Technology Skills

Flatbed Scanner: Mac instructions for Adobe Photoshop or Similar Software

Scanned photographs, original artwork, documents and images are a great way to add your own unique touches to web pages and word processing documents. Scanning has no limitations other than copyright and your imagination. Have a picture of your new dog you would like to share with your cousin in Eygpt? Scan it in and send it as an attachment to an email message! Is that scanner collecting dust and bric-a-brac? Dust it off and start adding orginality to your work today!

Step 1

Locate the Adobe Photoshop software or similar software on your hard drive or under the Apple Menu. Open the software.

Step 2

Pull down the file menu and click on "Twain Acquire." (This may be different depending on the type of scanning software you are using with the scanner).

Step 3

Lift the lid on the top of the scanner and align the item to be scanned with the designated markings and place item face down on the glass.

Step 4

Check the following settings:

Document Source: Flatbed

Image Type: This setting may be adjusted based on the type of image to be scanned. Examples include: Black and White Photos, Color Photos, etc.

Destination: Screen General

Resolution: This can be set at 72 dpi, if the image will only be used on a web page.

If an image is going to be printed out, the dpi should be set at the following:

1. a 300 dpi printer-scan at 100-120 dpi.

2. a 500-725 dpi printer-scan at 150 dpi.

Step 5

Once the dpi has been set, click the preview button to determine how the image will look. You can select ("corral") the exact part of the image you wish to scan.

Step 6

If the preview image is satisfactory, click the scan button.

Step 7

Click on "File" and then "Save As" to save the original scanned document. Give the photo a name, for example, "angel.jpg." The format box should say JPEG for saving photos and GIF is for saving drawings. Keep this original image in your files.

Each time you make changes to the image, this procedure should be repeated, giving the image a new name.

Step 8

To change the brightness and contrast of an image:

a. Under "Image" click on "Adjust" and then click on "Brightness/Contrast." Make sure "Preview" is checked.

b. Adjust the brightness and contrast levels until until the photo is corrected. Then click on "OK" to accept the corrections to the photo.

Note: If the picture is not corrected and OK has been clicked, immediately click on the "Edit" button and select "Undo." This will only undo the last changes made.

Step 9

To reduce the file size of a drawing or a photo:

a. Open "Image" under "Image Size." Check constrain proportions.

Note: Other software may use the term "change proportionally."

b. In "Pixel Dimensions," change the pixel width to 640 and the height will change automatically. Check the file size to determine how much K each file is after adjusting pixel width and height. Try to keep image file size around 20K for web pages.

Note: The average screen size is 640 by 480. Images should not be any larger than this for on screen use.

c. Make sure resolution is set at 72 pixels/inch, if using the scanned image on a web page.

d. When the file size of a scanned image has been reduced, under "File" click on "Save As" and give the photo a new name. For example, angel2.jpg or angelsm.jpg. Remember to save in JPEG format.

Other software to use with images:

For the Mac

Graphic Converter
Visit their web site to download a freeware/shareware copy of Graphic Converter. http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Anthology/Help/Mac/graphic.converter.html

For the PC

LView Pro
Visit their web site to download a freeware/shareware copy of LView Pro.
http://heart.engr.csulb.edu/~acm/swreviews/grafix/index.html