Help repairing photo -scanner fault

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

tonyjeffs@aol.com wrote:
> Hi
> I spent 10 days scanning borrowed family photos at high res. Not until
> I'd finished did I discover that there is a fault with the scanner, and
> I can't easily borrow the photos again.
>
> There are stripes of different 'greyness', approx 2 cm wide accross the
> mostly b&w photos, rather like the different stripes of green in a
> newly mowed lawn. If you want to see an example, here's one; I've
> reduced the resolution for the internet.
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tony.jeffs/junk.jpg
>
> Any ideas on how about trying to correct it? Is it a realistic
> possibility?
>
> Thanks tony

Hi...

Perhaps my old eyes, but I can't see what you're speaking
of.

Perhaps you need to put up a larger picture, or maybe
a crop of a larger picture.

Ken

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

The stripes are in the direction of the movement of the sensor bar.

-----------------------
1 1
1 1
-----------------------
-----------------------
1 1
1 1
1 1
-----------------------

So if that's the scanner with the moving bar accross the middle, the
picture has bars running from top to bottom. I imagine there are two
sets of 'heads' on the bar, and one isn't set correctly.
...............................................................................................................
Ken, I've faked (what looks like) an exaggerated version of the fault
here.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tony.jeffs/exjunk.jpg
once you've seen it, you'll be able to pick out the real fault in the
real picture, in the same places, here
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tony.jeffs/junk.jpg

tony

Tony

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Marvin wrote:
>
> tonyjeffs@aol.com wrote:
> > Hi
> > I spent 10 days scanning borrowed family photos at high res. Not until
> > I'd finished did I discover that there is a fault with the scanner, and
> > I can't easily borrow the photos again.
> >
> > There are stripes of different 'greyness', approx 2 cm wide accross the
> > mostly b&w photos, rather like the different stripes of green in a
> > newly mowed lawn. If you want to see an example, here's one; I've
> > reduced the resolution for the internet.
> > http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tony.jeffs/junk.jpg
> >
> > Any ideas on how about trying to correct it? Is it a realistic
> > possibility?
> >
> > Thanks tony
> >
>
> What may work, depending on what image editing software you have, is to get a neutral gray
> image (you could print one out), scan it the same way, invert the image to a negative, and
> apply that as a layer to the photo images.

I studied the problem in Photoshop, and it appears that the effect is
worse in dark areas like the lady's blouse than in lighter areas. This
would suggest a light or flare problem with the scanner, maybe something
has been on the scanner glass that has left behind a deposit of some
sort, in vertical bands down the glass. The novel solution suggested by
Marvin probably won't work because the variations aren't a constant
density shift within the bands.

I think, sadly, you have no recourse but to re-scan the images, even
though it might be difficult to obtain them a second time. If time or
speed is a problem, you might consider using a digital camera on a copy
stand, much faster than a scanner, more portable - go to the photographs
instead of them coming to you. I guess most of the shots are 120
contact prints, and a >3MP shot will probably beat most scanners for
definition.

Colin D.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Thanks for all the suggestions.
The trouble is, the fault isn't consistant. Although it is to do with
the heads, smooth photos are less a(e)ffected than stippled photos, and
lighter photos less than high contrast photos. It isn't even constant
in different regions of the same photo.

So - Conclusion, after trying all your suggestions and everything you &
I could think of I've given in and finally borrowed the photos again.
It was easier than I thought, although some of the better ones in
frames will require further negotiation!

Thanks again.

Tony