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Scanning Parameters |
If you're here, its probably because you're either thinking about scanning some pictures for our web site, or have already commited to do so. The good news is that scanning for the web pages is normally a pretty simple, straightforward process. The bad news is that sometimes problems can occur, and they can be rather difficult to fix.
Please read everything on this page before you start scanning images. Also, be sure and submit one or two test images before you invest the time in scanning everything. We'll post your test image on your class page so you can be sure the whole procedure is working correctly.
Let's get a few of the file/image/transfer details out of the way first.
Scanning Options
You may use either a scanner or a digital camera. Please do not use a
camcorder.
If you use a digital camera:
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Please use a tripod
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Make sure the lighting is set up so there is no glare reflected from the page
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Use rubber bands or some other method to hold the pages as flat as possible
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Be sure the image is in focus.
If you use a scanner:
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Set the scanning resolution to between 72 dpi and 120 dpi.
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If you are scanning something other than original photos and your scanning software has an option to reduce or eliminate moire patterns, please use it. It may be called a "descreening filter." Scroll down this page to see a sample scanned picture with a moire pattern.
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If at all possible, scan only the portion of the page you want to submit. Most scanning software allows you to preview the image you are going to scan and provides a marquee selection tool (looks ike a dotted rectangle) which allows you select the portion of the preview image you'd like to scan.
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If you are scanning a photo that takes up the whole width of the page, please be sure the entire photo gets scanned.
File Format
Save
the files any of these five formats:
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JPG (jpeg) (save at high quality, 80% or higher)
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TIF (tiff)
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BMP (bitmap)
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PSD (Photoshop)
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CVS (Canvas)
Please avoid all other files, including DOC (Microsoft Word), ART (AOL art), GIF, and WMF (Windows MetaFile). (Note: if you are scanning line art (something that doesn't have gray scale or photo-like images), instead of photos you can use the GIF format. However, GIF is not the best choice for saving photos).
*** Please include your class year as part of each file name. For example, "yearbookcover73.jpg" or "bball73.jpg"
File Compression
If you save the files as JPG images, there's really no reason to compress
them, unless you want to bundle several images into one ZIP (for Windows)
or STUFFIT (for Macintosh) archive.
If you use one of the other file formats, you may want to compress the file into a ZIP (if you're using Windows) or a STUFFIT (if you're using a Mac) archive. There are other compression formats out there, and we can handle most of them - just send a test file first to be sure. We've got a cable modem here, so you don't have to compress the files if you don't want to - they'll just upload a lot faster if they're compressed.
Sending the Files
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Be sure to ATTACH the scanned image's file to an E-mail. This is only an issue if you are using AOL, which gives you the ability to place an image in the body of an E-mail. If you are using AOL, do NOT place the image in the body of the E-mail. Click on the "Attach Files" button and attach the file. For all other E-mail programs, you have only one option for transferring files, and that is to attach them.
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It would be best to attach only one scanned image to an E-mail. That way you can send a brief E-mail message with each picture that tells what class it is, who is in the picture, and if there is anything special we should know about the picture (for example, if you look at the memory page menu, you'll see a photo taken at Stewart's Root Beer Stand. That photo is actually from the 1971 yearbook, but because Stewart's was a focal point for the 60's era, it went on that memory page. If you had a photo that showed a common experience for folks in your era (Swimland, the Pour House, Ram's Den, etc.) you could indicate that and we might put the photo somewhere else on the site).
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Send your E-mail with attached file to robfish@wyhs.org Once again, be sure you've sent a test file and heard from us before you do all your scans.
Picking the Photos
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If you're scanning "atmosphere" photos of your class, we're looking for 5 to 8 good photos that reflect your class - pictures that will bring back memories for most of your classmates.
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For the "atmosphere" photos, please send no more than 10 photos for your class page. We'll put six or seven photos on every page. Depending on the layout of the pictures, we'll probably put up to 8 photos on most pages, with 9 on some. If you really can't narrow it down to less than 10, we may squeeze them all in, but odds are we'll stop at 8 on the page.
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We aren't necessarily looking for pictures of your class officers and most popular people in your class. If the pictures happen to be of those folks, that's fine. But please pick the best photos based on the look and feel of the image - not on who is in the picture.
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We'll crop and resize the photos to fit the available space. Don't worry if your photo is 7" wide - we'll make it fit or let you know we need another photo.
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If at all possible, please include a photo of your guidance counselor for us to put at the very botttom of the class web page, similar to what we did at the bottom of http://www.wyhs.org/classof1970
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Please try to include a scan of your yearbook cover
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Once again, please be sure to include the names of everyone in the picture when you send your E-mail.
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If you are scanning senior pictures, one option is to scan one 8.5" x 11" page at a time, attach that file to an E-mail, and have the E-mail include the names of all the folks in that particular picture.
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If you are scanning senior pictures, another option is to scan the individual pictures (I take a full-page scan, copy a person's picture and then paste it into a new document). Pictures should be named with the individual's last name. If you have two folks with the same last name, add on their first initial. My picture, for example, would be called "fish.jpg." If my sister had been in my class, her picture would have been "fishc.jpg" and mine would have been "fishr.jpg." The final size of the photograph needs to be exactly 2" wide.
Names, Names, Names
Please attach one
file to each E-mail, and be sure your E-mail message includes a description
of the photo and the names (first & last) of everyone in the picture
- even if the photo shows their names. To reduce download time, we'll
probably shrink the photos a bit (making the names in the photos may become
impossible to read) or crop the photo to completely eliminate the text.
If you're scanning senior pictures, you may scan one page at a time or do individual pictures. Whichever you decide, please make sure your E-mail message includes the names of everyone in the picture. If you scan a full page at a time, you can put all the names in one paragraph, just separate the names with commas. Something like "John Appleseed, Roger Arends, Beth Barr, Cindy Batcholder, Jim Brastrick, etc." You might name the file something like "seniors7301.jpg" or "seniors7302.jpg" where the "73" would be replaced with your class year.
If you're scanning senior pictures and you're scanning them one picture at a time, please use the individual's name as the file name, separating the last and first names with an underscore (don't forget the year!). For example, "fish_rob71.jpg" or "johnson_howard64.jpg"
Potential Problems
About the only problem we expect to encounter is having a moire pattern
appear on scanned images. This is not a concern if you are scanning original
photographs. However, when you scan images from a yearbook, newspaper,
magazine or book, a moire pattern will show up in the scanned image. In
most cases, it is so slight that it isn't noticable. However, from time
to time, you'll find a picture where the moire pattern is so bad, the
scanned image is unusable. Here's a picture with one type of moire pattern:
Those lines going up and down are the moire pattern. The moire pattern can look very different on different types of pictures. Here's a site with a very good explanation of what moire pattern's are, samples of what they can look like, and info on how to minimize and/or correct them: http://scantips.com/basics6b.html
If you end up with moire patterns in your test images, please take a few minutes to read that page.
I've put together a page that talks about formatting images for the web. You'll find that page at http://www.wyhs.org/docs/web_pics.htm
I think that's about everything. If I've left anything out, please let me know. And, if you started reading this page out of curiousity and have decided you'd now like to help with the web site in some way, please let me know.
Have a GREAT one!
Rob
E-mail: robfish@wyhs.org
Here's a link to our "Team" page, showing who's helping out with what.