75. Scan In Photos BEFORE YOU BEGIN Just jump right in.
SEE ALSO 77 Convert Between Image Formats 78 Change Photo Resolution and Size 140 Use the Web to Get a Digital Picture
Scanning pictures with Windows XP is as easy as importing pictures with a digital camera. As with a camera, before you can scan pictures, you must first install the scanner so that it works with your PC, and install the scanner's software, if it has any. To do that, follow the scanner's instructions. In this task, you'll learn how to scan pictures into your PC using Windows XP's built-in software. Many scanners also include software that lets you import scanned images, so you can instead use that software to do it. The quality of the software that comes with scanners varies widely, though, so you might want to use XP's built-in software instead of the software that ships with your scanner. | 1. | Connect the Scanner to Your Computer
Before you can scan pictures into your PC, you must connect the scanner to your computer. Unless you have a very old scanner, connect it to the USB port. After you've installed the scanner, even if you disconnect it from the USB port, Windows XP will automatically recognize the scanner the next time you plug it in.
| | 2. | Run the Scanner and Camera Wizard
When you plug your scanner into the USB port of your PC, the Scanner and Camera Wizard might start up automatically. If it doesn't, you can force the wizard to run by clicking the Start button, choosing Control Panel , choosing Printers and Other Hardware , selecting Scanners and Cameras , and then double-clicking the icon of your scanner, such as the Hewlett-Packard ScanJet 4100C .
The first wizard screen appears, telling you that the wizard is running. Click Next .
| | 3. | Select Your Scanning Preferences The Choose Scanning Preferences screen appears, letting you choose whether you are scanning a color picture, a grayscale picture , or a black-and-white picture or text. Enable the button next to the option that best applies to the image you want to scan. KEY TERM Grayscale picture A black-and-white picture that has gradations of gray in it. | | 4. | Preview Your Picture
Before actually performing the scan, you'll want to get a sense of its quality before proceeding. Click the Preview button, and the scanner will scan the picture and show you a preview of what the picture will look like.
If you're scanning a picture that is much smaller than the size of the scanner's image area, it might appear very small when you preview it. You can see a close-up of the picture by clicking the Enlarge buttonthe one just to the right of the Preview button. To see the picture in its normal size, click on the button to the right of it.
| | 5. | Customize Your Scanner Settings If the preview looks too dim, too bright, does not have contrast, is fuzzy, or has some other problem with it, you can customize the scan settings. Click the Custom Settings button to open the Advanced Properties dialog box. From here you can change the brightness and contrast of the image, and change its resolution, which is measured in dots per inch (dpi). The higher the dpi, the higher the quality of the image (and the larger the picture file). The maximum dpi you can choose is determined by your scanner's capabilities. Use the sliders to change the Brightness and Contrast , and the up and down arrows to change the Resolution (dpi). You can also change the Picture Type by selecting color, black-and-white, or grayscale from the drop-down list. As you make the changes, the sample image on the screen changes, so that you can see how your customizations will affect the picture. NOTE As you make changes in the Advanced Properties dialog box, you'll see the effect your changes have on a sample imagea picture of daisiesnot on your actual photo. When you're done, click OK . You'll be sent back to the screen where you can preview your scan. Click the Preview button again to see how your scan will look. Click the Custom Settings button again if you're not yet happy with your scan, make changes, and preview the picture again. Keep doing this until you're satisfied with the scan. When you're satisfied with the preview, click Next . 75. Scan In Photos | | 6. | Choose a Destination and Name for Your Picture The Picture Name and Destination page of the wizard appears. From here you can name the picture and choose the folder where you want to store it. TIP By default, the picture is placed in your My Pictures folder. If you want to place it in a different location, click the Browse button, choose the new location, and click OK . You will also give your picture a name. When you give it a name, two things happen. First, a folder is created underneath the destination folder you chose. For example, if you store pictures in your My Pictures folder, and you give the pictures the name doll picture , a new folder called doll picture is created underneath your My Pictures folder, and your picture is stored in that new folder. Additionally, the picture is given the name doll picture.jpg . | | 7. | Scan the Picture
Click Next when you've chosen a folder and name. The picture is now scanned, and you'll see the progress as the picture is scanned.
After the picture is scanned, the steps involved in using your pictures are exactly as described in steps 6 and 7 of 74 Import Photos from a Digital Camera , so turn to those steps for more details about how to work with your pictures after they're scanned in.
| |
