Jim Dinkey emailed SPAUG officers, asking for someone to write something for this issue of Print Screen because his schedule didn't allow him to do so. So, here it is, Jim. -- jb
Uses for a Scanner
A scanner allows me to make a copy of documents and photos I want to preserve and keep handy. I don't know how many times I've spent time looking for a "hard copy" of something I know I have - somewhere - but just don't know exactly where. If I've scanned it, I just have to search my hard drive. Google's Picasa makes that really easy. A side benefit is, I can easily email any document or photo to anyone I want; I don't have to "snail mail" it, or fax it, or lend it.
I usually use an Epson Perfection 2480 Photo with film and slide holder (for negatives and slides). Software included that I use are Epson Scan, ABBYY FineReader, and ArcSoft PhotoImpression 5. I usually use the ArcSoft software as a "front end" to perform the scanning tasks; I don't use many of the other editing and project features very much. I use Paint Shop Pro 8.0 or Picasa for photo editing, including resizing and color adjustments, and as photo organizer and backup/share CD creator. I save scanned and edited images as JPG, because native files are HUGE, and TIF incompatibilities have caused problems in the past.
I am comfortable doing the basics, but would really like to know what the optimum settings are for the various tasks and objectives I normally have. All seem to have different optimums, and a single setting is not satisfactory for everything. Sometimes it's obvious I don't have enough resolution, or else the files are way too big, or the brightness is off. But mostly I wonder if it could be better, and how much better. Trial and error seems to be the only way, so I scan at several resolutions and compare the results. I've found out black-and-white files are much smaller than color, and for line art you can usually reduce the number of colors to reduce file size. Photos require the most color your system can provide, and you certainly don't want to reduce the scanned image resolution appreciably.
I use the scanner for: scanning documentation into files for storage/archive (backup for paper documents, like my equipment manuals and instructions); scanning photos for edit/repair/color correction/etc.; scanning photos to CD/DVD for archive or sharing; sharing photos via email and/or web page; OCR to convert documents to (editable) text and images for inclusion into Word documents.
I sometimes scan multiple sources to allow creation of complex documents with extra information inserted as icons. For example - Insert Picture(s) from File to Word and save the Word document (this optional step converts an image to Word document format that are sized automatically for easy viewing). Then from the main Word document, use Insert Object… - Create from File - þ Display as Icon to insert the file. The "Object" can be many different types of files, but can be opened only if a compatible application is installed. It appears as an icon in the document until it is opened.
Cropping is one of my most-used edits. My digital camera doesn't have optical zoom, so I shoot what I can, then crop it later. I always shoot at the maximum resolution (only 2.1 Mp in my case), so I have some resolution to work with after cropping. The advice to work on a COPY should be taken seriously! It's best to keep the original download from the camera in a separate folder that is regularly backed up to CD, and copy the image to a work folder.
Another valuable tool is the Clone, where I can pick up the color and texture of a nearby area and use it to remove blemishes, artifacts, distractions, etc. that detract from the picture.
Paint Shop Pro has a valuable tool to brighten or dim a selected area, which is useful for backlight situations to bring out faces, or reduce backgrounds and reflections that are too bright. It also cures "red eye", although I'll often just change the red color to black or dark grey. One time my mother wanted brighter whiter teeth, which was pretty easy, although you have to be careful not to over-do. It helps to zoom way in, so you can see individual pixels, to edit. Another relative wanted less grey hair. And getting rid of zits in the prom night picture was a snap with Clone.
Recently I've used Picasa's one-click photo-optimizer first; if it looks good, I take it. Otherwise I go to the separate controls and adjust until it "looks right". Picasa is very easy to use, and is free from Google.
I recently edited a scanned image of equipment from a manual that I wanted to modify for our company use, to show how we use the equipment. First I scanned the image (left). Then I cropped unnecessary areas. Then I used Paint and Text tools to edit the image. The scanned manual's image had arrows pointing that I didn't need, and I needed to add text. To remove the arrows, I used the Paint Brush, first picking up a nearby color, then painting over the lines with complete opacity and using a brush size appropriate to the line. Then I used the Text Box tool to add text to the image, moved the text and resized as required. Then I added a caption, again with the text box. I didn't use color, because it was for a B/W print. In the "old days", I would have had to "white out" the arrows, then carefully print the text I wanted.
Special effects should be used to make a photo more pleasing, or more in line with your intention. I've usually edited our family Christmas photos that I have printed on cards we mail to our friends and relatives (many of whom don't see us often). I want us to look our best. I'll de-clutter the background, adjust brightness and hues, remove blemishes, and any other defects, so the picture looks nice. When we didn't have a nice group shot, I created a collage from several images - that was interesting.
Editing photos after scanning is a whole topic in itself. If you're interested, attend the Digital Imaging SIG presentations the third Monday of the month at Micro Center.
Hank Skawinski will have a big sale this weekend. His home is at 2529 Sun Mor, Mountain View (near El Camino Hospital). Open house from about 9 am; drop by and take a look (bring your checkbook, just in case).
A representative from the Elks Lodge thanked the group for their contribution to the spinal cord and brain injured veterans at the Veterans Hospital. He reported the donation has been put to good use, and the vets are greatly enjoying the subscription to Netflix and the DVD players.
The Planning Meeting will be at Jim Dinkey's unless he's out of town - watch for the email specifying location. It will NOT be at Bev's.
Maury announced the Silicon Valley Computer Society website is up and running. There is a link from the SPAUG Table of Contents, or just go to www.svcs.net.
Saturday, May 20 is Digital Imaging Day at Micro Center from 9 am to 4 pm. SPAUG members can attend one session free; additional sessions are $5. Register in advance to be sure you get your first choice. In addition to the sessions, there will be lots of digital imaging equipment for sale, and many valuable doorprizes.
