Before You Try Scanner Photography . . .

Some Things You Need to Know First

There are very few requirements to begin Scanner Photography. Do you need a new scanner for this no-camera process? What about special software? What do you need to know? How can you get started?

Be sure to read this entire list of "things to know".

Equipment Needed -- A computer, flat bed photo scanner, and a lint-free cloth. That's it. And, you don't need much computer expertise to grasp the basics.

Flatbed Photo Scanner -- All of my scanner images are created with an Epson scanner. I purchased my original Epson Perfection 3170 PHOTO scanner to salvage old photos and deteriorating slides. (It works great for that!) I use the same make and model today to generate my Scanner Magic.

No Scanner? -- Important! If you do not have a flatbed photo scanner, before you buy a scanner, please see the 'No Scanner?' Page for information on what to buy.

Macro Photography -- You will see "Macro Photography Tips" throughout the Scanner Magic site. Macro photography is simply put, close-up photography. An important part of taking close-up pictures is having a limited depth of field (DOF). This enables the lens to concentrate on the subject. Photo scanners have a very limited DOF.

In scanography, it's almost like placing the subject directly on the 'lens'. How much closer can you get!

Scanner Software -- Computers usually come with a photo editor. I had 'Paint' and used it to clean up my images. I did not use Photoshop when I began scanning. If you know any version of Photoshop, use it when the time comes.

(Need to brush up? There are free Photoshop tutorials online.)

Basic Techniques will see you through the early stages of scanner photography. I began with these two:

Paint -- Photo editing software to remove the 'uglies'.

Crop -- Technique to get the best view -- even closer --of your subject. Both of these procedures are available in all Photo Editors.

Scanner Tips -- For successful scanography, basic scanner tips are quite simple. Control the light, create backgrounds, position things properly and experiment!

To make your efforts at Scanner Magic successful, find additional details about each point of scanning at the Scanner Tips page.

Very important: For best scanning results use information found on the Scanner Cleaning page.

My 'scanography' is scattered throughout this site. This one always peaks curiosity. Can you tell what it is?

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The Answer -- If you guessed the above scanner photography is half of a mushroom, you're correct! I call it Frog's Eye View.

I've developed Ten Easy Steps for beginners, so if you're ready . . .

NOW, Let's Get Started with Scanner Photography!

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