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Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
Scanning problem. Help! OT?

dand9959
User

Mar 3, 2006, 2:21 AM

Post #1 of 8 (943 views)
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Scanning problem. Help! OT?	Can't Post

Since this is about the only forum where I seem to get good advice (Sony Vegas forums also)...I figured I'd turn to you guys for help....

Suddenly, my HP Scanjet 5500c scanner started scanning with very poor quality..as if the glass is streaked. (See attached photo - the sky especially - ...while old, the photo itself does NOT have the banding effect in it.)

I tried cleaning the glass, and it had no effect.

Scanner did not exhibit this behavior a week ago.
I have 250 photos that I need to scan...and this quality is not acceptable!

My question: Am I screwed? / Anybody have suggestions for a "fix"?

AndrewMSV
Veteran

Mar 3, 2006, 4:58 AM

Post #2 of 8 (931 views)
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Re: [dand9959] Scanning problem. Help! OT? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Can you scan the picture so we can see what it looks like without the streaks?
JK.

If your scanner uses those auto-detect type functions in the software, it might help if you lay the picture away from the edges. Sometimes if the picture is too close to the edge, the scanner reaches deep into the corner and the mechanics get thrown off. At least that's been my experience - I have no hard data to prove it.

- Also, what brand is your scanner? make/model
- Are you using the scanner utilities or importing TWAIN via Photoshop?
- Does the scanning mechanism make funny/different noises?
- Have you tried unplugging the scanner and rebooting it and your computer?

Good luck.

Andrew
m o r n i n g__s t a r__v i d e o g r a p h y
sf chapter, vu california crew
I think we should turn that whole region into one shiny piece of radioactive glass. - CartoonChris

rodovideo
Enthusiast

Mar 3, 2006, 9:48 AM

Post #3 of 8 (924 views)
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Re: [dand9959] Scanning problem. Help! OT? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Is your scanner old.... how old?

I had a visioneer scanner that the transfer/ac connection went bad and it affected the quality of the picture. I tried using some of the ac converters that I have laying around but none of them wore the correct vlts and did not work.

The scanner was about 5 years old so I just bought a new one. My old one didn't have updated drivers and was a problem to us in XP anyway...

My suggestions/advise: If it's old spend the $99 bucks and get a new one.... unless you like the challenge of troubleshooting Crazy

Look toward the Son, and you will not see the shadows

sample images from RODO PHOTO

Rodo Media BLOG

dand9959
User

Mar 3, 2006, 11:38 AM

Post #4 of 8 (922 views)
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Re: [dand9959] Scanning problem. Help! OT? [In reply to]	Can't Post

The scanner is a little over 2 yrs old...now discontinued. (Cost was about $250 at the time. HP 5500c, supposedly a "high end" consumer product.)

I've tried moving the photo around on the glass, with varying degrees of unsuccess. (i.e. the scans are always "banded", but not identically so.)

I've played with some of the settings: dpi, saturation, etc., but that did not help. The banding seems to me to be a manifestation of something physical, not software. I could be way wrong, of course.

It is important that these photos get scanned at a high quality. The reason I invested $250 in this piece was because my previous $99 scanner produced crappy results.

I'm considering laying the photos flat under some non-glare glass, lighting them brightly, and shooting them with a digital camera. I've hear pros and cons on that approach. Any thoughts there?

dc9
Novice

Mar 3, 2006, 3:14 PM

Post #5 of 8 (920 views)
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Re: [dand9959] Scanning problem. Help! OT? [In reply to]	Can't Post

i have an hp scanner tha does the same to the photos like the example you post.

i could never fixed

i gave up and bought a brand new cannon scanner canoscan lide 60 $80.00
that works perfect

mcguyver
User

Mar 4, 2006, 2:23 AM

Post #6 of 8 (900 views)
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Re: [dc9] Scanning problem. Help! OT? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Have you tried putting a book on top of the cover of the scanner when you're scanning the photo? Sometimes when we scan old crumpled photos, they don't lie flat on the scanning glass, even with the cover closed. So we lay a book (like the user manual from Final Cut Pro) on top of the scanner lid when we scan those photos and it helps press the photo against the glass for a cleaner scan. Don't know if this would work in your case, but you might want to try....

Todd

____________________________________________________
Trapped on an island in the middle of the Pacific without a Swiss Army Knife
Armed with a Sony HVR-Z1, Glen's Canon EOS 1DMkII and Glen's G5 (Dual 2Ghz/8GB RAM/Dual 250GB HD/External 250 GBSATA RAID/ATI Radeon X800 XT).

WLR
User

Mar 4, 2006, 9:21 PM

Post #7 of 8 (890 views)
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Re: [dand9959] Scanning problem. Help! OT? [In reply to]	Can't Post

It's toast.

If you really, really like that model, find another one on Ebay.

Friends don't let friends shoot jpeg.

dand9959
User

Mar 6, 2006, 11:47 AM

Post #8 of 8 (864 views)
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Re: [WLR] Scanning problem. Help! OT? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I came to that same conclusion. (Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.)

I purchased a Canon Canoscan Lide 500F and am very pleased so far. Good color, adequate speed, small footprint. The ability to auto-detect multiple photos on the platten and deliver individual cropped images is a huge timesaver.