Poor scan quality (image displayed on monitor). Problems with scan quality The scanner does not scan original customs documents well

Introduction

As you know, a sapper makes only one mistake. The number of errors allowed to the scanner, of course, is not so strictly limited, but also very limited.

It is enough for the designer to have the desire to throw something heavy at the scanner operator twice for poor quality work, and he will never come to you again. You will lose the client and money. Moreover, it is difficult to envy the fate of the scanner - in the end, he is always the last one, the one on whom you can blame all the blame for a poorly executed order. Therefore, the quality of his work must be so impeccable that neither the designer nor the client has any suspicions about the poor quality of the original digitized image obtained after scanning. Moreover, the customer, naturally, is always looking for an opportunity to get maximum quality for minimal money, and since the final result really directly depends on the work of the scanner, the quality of the device itself, along with the skill of the scanner, determines a considerable share of the success of your company. A huge number of articles have been devoted to the problem of selecting the right scanner, so here I will try to highlight some typical mistakes - both elementary and not quite obvious, which the scanner operator should avoid, since they clearly show that the image is damaged precisely at the scanning stage.

Errors when selecting an original

I hope you already have a few non-negotiable rules that every scanner operator should know hanging on your wall in a frame. Firstly, it is advisable to avoid scanning printed prints altogether, and if this is not possible, then they should only be scanned and then reduced by at least 1.5-2 times. Secondly, if you can choose between scanning a photograph and a negative (slide), then the choice should always fall on the negative, since a photograph has less dynamic range

and, therefore, does not convey all the details that the negative contains. Thirdly, you should never enlarge the image more than 8 times (this is what Soviet GOST advises, and on this I completely agree with it). Therefore, even if the resolution of your scanner allows you to do this, still send them away if you want to scan a 35mm slide onto A3 format - your client will never understand that the specks spoiling the entire picture are nothing more than film grain. Fourth, never scan a negative without standard feature

scanner driver to invert colors depending on the type and manufacturer of the film. It is theoretically possible to carry out such an operation manually in Photoshop, but in practice not every designer can do it, and it will certainly take a huge amount of time. Hereinafter, we mean that your scanner corresponds to the tasks that you usually perform, that is, it satisfies a certain set of requirements that can, at a minimum level, provide decent scanning of slides. This is a resolution of 1000 dpi, a dynamic range of 3D, the ability to color calibrate the scanner (its color rendition depends on the temperature in the room, geographical latitude , the degree of lamp wear and, in general, a huge number of parameters, which requires periodic - at least once every 3 months - calibration), the ability of the driver to invert the negative image depending on the type and manufacturer of the film, the ability to edit tonal curves for each color channel, as in RGB and in CMYK systems

and CIELab, and setting the descreen filter depending on the lineature of the original. In terms of price/quality ratio, in my opinion, these parameters are best met by professional products from Umax and AGFA, and it is the capabilities of their drivers that I will use later. And finally a few, according to which you should, if possible, either reject the original or warn the customer that the resulting image will not be as high quality as desired. According to the OST 29.106-90 standard, originals with mechanical damage(fingerprints, scratches, wrinkles), requiring magnification of more than 8 times (in rare cases, when we are talking about professional slides, up to 10 times is allowed), originals with a very large dynamic range (when printing, a maximum of 2D is reproduced, and therefore it is correct to prepare a slide with a 3.7D range for printing without loss of detail is unrealistic), unsharp originals (no Unsharp Mask filter can restore the sharpness that is missing on the original), the presence of a strong background color (this can be corrected, but in this case it is worth warning the customer or stipulating an increase in payment for a larger volume of work).

Now some tips in case you still have to scan a bad original.

Let's start with magnification. Of course, there is no escape from the graininess of the film, but very often the quality can be improved somewhat if you play with the parameters of the descreen filter, which is usually used for scanning printed prints. It won't completely remove film grain, but it will make the image more pleasing to look at (albeit with some loss of sharpness).

The presence of a common color background, if the distortion is linear (the same in both shadows and highlights), is removed by indicating a gray point on the object that should have neutral tones in the image. As a rule, this does not cause difficulties, but it is worth cautioning against the mistake: you should never select points of white and neutral gray on the highlights and reflections of shiny objects. Try to find matte neutral objects - for example, a white shirt or piece of paper in the shade, asphalt in dry weather, etc. I also do not recommend putting a gray dot on the teeth and whites of the eyes - they are not always neutral.

Mechanical damage is, of course, very unpleasant, but it’s still worth trying to do everything possible to remove the defects, and then your customer will turn to you for help more than once. Some scratches on the negative and paper creases can be removed by scanning the object twice, rotating it 90 degrees after the first scan (that is, the second scan is in the direction perpendicular to the first), and then superimposing one image on top of the other in Fotoshop as two translucent layers. You can also scan 4 times, rotating the original 90 degrees each time for even better results.

It is also useful to remember the appropriate filter Adobe Photoshop– Dust and Scratches: With a slight loss of sharpness, it still removes most minor scratches. In addition, you can use some slide scanners that perform double scanning specifically to remove scratches (Nikon Coolscan), the scanning quality will be worse than on a professional tablet, but this device removes scratches well.

Thus, the main thing is to be careful when choosing the original. Tell the client about the standards described above, and if his original does not meet at least one of them, tell him that he will not receive ideal quality. Of course, try to do everything in your power, but warn in advance about the unsuitability of the original.

