Scanning/processing engravings

[Sylvester Graham]

Does anyone know any tricks for processing scanned engravings in photoshop?

That is, does anyone know how to make the whites white, and the (very small) black lines completely black without sacrificing subtle shading, etc? This is a lot harder than it sounds, playing around in levels hasn't really done it for me. Anyone know any tips?

-Alex

[allen mckinney]

The trick is to NOT remove all the white tones but to erase around the outside of
the engraving. That way you'll leave all the subtle tones. I've done several
hundred engravings this way.

[Ted Harris]

It's also in how you scan it. While consumer scanners do a much better job on most reflective art, some engravings and etchings, especially older ones do much better with scans from a high end flatbed. The differences are in tonal values, etc. not resolution. I'm working on such a project right now.

Send me an email or PM if you want more info.