I'm new to Photoshop. Just got a scanner, and am scanning my photos... I need some help!

[GRagland]

I got the HP Scanjet 4670. Its not a flatbed scanner, its a new nifty upright scanner that HP just came out with... My mom had used it a bunch before i got a chance to try it out and i think thats why my scanned photos are coming out speckled and dirty. I wiped it down with glass cleaner and a lint free cloth, and that helped some, but still, on the dark regions of my scanned photos I'm getting white spots and little hairs.. etc.. I have Photoshop CS, and I know that i can use a filter to get rid of the dirt, or i could use the patch tool. But it seems like it would be easier just to make sure the scanner is clean, so my scans arent so dirty... My question is, when one scans a photo, is it assumed that they are gonna have to do some touch up work to get rid of the dust and speckles? or should i be worried that my scanner, no matter how much i clean it, has specks on it..? Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

 

[GoingUp]

i usually airbrush the major specks and blemishs out... (redeye, zits etc)

 

[TechnoKid]

It could be that the dust or dirt is caught under the glass plate. I use a microfiber cloth to clean the side that touches the photos (I have an epson flatbed, 1240U). Also the photos themsleves may be dirty/contain specks.

Maybe call HP and ask if it's a known issue to have dust under the glass and how to clean it or seal it. In the mean times, I suggest you make a cover of some sort for the scanner to help prevent further contamination.

 

[SXMP]

How much dust/specks. I have an old flatbed Umax scanner, that even with hardly ever cleaning it, scans pictures in without dust/specks (albeit a little to dark).

I would suggest trying various photos. Maybe the photos you've tried are dirty?

 

[gsaldivar]

If you're scanning old "matte" finish photos, that might be the problem.

 

[GRagland]

I'm not scanning old photos, their only about a year old. Im using ilford print paper. Yeah, it could be that the photos are dirty, although they dont appear to. be, and ive been really careful with the photos. So im fairly sure that its the scanner. Its only about 2 days old, and already am i noticing small scratched on the clear surface of the scanner where you put the picture, although those scratches dont seem to show up in the scans. Anyone else got one of these new upright scanners?

 

[GRagland]

TTT

 

[rootaxs]

Dunno if this helps, but i once had a scanner that had a defective glass - barely visible to the naked eye, it was only when the scanner rep came by and used some kinda gadget did we know that the glass wasn't optically clear.

Have you tried replacing the scanner to see if other models have similar issues? The glass imperfections are very rare, but it does happen.

 

[ClueLis]

If it is just dust on the glass, you could get a can of comressed air to blow some of it away. IF you can't fix it but the marks are relatively minor, the healing brush will do a pretty decent job.

 

[GRagland]

What DPI do you reccommend I use? I was just reading the help file for the HP scanning software and it was saying that its not always best to use the maximum DPI, and that it depends on the printer. It said that depending one what max DPI your printer can print, a 200DPI scan may give you the BEST image quality when printed out. Well that sorta sucks, cause i dont have a very good printer, but i wanted to scan all my pics at 1200DPI so i had good backups of them, in case the original prints or negaives got messed up... Anyone else here knowledgeable about this stuff. It seems more logically that higher DPI scan = BETTER (not taking disk space or scan time into consideration). Can anyone help me out?

 

How do you guys do this airbrushing and all? I mean, I would love to learn the skill!

I am amazed when I see what photoshopping does, but I can't seem to do anything myself! If anyone would offer me special lessons, in exchange for . . . well, nothing.

Really though, I'm curious how you guys do these things. When I try them, they turn out so crappy or don't make any changes at all. I suppose that means I'm doing something wrong or skipping a step.

If it helps: I've never been good in arts. LOL!

GRagland, sorry I can't help you here. I'm just reading other inputs to see if I could acquire some skills here.

 

[konichiwa]

What are you trying to do luvly

 

[DurocShark]

Dust can be on the pics too...

Also, Matte or glossy finish can be done during processing to most papers.

 

[GRagland]

Can anyone help me out regarding my DPI conundrum!!?

 

[ClueLis]

Originally posted by: GRagland
Can anyone help me out regarding my DPI conundrum!!?

Here's the guideline: Ideally, you want the final image to have the same resolution as the Image you scan in. If you want the same size image as the one you're scanning in, then you should use the same DPI as the printer, otherwise, you may have to adjust accordingly.

If that becomes overly complicated (which is may if you aren't multiplying the size by an integer factor), then you should just scan at max resolution, then resize the image in photoshop. The bicubic algorithm works pretty well.

 

[GRagland]

Yeah, the thing is, is that i dont have any plans to print my scanned photos any time soon. And maybe I will have a better printer in the future... so i dont want to scan them at a lower res to work with my epson 740, when i may not be using that printer... and may have the opportunity to use a nice printer.

 

[slydecix]

300dpi is standard print resolution. I'd suggest scanning them all in like that, then using Photoshop's Batch Processing(interface might differ depending on which version of PS you have... google it if necessary) to resize and dump them into a folder automatically.

 

"What are you trying to do luvly"

Thanks for the interest, Konichiwa.

I just want to learn how to airbrush. I mean removing blemishes, red eye, adjusting tone so colour doesn't seem awkward. I don't know what tools to use usually. When I click on tools that read say, "touch up", it gives me crap. Uhmmm. . . . Maybe I have to go take some lessons.

 

[Storm]

Speaking of red eye...

How do you guys get rid of it in photoshop?

I just load up the pic, zoom in to where the eyes are and use the elliptical marquee tool to select them. Then I go to
image->adjustments->levels and play around with the channel red settings.

Is there a better way to do this?

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Storm
Speaking of red eye...

How do you guys get rid of it in photoshop?

I just load up the pic, zoom in to where the eyes are and use the elliptical marquee tool to select them. Then I go to
image->adjustments->levels and play around with the channel red settings.

Is there a better way to do this?

i do nearly all my retouching with the rubber stamp tool. use a faded brush and set it around 25% opacity and that thing is awesome. you can use it to fix nearly anything and it doesn't look all fake and unnatural since you're just copying skin or eyeball from another place in the picture.

 

[manly]

Originally posted by: konichiwa
What are you trying to do luvly

She wants to add a head to her photos.

 

[Nocturnal]

Originally posted by: luvly
"What are you trying to do luvly"

Thanks for the interest, Konichiwa.

I just want to learn how to airbrush. I mean removing blemishes, red eye, adjusting tone so colour doesn't seem awkward. I don't know what tools to use usually. When I click on tools that read say, "touch up", it gives me crap. Uhmmm. . . . Maybe I have to go take some lessons.

You do know that thread jacking is against forum rules right? It's very rude. How do I know? I was warned once of this before.

As to the original poster, if you only got the scanner two days ago I'd return it and tell them it seems defective. Ask if you can get another one. If there is no dust then it was probably the scanner.