Photo scanning question

[CapeMaui]

If 300 dpi is recommended for scanning photos, can't I set it higher to get even more high res, like 600 dpi or 9600 dpi (which is the max that's offered on our scanner)? what is the best dpi selection to ensure that I can go as large as full page bleed on a deluxe album??

Thanks!
Annie

[Cruiser]

Scan at any dpi you choose but you will need to reduce the size and dpi to work well in the MyPublisher software.

Most of my books have been done using 350 dpi which makes a beautiful picture but the file size is almost too large for the software. Any .dime file you want to Import back into Bookmaker must be under 2 gig and if you use larger files, it will take longer to upload and you will not be able to Import the file back into Bookmaker if you want to make any changes. I would limit my individual picture size to under 5 mb. Usually 2 mb to 3mb makes a good picture. I use Photoshop and size my pictures to meet the requirements in the "Help" section of the MyPublisher web site.

[CapeMaui]

Thanks so much Cruiser!

After reading your post, I now think I know what I need to ask/clarify to be able to scan at the best quality needed for my publisher.

OK, so I have an Epson scanner/printer. It allows for up to 9600 dpi in the professional mode (the only place that will allow you to set target size in inches or pixels or mm), which I don't want to do based on what you wrote (plus the size of the file is something ridulous, like 25 GB!) So what I'm understanding is that I should set the image type to 24-bit Color, set the target size to at least 8x11 for the deluxe book, and then set the dpi to 300. Is this correct?

I guess I'm not quite certain because in the past, when I scan, I usually set the dpi, to color photo, then leave the target size as "orignal", which gives me whatever the original size of the photo is, which in this case is just under 4x6. Should I be manually changing the target size to the size of the deluxe book to ensure sharp print when doing a full bleed? When I do a preview, it shows the photos at 3.98inx5.9in, 1193x1768 pixels, 6.03MB I'm guessing this is not good enough for the deluxe book since the pixel numbers are less than suggested? But why is my file size so huge?

Lastly, I would also like to keep these scans as a high res back up of my film photos (some are so old that I can't find the negatives to anymore, some are from when I was a baby, some are from my parents' childhood). Should I be scanning these at as high dpi as possible? But how would I save these photos with the crazy file sizes?

Thanks again for your help!
Annie

[Cruiser]

I usually scan at the original size. For example: a 5" x 7" at 9600 dpi to 1200 dpi. My Epson V700 will scan at much higher resolutions but I don't need them except for negatives. Then I go into Photoshop and crop it like I want, set the dimentions and the change the dpi to 200 to 350 dpi. I have been using 200 dpi lately and it works fine. When you scan at 9600, you have a large enough file to do most anything you want with it. Be sure and use the reduce drop down option if you are using Photoshop. Save as a new file name. Then drag it into Bookmaker to see how it looks.

Last night I was scanning some photos from the 1940's and they were wallet size. I scanned at the original size and at 1200 dpi. I had a huge file but when I went into Photoshop and resized them, the file size dropped down to one that would work in Bookmaker. The pictures were crisp and clear. I saved them at 6" high and 4" wide and 200 dpi. They won't work in a full bleed but they do well in the templates of two or more pictures. If I wanted a full bleed from a wallet size, I could do it but I would have to save them at a larger size and higher dpi, perhaps 350 dpi. I'm working on a Vintage book of family photographs and most of them are the wallet size which is a real challenge.

Another thing I am doing is making a collage in Photoshop of several small pictures and dragging it into Bookmaker as a full bleed. That way, I can add some color to my book and some text. You need some photo processing program to make this all work. Your 6 mb pictures are actually too large for a big 100 page Deluxe if that is what you are making. The pixels are not as important as the file size. If you are doing a 20 page, the 6 mb would be fine.

I hope this helps.

[CapeMaui]

Thanks Cruiser! That was super helpful! Unfortunately, I'm really a photoshop dummy! I'm very proficient with MS powerpoint and MS publisher, which I use for layouts for presentations and posters a lot. Both PP and Publisher are capable of saving pages as JPEG, so I can use it to do special layout. The only downside I have found of that is that I can't get the dpi of the ppt/publisher-saved JPEG to 300! So I have funky outlines on the text (eventhough I don't have that problem if I save it as is and send it to a printer) Any suggestions? (ps, I did find the post to change the reg key for PP to change the dpi, but I dont know if it is b/c my PP is 2002 and not 2003/2007, the reg key fix didn't work...)

What I have been using to crop and resize photos is just MS photo manager... super basic, but pretty much gets the job done...

lastly, do you know what "unsharp mask" and "descreening" mean in the scanning screen of Epson scanners? Oh, btw, I have a RX580.

Thanks again!

[Cruiser]

Actually, I'm not sure what "unsharp mask" and "descreening" actually do but I leave them checked in the Epson scanning software. I believe it has something to do with sharpening the picture.

My suggestion to you is go to the Scrapbook section of this forum. Marti does all her books using Powerpoint. I'm sure if you read through those posts, you will find some helpful information. Also, you might post there so she can answer you directly. She is a real PP whiz and does some really good books using that program. I am more comfortable with Photoshop and am lost when it comes to PP.

[CapeMaui]

Yhanks again Cruiser! I will definitely checkout the scrapbook section! Really appreciate all of your help with scanning!

[Cruiser]

One last suggestion. Do a search using PP. Most folks here use PP for Powerpoint. You will find a lot of information.

[mypublisher]

Thanks for offering suggestions!