Sue's Scanning Saga: Things I've Learned, Part 1

Last year one of my New Year's resolutions was supposed to be to start scanning all my old photo prints. Well, that never happened, but this year I have at least made a start. I got my new Canon CanoScan 8400F last Friday, and over the weekend I scanned in nearly 200 photos. Turns out I didn't even need the divide scanned photos feature I'm always raving about. This scanner has a built-in multiscan mode.

I'm scanning directly into the Photoshop Elements 3 Photo Organizer which works out really well because you can scan a whole stack of photos in a row, and it goes super fast because you don't have to stop to type file names or crop, or even rotate--the scanner preview can be rotated so it's done automatically. You can just scan, scan, scan and when you're ready, close the scanner interface, and all the pictures are there in the Organizer, ready for tagging or fix-ups. (I should have lots of new tutorial inspiration as I'm working on this project!)

After I've scanned a stack of pictures and they're in Organizer, the first thing I do is rename the batch if they all have a common theme. Elements renames them with a base name and sequential number. Next, if I know the dates they were taken, I adjust the date. Finally, I move the batch to whatever folder I want them to go in permanently. (I prefer to scan into a temporary folder and then selectively move the photos according to content.)

I'm trying to save the touch-ups for later, but there are some I have not been able to resist doing some work on. Let me tell you, though, the new spot healing brush in Photoshop Elements 3 (it's also in Photoshop CS) is a huge time saver for this type of work! No matter how careful you are, there are always a few specks of dust and dirt that come through in the scans, and this tool wipes them out lickety-split! My only gripe is that I wish it was available in the Quick Fix workspace of Elements 3.

Another thing I've learned from this project so far, is that those "microfiber" cloths with 80% polyester and 20% polyamide are amazing for cleaning the scanner glass between scans, and even for picking up dust and fingerprints from the actual photos. The cloth I have came with Monster ScreenClean (which works great for cleaning LCD screens, BTW) but you can also find them in the automotive or cleaning products departments of many stores.

By the way, this scanner has a transparency adapter. My main purpose in getting it was so I could start scanning my parents' archive of about 1800 slides going back many years. I don't think I've seen those slides since I was a kid, so it should be interesting! I know I'll be learning a lot, and of course, I'll pass on more of what I learn to you. If this scanner does as good a job on slides as it has on photos so far, I'll be very pleased.

Continued in part 2...

Related Resources:
- Getting Started Scanning
- Scanning Tips and Help
- Scanner Information and Advice