing black & white or color, and determining the scale and resolution of your image. Other, more subtle image attributes, such as brightness, contrast, and color, are usually easier to adjust in Adobe Photoshop, after the image has been scanned.

A selection marquis (also known as a fence, or the running ants) is available to select the portion of the scanning glass that you wish to scan for your final image. This fence is placed as a rectangle and can be moved and resized within the image at will. Make sure you set the selection fence to the desired image area. This is not automatic.

The image that you are trying to scan may be a color image, but you might want to scan it in black and white. All scanners have an option to set the color mode of the final scan regardless of the original image. The color mode sets how many colors (or the color depth) that the final image will have. Pure black and white will reduce the image to an ink drawing that has no tonality, only sharp contrasts of light and dark (pure black and pure white). Grayscale will bring tonality into the image, but without color. Then there are several modes of color. Millions of Colors is usually the optimal setting for a color photograph or drawing. Select the color mode setting that is most appropriate to both the object being scanned and the final use of the scanned digital image. (i.e. not all color images need to be scanned in color.)

Resolution, or the number of pixels (individual dots of color) that are printed per inch, is the setting that controls the most important aspect of image quality and clarity of a scanned image. The correct setting for this is heavily dependent on the final use of the image. For instance, if the image is going to be seen on the computer screen only, including the World Wide Web, then the resolution setting should be set to 72, since all computer screens display images at 72 DPI (dots per inch). Printers, on the other hand, have much finer resolutionss ranging from a low average of 300 DPI to the midrange 600 DPI. Some printers can get as high as 1200, 1800, or even 9600 DPI. It is best to know what printer you will be using for your final output of the image and the purpose of the print and then plan your resolution setting accordingly, but if you do not know what you will be using, or want to simplify the process, a normal setting might be either 150 DPI or 300 DPI.

Putting the effects of color mode, resolution, and the physical size of the image together, the computer generates a set of colored pixels that are the image, and stores this image on the disk when you save it. How much room the file takes (its file size) is determined by multiplying the color depth of the image by its resolution. Specifically, the equation would be: [resolution (dpi) squared X area (square inches) X color depth (bits)] / 3145728 = size of file in MB. Basically, this means that the larger the image, or the higher the resolution, or the more colors used in the image, the larger the file will be.

Once you have previewed your image and are satisfied with your selection, simply press the "scan" button to convert your image into a Photoshop document. It is important to save your image immediately after scanning to avoid losing your scanned image in the event of computer malfunction! Frequently saving your document during the subsequent manipulation process should help prevent the computer from "freezing up" due lack of memory space.