It kills me when . . .

[skypinkblu]

I have a $100 scanner and blows up every defect, discolors stuff, too...I don't scan enough to buy an expensive one...but I do have a suggestion.

 

Try using a digital camera in natural light if you want to show the colors correctly, it might not show the spine ticks,but it helps with the color when you want to have another picture to show the book. Since most of the stuff I sell is lower grade anyway, I rarely bother, but if I'm selling something special.. I have added a digital picture.

 

The one good thing about my scanner is, most people tell me they are pleasantly surprised when they get the books:)

[jimjum12]

I have a $100 scanner and blows up every defect, discolors stuff, too...I don't scan enough to buy an expensive one...but I do have a suggestion.

 

Try using a digital camera in natural light if you want to show the colors correctly, it might not show the spine ticks,but it helps with the color when you want to have another picture to show the book. Since most of the stuff I sell is lower grade anyway, I rarely bother, but if I'm selling something special.. I have added a digital picture.

 

The one good thing about my scanner is, most people tell me they are pleasantly surprised when they get the books:)

 

My old scanner (R.I.P. ) was like that also. I too, like digital pics as they capture gloss...or lack there of....much better than a scanner. The only problem with them is that my hands have to be ABSOLUTELY steady for a good shot....which isn't easy for a recovering alchoholic ( 11 years) like myself GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[oakman29]

I'll admit Ive done it to a couple scans of mine but it's never been with the intention of deceiving anyone. They're pretty much for my enjoyment as my generic scams tend to turn out bland.

 

Just a little advice, when talking about playing with the color of your scans, you probably shouldn't mess us and type "SCAM" instead of "SCAN"!

 

Sounds like a Freudian slip to me.

[Clouded9]

I'll admit Ive done it to a couple scans of mine but it's never been with the intention of deceiving anyone. They're pretty much for my enjoyment as my generic scams tend to turn out bland.

 

Just a little advice, when talking about playing with the color of your scans, you probably shouldn't mess us and type "SCAM" instead of "SCAN"!

 

Sounds like a Freudian slip to me.

 

+1

 

He said one thing, but he meant a mother!

 

[skypinkblu]

I have a $100 scanner and blows up every defect, discolors stuff, too...I don't scan enough to buy an expensive one...but I do have a suggestion.

 

Try using a digital camera in natural light if you want to show the colors correctly, it might not show the spine ticks,but it helps with the color when you want to have another picture to show the book. Since most of the stuff I sell is lower grade anyway, I rarely bother, but if I'm selling something special.. I have added a digital picture.

 

The one good thing about my scanner is, most people tell me they are pleasantly surprised when they get the books:)

 

My old scanner (R.I.P. ) was like that also. I too, like digital pics as they capture gloss...or lack there of....much better than a scanner. The only problem with them is that my hands have to be ABSOLUTELY steady for a good shot....which isn't easy for a recovering alchoholic ( 11 years) like myself GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

I'm proud of you, Jimbo!

 

I either rest the camera on something, or I use the automatic stabilizing kind...Nikon has a relatively good one that's not terribly expensive at Costco.

 

[jimjum12]

I have a $100 scanner and blows up every defect, discolors stuff, too...I don't scan enough to buy an expensive one...but I do have a suggestion.

 

Try using a digital camera in natural light if you want to show the colors correctly, it might not show the spine ticks,but it helps with the color when you want to have another picture to show the book. Since most of the stuff I sell is lower grade anyway, I rarely bother, but if I'm selling something special.. I have added a digital picture.

 

The one good thing about my scanner is, most people tell me they are pleasantly surprised when they get the books:)

 

My old scanner (R.I.P. ) was like that also. I too, like digital pics as they capture gloss...or lack there of....much better than a scanner. The only problem with them is that my hands have to be ABSOLUTELY steady for a good shot....which isn't easy for a recovering alchoholic ( 11 years) like myself GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

I'm proud of you, Jimbo!

 

I either rest the camera on something, or I use the automatic stabilizing kind...Nikon has a relatively good one that's not terribly expensive at Costco.

 

 

....thanks for the tip, Sharon. I love taking photos, it's my new bottle .....along with several other things......I guess you can say I have one setting; "too much" GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Underground44]

Where are the examples?

[TeddieMercede]

Disregarding whatever drama started this thread it's pretty easy to see which scans are over-saturated and really brightened up and it is pretty annoying. If a scan of a book makes you squint just too look at it here's a hint, it's been manipulated and way too much regardless what the owner of the book says.

[8milemax]

Please don't hijack my thread with your insecurities.

 

I didn't. We're discussing scanners and comics.

