5/1/2004
By Allison Stacy
Save time and effort in your Photoshop endeavors by heeding this advice at the scanner.
Successful photo retouching starts with a good scan. If you don't digitize pictures properly, you'll end up doing extra work to get the results you want. Save time and effort in your Photoshop endeavors by heeding this advice at the scanner:
? Be sure the glass is clean. Stray dust or dirt on your scanner creates even more blemishes for you to fix. Wipe down the glass with a soft, lint-free cloth, and be gentle: if you scratch the surface, it'll show up in all your scans.
? Always preview. Don't send your image directly to Photoshop — you'll save time by troubleshooting first. Scanning software lets you preview your picture before you make the final scan. (Many programs will automatically detect a photo on the scanner and preview it when you launch the software.) In the preview window, you can tell if the image is crooked or there's fuzz on the glass. You also can change the settings and see what effect they'll have on the scan — before you commit to them.