# What to do about light blotches in photos (scanning project)



## PC person (Feb 2, 2006)

like the ones in this picture below. I wouldn't mind so much except I am scanning (with the genius scan ap) these magazines I bought, then plan to throw them away, I need the text to be legible. Below also is the light I'm using, unfortunately, there's no way to dim the light bulb and I've tried taking the picture with the light not shining directly on the page, but I still have this problem.





On a side note, I have 3 scanners. A hand scanner, a flatbed and the scanning apps on my phone. Genius Scan is the one that works the best, I think. There are a couple that automatically (at least try) to recognize the picture and automatically crop it, but sometimes they get it wrong. Genius scan tries to do this, but doesn't always succeed, but it lets you see the picture first and frame it if it makes a mistake.

Another thing is the speed at which I scan these magazines. With the above problem, it not always recognizing the edges of the picture, I have to frame almost every one, I wonder if something that would help would be a solid-color (such as black- or whatever color the edges of the pages aren't) sheet I could put under it the extends out from the page, so it would know that's where it ends, do any of them recognize something like that? 

There are also some scanners that scan faster such as this one.






this one






and this one, which is homemade, not sure I'd be able to make it though, skillwise and to buy the equipment right now






I can't afford to buy any of them as they are extremely expensive, but I wondered if there's anywhere you can, a place where you can use them for a fee or rent them for a day, a few days, or a week.


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## Confounded Also (Aug 19, 2015)

A flatbed scanner is usually best for printed material. Holds the item flat and uses internal lighting. Software can usually be adjusted for the best result.


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## kendallt (Feb 21, 2007)

A sheet of glass or clear plastic will hold them flat and avoid reflections.
The wide V shaped scanner is just to keep the book pages flat for imaging, can do same by laying book on table and propping the opposite side up with a sheet of wood or plastic.
Problem is that the angle needs to be changed as you progress through the book, again a clear sheet of glass/plastic will make them flatter.


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

As above really with the flatbed scanner suggestion, plus using a dark backing-sheet to define the page edges works perfectly well with that.

Magazines are scanned almost perfectly, with just a slight 'bend' (or gutter) where the pages are stapled down the centre, but the text shouldn't extend that far anyway. If any text or pics do get warped, just place a hand on top of the lid to hold it flat, then scan again :wink: (My wife has done exactly this with all her old craft-magazines too :lol

Books can be scanned similarly, just take a bit of care not to split the spine when bending it flat - Using a dark sheet is a lot trickier though when scanning books, especially thick ones. It might then be worth getting a larger sheet of dark card and cutting a page-sized square out of the centre, then lay the book on top with just the required page showing through the hole.


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## PC person (Feb 2, 2006)

I know about flatbed scanning and I did scan a magazine this way, just it's a little slower.

I'm wondering where's a good place to get one of these sheets. I tried this

https://www.google.com/search?as_q=..._occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=

staples has some, but not sure they'd be big enough. Thought they might be at walmart, staples, etc, which I could physically visit.


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## kendallt (Feb 21, 2007)

Pretty much any hardware store (Ace or the big box stores like Lowes or home depot for example) will have acrylic (plexiglass) sheets behind the counter where they install glass. 

Many places sell both acrylic and Lexan sheets, acrylic is a bit more brittle than Lexan, but lexan scratches very easily compared to acrylic.
Lexan is also called bullet proof in thicker sizes, but hopefully that's not a concern when you're scanning....


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## PC person (Feb 2, 2006)

Was wondering if some place like CVS/Walgreens/Brooks would have them too. 

What I was also thinking of (if it will help genius scan recognize the page borders) is put a piece of colored construction paper under and around the page I am scanning.


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## PC person (Feb 2, 2006)

Here's a few pictures that I took using a plastic cover sheet. Photo shows what kind, and actually using it.

Here's what I bought



Here's it out of the package



Here's it being used (may be hard to see around the magazine



Here's a pic of it being used again (easier to see)



Here's a pic of how I changed the lighting with the magazine in the bottom left of the desk, with the last picture it came out much better, no light blotches



Here's a pic with an overhead light source with a page using it. I'm wondering if the plexiglass you recommend doesn't reflect light at all, this does somewhat.



Thing is, I don't see the light blotches really when looking at the magazines with my naked eyes, only after I take a picture does it show in them.


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## Wizmo (Apr 3, 2011)

*If you are scanning and plan to throw the original away, CAREFULLY/BARELY CUT the spine of the magazine with a paper cutter and use the flatbed! Preferably one with a scanner that does double sided and has a page feeder!! I do this all the time, and even scan them to a TEXT readable PDF format. Magazines are printed on GLOSSY paper that will never take a proper photo no matter how you light them, and trust me, I have tried! :nonono:

I had a collection of manythousands of technical magazines from over 40 years of collecting. It took me most of a year to cut and scan them ALL in and discard the originals with my HP All-in-One with a document feeder. This included the entire history of "Mother Earth News" starting from issue #1!! :thumb:

The effort eliminated 24 bookshelves and virtually TONS of printed materials. Technology to the rescue!! Mom uses some of the cross-cut shredded paper to enhance her cat litter. The remaining shredded results has made quite a bonus in my compost heap mixed in with the junk mail and large volumes of organic waste.... :grin:

I now get most of my magazines online in PDF format already, and what I can't get that way I scan about every 3 months or so taking about a day. 4 days' work annually archives everything I have an interest in, AND preserves it in digital format to have and to share. My current "library" comprises 4 - 2TB drives, each one backed up in TWO places. HDD's are so cheap nowadays! :wink:

*


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

You could try angling the light onto the subject at a shallow angle, so the light doesn't bounce up into the lens - Another photographer's trick is to diffuse the light by draping some thin white material over the lamp i.e. a clean white handkerchief :wink:


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## kendallt (Feb 21, 2007)

or bouncing it off the ceiling.


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## Wizmo (Apr 3, 2011)

*Either of the two previous post suggestions may improve things if you still want to use the photographic method. The key thing is to isolate the light source from any chance of picking up a direct reflection from the source page.

Having archived many thousands of magazines, I chose the high-tech method which is also the fastest and least labor intensive. In re-reading your post again, it seems budget is an essential issue. The All-in-One printer/scanner I used had a cost of approximately $400, but has saved me endless hours of scanning time. :grin:

The archive project of my library would have taken MANY years had I not taken the route I did. I may be retired, with more time on my hands, but I do have other activities and interests which I also enjoy in that time! I actually spent about 3 days a week with the scanning project which took about a year. I consider it time well spent as I am the "family librarian" with all kinds of information at hand in the areas of electronics, woodworking and general mechanical, science and ecological matters. I guess from that description you can probably deduce the many and varied "popular" publications I had accumulated! :whistling:*


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## PC person (Feb 2, 2006)

> The All-in-One printer/scanner I used had a cost of approximately $400, but has saved me endless hours of scanning time. :grin:


You're definitely talking about one with a paper feed, right? Putting the magazines face down, page by page is slower. I guess I could butcher my magazines don't want to do that my books, though, at least not yet. I like the feel of a book in my hands, until they get paper thin electronic paper books, which we don't have yet. 

Plus, the fact that I can read/look at the book at the same time I'm looking at my screen, I don't have multiple monitors.


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