Tips for scanning sketches.

I got a question on deviantart about how I get my sketches to scan so nicely.  If you’ve ever scanned a pencil sketch especially a light one, and then tried to bump up the contrast by playing with levels or contrast in photoshop then you know the results usually leave a lot to be desired.

Here’s what I do to give my sketches contrast without losing much quality.

I’m going to use a non-photo blue pencil sketch to demonstrate, since these can be especially tricky to get good results from.

Scan at a high DPI, I normally scan at 600DPI.

You will probably get something that looks like this:

image

ie. barely visible.

Next, select the whole canvas (ctrl+A) and then copy (ctrl+C) and paste (ctrl+V) a couple of times so that you have the same image in three or four layers.

Next set each layer above the background to multiply:

image

Flatten the image now and you should have something like this:

image

If you’re scanning normal pencil you can experiment with adding and multiplying more layers, or playing with the levels to darken the lines at this point.

Since I’m working with colored pencil, my next step is to adjust the hue (ctrl+U) to add more contrast:

image

Simply move the hue slider to wherever it looks best to you.

After adjusting the hue I adjust the levels to bring the white of the paper back up, and I’ll have this:

image

If you play around with the hue and levels a little bit you can even get a pretty decent monochrome from “non-photo blue” sketches:

image

Some people also like to add a very small amount of gaussian blur to smooth the lines a little bit before resizing.  Note all of these steps produce better results when performed on an image before it has been resized. Only resize after you’ve fixed the contrast!

I hope that helps anybody who’s been looking for ways to get good quality images out of light pencil sketches.

FILM PROCESSING AND PRINTING

Edit: Prices Lowered!!

PROCESSING:

  • C-41 processing - $4
  • Cross Processing (Slide in C-41 formula) - $4
  • Black and White Processing - $5
  • BW Pushing/Pulling - $6

PRINTING:

  • Color*:

5 x 7 $1.00 for first, $0.50 for succeeding images (1 roll of film x 36 shots = $12.00)

8 x 10 $4.00 for first, $0.50 for succeeding images (1 roll of film x 36 shots = $15.00)

8 x 12 $6.00 for first, $0.50 for succeeding images (1 roll of film x 36 shots = $18.00) 

11 x 14 $8.00 for first, $1.00 for succeeding images

12 x 18 $10.00 for first, $2.00 for succeeding images

30 x 20 $15.00 for first, $3.00 for succeeding images

  • Black and White Printing using Traditional Method**:

8x10 $6.00 per print

  • Black and White on Chromira:

Same Prices as Colored Printing

SCANNING (300 DPI-1200DPI using Hassleblad Imacon Flextight 646 Drum Scanner):

  • Film to CD: $8.00 for first roll and $4.00 for every succeeding roll.

*Colored Prints are printed on a Chromira Printer using Fuji Photographic Paper, Matte

**Black and White Prints are printed using the traditional way through the use of an enlarger and developing chemicals. Paper: Arista Premium Paper, Glossy Finish.

I live in the Los Angeles area. 

Contact me here on tumblr for further details or message/call me at 626 384 1408 or email me at francisybanez@gmail.com.

Meets ups preferred. But if you want to UPS those rolls, you have to shoulder the fees.

You can check out my tagged photos - /photographs - most of them were scanned and developed by me.

Prices are negotiable. Also, the sizes don’t have to be spot on, we can compromise for odd sizes. 

“Researchers at IBM recently broke a new record by scanning 10 billion files onto a single data management system in 43 minutes. The technological breakthrough validates the promising future of large-scale storage systems.”

—New Digitization Record: 10 Billion Files Scanned in Under 45 Minutes | Smarter Technology

“Walking home tonight from dinner with a friend in the East Village, NY, I was passing south along Pitt Street, one block north of Delancey, when I heard the throaty rumble of a low-flying plane getting louder overhead. I didn't pay it much attention but it was loud enough for me to clock it. Up ahead, I saw three guys emerge from one of the projects on the east side of Pitt St. As I got closer to them, they paused. The plane was passing right above us, heading north along the east river Manhattan shoreline, and I suddenly saw what could only be described as a wide, flat green laser beam start sweeping the street from the plane. It passed over the three guys up ahead, and then me. It was like a giant laser bar-code scanner passing across every contour of the street - for a brief second like suddenly being in a bad light show at a 1990s rave. The three guys ahead of me stopped in their tracks, dumbfounded. I caught up with them and we all looked at each other, then back up to the sky, and then saw this fat triangle of green light beaming down from the plane as it headed north. I talked to them, and none of us could work out what it was, but we had all seen the same thing. I continued walking south towards Grand Street, where I live, and just as I was entering my building I heard the plane come back, this time flying south. I stopped and watched it's green beam cover ground just a little further west of where I'd been walking. As I write this I can still hear the plane making passes overhead - it's engines have quite a distinct sound.”

—As related by a friend, November 19th, 2012. This appears to be LIDAR scanning of New York in operation. This was first proposed in 2010, and reported by Fast Company and the New York Times. Green LIDAR in particular is used for marine environments - it seems likely that the current scan is in response to recent flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy. The technical term for this process is EEARL, but I haven’t yet been able to establish who is doing the scanning.
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