Resolution - Scanning a B&W Photo

[bayhli]

Good morning everyone!

I scanned a B&W photo into Elements. I set the scan resolution to 300 DPI with a setting of grey scale (B&W setting was extremely grainy but the greyscale is great).

When I open the photo in elements, set for RGB mode, the resolution is only 72 ppi, not the 300 DPI I scanned it as. Why?

The size of the photo in Elements is about 30x32; when I resize it to close to the 5x7 I want, it gets up to a resolution of 230 not the 300 I think I need.

When I print it it is ok. But the plan is to bring it in to a photo shop to be printed as my printer is leaving black marks (I'm waiting for a new one).

I'm on Windows XP and Elements 3.

My question then is why do I only get the 72 resolution in Elements after scanning at 300 and will my present resolution results of 230 get a decent photo by a photo developer?

Thanks!

[Mary]

Hi Pat - this is certainly one of the putsy things about PSE I think - when you bring something in from most cameras or scanned images they come in at 72. The first thing is make a copy of that layer - then go to Image Resize Image and change the Resoltuion to 300. Make sure you have Resample turned OFF!:)

[bayhli]

Wow - that easy! It also put the size closer to what I'm aiming for as well. Thanks so much Mary. I thought for sure I was doing something wrong in the scanning process.

I did notice that my digital camera images come in at 180 and freaked until I read some good info on the forum. Of course I didn't relate that to scanning.

Another funny thing - When I open the photo in Elements it asks for a profile and I select Adobe RGB. When it actually opens I notice at the top of the elements window that it indicates (file name).doc.gif@21.8% (Index). I then change the "mode" to RGB. I expected the scanned file to be a jpg type but then is that the type of scanned file I should have to start - what type of file "should" I save the scanned image as or does it matter? I notice other mssgs on the forum talk about a scanned image saving as a .tiff etc.

It ends up being a psd file after I work on it of course but I think I need to convert it to a jpg to have it printed by a photo shop?

Thanks again for such a prompt reply!

[Mary]

I would definitely save my scans as highest quality jpg's or tifs. Gifs have very limited colors so are really only good for line art or clip art. Jpg's and tif's are millions of colors and even though you are doing black and white you really are dealing with a bizillion shades of black and white. Tifs would be a good choice also but sometimes the files get very very large.

Let us know if I missed anything and someone will fill in the blanks I am sure. :)

[bayhli]

Mary,

Thought I would give you an update Mary - I'm doing this for a friend so I ran out to get the photo from her again and rescanned it after reading your 2nd message.

I now have it saved at 600 ppi in Elements as a tif file, so I should have enough resolution to crop off a bit of the photo that I don't want and upsize it to fit a 5x7 frame. Cropping sure does drastically reduce the resolution doesn't it? It actually scanned it at the 600 ppi this time and I scanned it in as a colour photo even tho it's B&W.

I'm going to try the resizing and cropping next, do a little restoration by cloning, and then on to experiment with improving the B&W image itself with some of the techniques I've read about from others on the forum and filters I've downloaded. I was going to sharpen it last - if I end up using just a filter, do I still need to sharpen it or is the filter enough usually? Am I correct with the order I'm planning on doing these steps?

I may be back with another question but I'm feeling much better now that I'm starting off with a more solid scanned image. It can only improve the results.

I'm learning so much through this experience and your advice Mary - thanks so much. I am so enjoying this!!

[Mary]

Hi - it sounds like you are really getting your arms around your project now :) .

Cropping shouldn't affect the resolution one dot! Make sure when you are cropping that you don't have a lower resolution filled in at the top bar of the window after you select the crop tool.

Your eye will be the best judge of whether you need to sharpen your image but yes I would make it the last step if needed. When sharpening I start out at a setting of .5 - if it needs more I go up by increments of .5

Good luck - keep going - you are well on your way:) :)

[bayhli]

OK - I've cropped and resized my image and added more white canvas to allow for a 1/4 inch white border and another 1/2 inch to be hidden by the frame in order to fit a 5x7 frame.

I didn't expect to be back so soon but I have a question before I go any further with restoration and do it for nothing if there is a problem.

I'm still at 430 resolution after cropping and resizing and I assume that is a good thing...

I always thought that as soon as I started working with any photo in Elements, that it would be saved as a psd file automatically. When I saved it, it remained a tif file but complete with all my layers and I can still manipulate it with all of the Elements tools. Is it ok to keep working on it as a tif file or will I run into problems down the line when I make it a jpg for printing by a photo store?

It is a large file alright but saving it as a psd (copy) only reduced it by 20 mg.

Should I continue working on it as a tif or change it to a psd or jpg file by resaving it as one of the latter?

I know, I know ..... little things cause me anxiety :rolleyes: I'm just afraid that I will discover later tonight that I have to do all the restoration etc over because I boobed with the file type - I'm really strapped for time on this.

Thanks once again!!

[bayhli]

Duh...I forgot I have good books now. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

The Missing Manual tells me I am best carrying on with tif or psd so there you have it! Read some interesting stuff about jpg's as well. This is a really good book if you are looking for one.

Thanks anyway - I don't have to waste anyone's time any further ..... yet??

[Daviskw]

Hi Pat

You can work and save in tif just as well as PSD. Your file size will just be a little bigger. Speaking of size, most people recommend 300 ppi for printing on an inkjet. You can get by with less for professional printers but I would set the final resolution as 300. It will not hurt to keep your file at 430 but the file will just be unnecessarily large.

If you are pleased with the dimensions then just check resample and set your resolution to 300 and click ok. You should check the sharpness sometimes reducing the resolutions will make the picture soft. If this happens just use “unsharp mask” to sharpen before printing. By the way if quality is very important to you I would not change to a jpeg. I’d leave it as a tif when taking it to get printed.

Good luck
Butch

[bayhli]

Thanks Butch,

I was actually wondering whether or not I should reduce the size when I took in the file. I'm also glad you mentioned leaving it at tif for printing rather than jpg - I did read that jpg reduces quality but I was under the impression that I had to use jpg for outside printing. I'll sure be glad to get my new printer so I can do it myself and see the results right away.

Great advice, much appreciated. Thanks again!

[Mary]

Good Morning Pat

If you are having your print done outside - you will have to check with your processor to see what format they require. Most of them require jpg. If you only save as jpg once at the highest setting you shouldn't lose too much. Be sure and check with them before you submit your file.:)

[bayhli]

Will do Mary, thanks.

Just as an aside, I'm using Scott Kelby's layer technique for removing specks and scratches from the image and it is working beautifully. I'll then clone the torn and widely scratched areas. Elements is something else isn't it!:)