Scanning for web use: better scanner or post-processing?

[G Benaim]

Hi all,

I need to send my work to some portfolio reviews, and need to get better scans than I'm getting at the moment. It was reccomended that I get a flatbed scanner, as the all-in-one I currently use probably won't give me what I need. If so, which one would you reccomend? Will a better scanner make a big difference at relatively small file sizes ( e.g. 700 pixels, no more than 200kb for one review), or should I invest my time in processing in ps? I'm scanning finished prints, btw, not negatives. Thanks for you help,

GB

[Preston]

A flatbed scanner will be the way to go for what you want to do. I can't really recommend a scanner, but there are many threads here that will give you ideas regarding flatbeds. You just need to ensure that the scanning bed is large enough for your print.

I suggest that you scan the original neg or tranny, rather than scan the print. The detail present in the film will yield a much better scan that you can then edit in PS.

A 200KB file will show adequate detail, but tonal range will be of equal importance. So, a scanner for your purpose should pull decent shadow and high value detail, asssuming the detail is there to begin with.

-Preston

[Frank Petronio]

If you're scanning prints with an all-in-one scanning-fax-printer it may be possible to get good results if you use the software in "professional" or "expert" mode and do things properly. Good scans depend on operator skill more than hardware, and for online purposes you should have plenty of headroom with even a moderately priced scanner or "all-in-one".

[dwhistance]

I agree with Frank - for scanning prints for web display you can almost certainly get what you need from your existing scanner although it will probably need lots of practice to get there.

David Whistance

[G Benaim]

Thanks everyone, for my immediate purposes I've decided to concentrate on post-processing, and the results are (of course) much better. I wasn't even sharpening my scans!

GB