 

 

Roy why give him the time of day? He's acting like he always does a DIVA

[VintageComics]

Where are the examples?

 

I'd post a ton of them but all my old pics were stored on an old labtop that no longer works.

 

I had an old cannon scanner that made books "pop" with colour. You didn't even need to adjust the images, the scanner did it by itself.

 

One problem the scanner had though, was that it would amplify even the slightest dirt or darkness on a white area, so a book with no foxing or tanning that could be seen by the naked eye would look like it was dirty or discolouring in the scan.

 

Another example was a grading context we had here a few years ago.

 

There were black cover books that looked like 7.5 and 8.5 books that were getting graded 9.4 by CGC. It turns out that the scanners that were being used were amplifying spine breaks and colouring in them white in the scans when in fact they were not breaking colour when you actually held the book in hand.

 

Heritage also used to use a very bright scanner in their listings. Some of their early scans were horrendously bright.

 

The problem is that if you try to read into intent when someone is posting a scan without actually having the whole story, you can assume someone is doing something unsavory when in fact we're really at the mercy of the technology that we're using. Scanners were not made to scan CGC graded comics. Additionally, with scanners you get what you pay for, so a $10,000 scanner is going to do a much better job than a $200 scanner.

 

Ultimately, it comes down to dealing with people you trust, asking some questions if you have a concern and learning that nothing represents real life the way real life does.

[comicdonna]

Here's a few camera examples.

 

[VintageComics]

If a scan of a book makes you squint just too look at it here's a hint, it's been manipulated and way too much regardless what the owner of the book says.

 

Eric, one thing I'd add though, is that some scanners will make a very bright looking scan even though there is no manual adjustment made by the person making the scan. It all comes down to how that scanner is programmed and what type of bulb it is using in the scanning process.

 

Every scanner has some sort of compensating software to try and mimic real life, but as you compensate, a digital scanner needs to "make decisions" as to how it represents each pixel of colour.

 

Remember that digital is a "yes/no" decision making process while real life is infinitely variable.

 

Since digital colours are not infinitely variable like real life is, the digital choice of pixel may or may not be the best one and some colours can appear too dull while others are too bright.

 

In the case of the spine stresses in the grading contest I mentioned, the scanner was putting in white spine cracks even though those spine cracks were not white in real life.

 

The software "decided" that it was the right thing to do.

 

If anyone was in the grading contest you'll remember all the drama and arguing those scans created.

 

Again, I think with scanners you get what you pay for and a $10,000 scanner will have better quality software and lamp (and over all reproducing capability) than the $200 scanner that most of us use.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Please don't hijack my thread with your insecurities.

 

 

[VintageComics]

I found an old scan on photobucket. I think this scan was made by my old Canon scanner.

 

The book is extremely bright looking and the yellows and reds in particular are amplified a bit but this is the way the scanner made the books look. The scans were not manipulated by me to make the book look better.

 

I think it was these scans that made Divad lose his cool but it was the only scanner I could afford on my budget at the time. Nothing nefarious.

 

[jimjum12]

This is an old Heritage scan.....brightness was often set too high back then. This book in hand is bone white....one of the whitest SA books I've owned. However, it is NOT "dwarf star white" as the scan indicates. I've continued to use it as I do not have a scanner that will accomodate slabs. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

[VintageComics]

Please don't hijack my thread with your insecurities.

 

I didn't. We're discussing scanners and comics.

 

 

Roy why give him the time of day? He's acting like he always does a DIVA

 

Because sometimes pushing a bully off of you is enough but if that doesn't work then they need to be taken back to their own turf and dealt with decisively.

 

(thumbs u

 

 

[jimjum12]

I decided to try using my editing features on the ASM 19 scan.....brightness, temperature, and tint, and I actually arrived at a result that is much more indicative of the actual book. Below you will find before and after examples. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend ofg jesus) (thumbs u

 

BEFORE

 

 

AFTER

 

[rodan57]

It's an interesting debate. A true to life slab scan does tell you what the slab looks like but the slab itself tends to gray the colours of the comic book.

[divad]

Why do you think everything is always about you?

[divad]

It's an interesting debate. A true to life slab scan does tell you what the slab looks like but the slab itself tends to gray the colours of the comic book.

 

Not really. There are lots of inexpensive scanners available that do nothing but reproduce excellent and accurate images, even with slabs. Changing the settings on a scanner to make your book look more attractive is no different than Photoshopping. One reason not to buy from photos is that reflectivity plays a role - books are never as "glossy" as a photos makes them appear.

 

Increasing the brightness on a scanner is a common way to hide defects (typically on BCs). I stay away from books that have had the saturation or brightness (both ways) tweeked.