CrossTalk/Random Access
How do you remove a program, for example an earlier version of Adobe Acrobat, that doesn't show up in Add/Remove, but is found by Reg Edit or other disk and file checkers?
Usually Reg Edit will find and remove this kind of problem. If not, try Reg Clean. If you back up everything first, try Reg Vac and/or CCleaner. They are aggressive, and may do more harm than good if you're not careful to configure them properly. Another possibility is Symantec's System Works - just be sure to run it from the CD, and do not install it. Once it's gone, delete the directory and all subdirectories to completely remove it.
My ISP is Comcast, using a cable modem, but Outlook Express, Yahoo! version, seems very slow. This may be a network problem, try TELNET /traceroute to trace the route your email takes. You may also be suffering from multiple aggressive virus checkers - they do take a performance hit. Yahoo!'s and your virus checker may be slowing you down.
I want a new monitor, what is best?
The answer changes almost weekly, the trade magazines have their "top ten" or equivalent every month. A flat screen is easier on the eyes. It's best to try several and choose the one best for you; different people like different features. Older eyes may want to decrease the resolution. This makes the pixels bigger, and easier to read. If your video card has a DVI input, or you're going to get a new computer soon, get a monitor with DVI out, and connect the DVI to DVI input on the video card. This will give the best picture.
Jim repeated the progression for installations gone bad: Reg Clean; Norton/Symantec System Works (but do not install, run from CD); CCleaner; Reg Vac. Most have a free trial, or are free; but if it solves your problem, consider making a donation.
There was a report that the HP 7210 All-in-One was somewhat difficult to set up. It is Network capable. During troubleshooting, the online chat was found far superior to phone support. There are also cleanup applications that are not on the distribution CD, but were essential to solving the problem. Another person added that he had just installed a similar HP printer, and after following the instructions exactly, the printer worked as expected with no problems.
Concerning scanning, a problem with very slow scans was reported on a MicroTek i900. This may just be the result of scanning at maximum resolution of 4800 dpi, instead of the previous 1200 dpi. The required resolution should be investigated, since scanning at too high resolution takes longer and consumes more disk space; but too low resolution causes loss of detail and fuzziness. There are guidelines for resolution requirements for different purposes, but experimentation is advised to find your personal optimum.
Someone is using Outlook 2003 as an organizer, but is having trouble with the Auto Archive feature.
Try googling the problem. It's probably a common problem, and using carefully considered search terms should get some good help. Also, try the online experts, available at for example C|Net, PCWorld, experts-exchange.com, etc.
Presentation
Maury Green gave a presentation "Using Site Grinder™ to Build Websites with Photoshop™"
Site Grinder™ is a website creation tool used in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop™.
Building a simple website requires nothing more than a text editor like Notepad, knowledge of HTML and a file transfer (FTP) program for uploading the completed web pages to your internet server. Building complex multi-page sites benefits greatly from using a dedicated HTML editor like Dreamweaver™ to keep track of all the links, images and styles, but comes at the cost of a steep learning curve for the complex program as well as dollar cost. Photographers and others familiar with editing digital images can now build websites and online photo galleries using Site Grinder™, a plug-in or extension program for Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. By simply creating a multi-layer visual design of the site and naming the image layers appropriately, Site Grinder intelligently generates styled text, graphics, buttons, hyperlinks, menu and page navigation and all the HTML code and CSS style sheets needed for a multi-page website.
Maury started his interest in photography with a Brownie Hawkeye camera and 3 trays of chemicals in the bathtub. During his college days, he was the campus photographer for both the newspaper and yearbook and a member of the National Press Photographers Association. Retiring after a 30 year career as a medical laboratory director, Maury took up digital photography and web page design. He is a member of the Board of Directors of SVCS and SPAUG, the current leader of the Digital Imaging SIG, SVCS webmaster and a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.
The meeting was held at Stan Hutchings' house; attendees: John Sleeman, Stan Hutchings, Nat Landes. The attendees enjoyed the refreshments served.
Review of finances - Nat - we're in good shape. Susan is paid in advance, and lets us know when she needs more.
Membership - Bev - I mailed Nat checks and money totalling $425 which included 11 renewals.
Mail - John Sleeman - John will pick up the mail later this week.
PrintScreen - John Buck - I've received no Pinch-hitter Prez msgs, but have written one -- in case nobody contributes something better. I figure I'll hold to the typical production schedule, wherein Jim's stuff typically arrives a week after the planning meeting and all your notes are up online. I know of no speaker for August. Mention that I've asked John Sleeman to get topic title, description, and bio for/from our July speaker, Paul Kunz.
WebSIG activities and schedules - next Tuesday 7:30 at Stan's
Publicity - Richard Sweet - Here's a rundown on notices that were published for the May 10 meeting: San Jose Mercury Monday Tech events May 8; Master Community Calendar web site posted Apr 29; PA Weekly May 5; Los Altos Town Crier Datebook May 3 and May 10.
I recently edited a scanned image of equipment from a manual that I wanted to modify for our company use, to show how we use the equipment. First I scanned the image (left). Then I cropped unnecessary areas. Then I used Paint and Text tools to edit the image. The scanned manual's image had arrows pointing that I didn't need, and I needed to add text. To remove the arrows, I used the Paint Brush, first picking up a nearby color, then painting over the lines with complete opacity and using a brush size appropriate to the line. Then I used the Text Box tool to add text to the image, moved the text and resized as required. Then I added a caption, again with the text box. I didn't use color, because it was for a B/W print. In the "old days", I would have had to "white out" the arrows, then carefully print the text I wanted.
