Specifications

mon for scanners to recognize
when you put more than one
photo on the glass platen.
When this happens, they auto-
matically scan each photo into
its own file. But unless your
scanning software lets you
define the parameters of each
item on the platen, be sure to
scan photos and text-only files
separately. Some scanners can
generate and save macrolike
scripts that you can apply to
groups of scans, which you
may also be able to prioritize.
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 PC MAGAZINE
97
closed-loop calibration. Alter-
nately, set your monitor’s color
temperature to D65 to match
the s
RGB spec, as industry
experts suggest. Some graphic
programs advise lowering it
even further, to 5,500 Kelvin,
but this may make your screen
appear yellowish. We suggest a
setting of 9,300 K (a common
factory setting) for general
purpose use and 6,500 K for
image editing. Adjust bright-
ness and contrast as well. Read
“Color Matching” at www
.extremetech.com, for more.
8
DESCREEN
PRINT PHOTOS
In magazine and news-
paper printing, offset printing
presses use a latticework of
dots called a halftone, or
screen, to create the illusion of
continuous-tone images.
Choose a descreening option
(look in the driver) when you
scan magazine and newspaper
photos or illustrations. Other-
wise, the dot patterns used to
create the originals will look too
prominent and distracting in
your scanned image.
9
CONSIDER A
FILM SCANNER
Transparency adapters
that let flatbed scanners read
scanner. Film scanners are
optimized for transparent
media and therefore provide
significantly higher-quality
images.
10
BATCH
SCANS AND
MACROS
To save time and energy, use
batch scanning whenever you
need to input numerous docu-
ments or pictures. Scanners do
this in various ways. For in-
stance, it’s increasingly com-
11
LOOK
BEFORE
YOU SHOOT
Before you press the shutter
button, take a close look at
your subject on the camera’s
LCD preview screen. If you’re
taking pictures of a person,
SCANNERS are a great way to preserve some of the stunning pictures published in news-
papers or magazines. But their high resolution will pick up artifacts of the printing process
itself that are invisible to the naked eye. We’ve descreened the image on the left to smooth
out the dots laid down by the printer. On the right, the same image sans descreening.
...unlock the head or you’ll hear a grat-
ing sound as the gears get chewed up...
film negatives and slides have
improved significantly in recent
years, but they still leave much
to be desired in terms of image
quality. If you have lots of
negatives or slides to digitize,
consider a dedicated film
make sure no lampposts,
street signs, or tree limbs are
growing out of his head. If
you’re photographing scenery
or buildings, check that your
camera is level. Create inter-
esting compositions by moving
your main subject off-center.
12
PREFOCUS
YOUR
CAMERA
Virtually all auto-focus systems
use the center of the image to
determine focus. If your subject
is off-center, the camera will
focus on whatever is in the
center of the image. To avoid
this problem, place your sub-
[By Les Freed]
Take Better
Digital Photos
TIPS AND TRICKS
ject in the center of the frame,
then lightly press the shutter
button to lock the camera’s
focus. Keep the shutter half-
pressed, then recompose and
shoot. This technique is also
useful if you are taking pictures
of two people and the back-
ground—not one of the main
subjects—is in the center of
the image.
13
WALK,
DON’T ZOOM
Don’t overuse your
camera’s longest zoom setting.
Instead of zooming in, leave
your camera on the widest-
angle zoom setting and get
DESCREENING
NO DESCREENING