Errors in framing and automatic driver settings

So, you have a usable original, you have already assessed its exposure on a standard viewing table with a white temperature of 5000 K, and it is already lying on the scanner glass. At the initial stages of scanning, the number of possible errors made is small, however, they can have a very significant impact on the result. The main mistake is actually one: the desire to trust automatic settings. Below I will explain why you shouldn't do this.

Let's start with a simple operation - cropping. Since in the future we will have to evaluate the image histogram more than once, when cropping (determining the scanning area), it is very important not to capture the edges of the original, much less go beyond its borders. Do not allow the black margins of the slide or, conversely, the white margins of the photo to fall into the scanning area. Firstly, if, without trusting your hands, you use the scanner’s automatic settings, then when capturing the slide fields, the automation will make the correction incorrectly. Actually, the actions of the automation are quite simple - it determines the lightest and darkest areas of the original and makes them, respectively, as white and black as possible. The catch is that not all images contain white and black objects. For example, a shot of a snow-covered field and a blue sky with clouds above it has no shadows at all. In this case, the automation will fail and ruin the picture. This is why you should not capture the fields of the slides when cropping - the automation will consider them shadows and make the correction incorrectly.

It is also unacceptable to use automation on images with the desired color shift (sunset shot) and with human faces in low-contrast lighting conditions.

Although, in my opinion, it should never be used at all if the driver allows you to disable it.

Errors when selecting black, white and gray points and color adjustments

Here I will describe what mistakes you can make by replacing automatic settings manual adjustment. The first step is to set the white and black points. In fact, if you have a head on your shoulders, then it’s difficult to make a mistake here - the main thing is to set the points to the really whitest and darkest areas of the image, and not to put the white point on the highlights on shiny objects and the black point on images without deep shadows, but white point in dark pictures with faint highlights. To give better contrast to a faded image, it is better to construct an S-shaped tonal curve using 5 points (0, 25, 50, 75, 100%). It is also advisable to correct images that are too bright, overexposed and, conversely, too dark with a tonal curve (or by setting the appropriate gamma value). It's also a good idea to look at the histogram before and after adjustments to see if you've lost detail in the highlights or shadows.

With the gray point, everything is much more complicated. The fact is that when you indicate to the program an object that, in your opinion, has a neutral color, the driver makes color adjustments one point for each tonal curve across three or four color channels (depending on whether you are scanning in RGB or CMYK ). That is, the corresponding excess color cast is removed quite evenly (slightly weaker in shadows and highlights and stronger in midtones). But practice shows that a uniform excess color background is rare luck for a scanner. As a rule, a situation arises when, for example, it is necessary to remove 10% Cyan from the shadows, 5% Magenta from the highlights, and 20% Yellow from the midtones. In this case, single-point correction, that is, setting the gray point, is simply excluded.

Now let's talk about how to determine how much adjustment the image requires and whether it can be done by setting the gray point or whether more careful adjustment is required using tonal curves.

A lot depends on the features of your scanner driver. It would be optimal to be able to view color information for a specific point in an image in CMYK and RGB colors. If this is not possible, then congratulations - you will have to first scan the image, then look at the color values ​​in Photoshop program, and then return to the driver and make the appropriate settings there.

In an image, as a rule, there are always four characteristic colors. These are white, black, gray and nude. All that remains is to find them and see the CMYK color value for each of them. This will give us, at a minimum, knowledge of the color deviations for four points on each tonal curve. This is quite enough to build a tonal curve for each color.

You need to remember the CMYK values ​​for characteristic colors by heart or pin a reminder on the wall in front of you. Lights 5C 2M 2Y, shadows (there is some freedom of action here, but the main thing is that in total the 4 components give no more than 300 - SWOP standard and no less than 280 - magazine printing), for example 80C, 70M, 70Y, 70K, although these parameters depend depending on the printing method. Gray color - equal values ​​of yellow and magenta and a slightly higher value of cyan, for example 30C, 22M, 22Y. European skin is about 8C, 35M, 40Y. Dark skin can have values ​​of 15C, 35M, 70Y. High values ​​of blue and black give the skin an earthy tone. What is important here is the percentage relationship between colors, not their absolute values.

Now, by looking at your color values ​​for these characteristic shades, you can easily determine whether the image can be corrected by simply setting the gray point. If, for example, there is too much blue and yellow in all shades, and in approximately the same proportions, then feel free to put a gray point. If there is too much purple in the skin, and too much yellow in the highlights, then you cannot avoid editing the tonal curves separately for each color channel.

A small note for those unfortunate people whose driver does not allow editing tonal curves in CMYK and generally cannot work in systems other than RGB.

First, the gray value in RGB is always determined by the equal values ​​of the three colors. Try to find several gray objects of varying brightness and look at their values. If the deviations in colors are the same in both highlights and shadows (for example, a lot of red), then set a gray point, otherwise, edit the corresponding curves in RBG.

Finally, convert a few of the characteristic skin tones from CMYK above to RGB and look at their values ​​in the image.

Actually, it’s already difficult to make a big mistake when editing tonal curves. You have 4 desired values ​​for different points on the tonal curve, and your task is only to adjust reality to the desired values. Another tip: if you have a limited number of original suppliers, slides from the same source will typically have similar color shifts, so save your newly created tonal curves in

separate file

and use them for the next original without having to deal with these routine operations again.

The driver from AGFA, for example, allows you to automate this work altogether. Of course, this does not mean that you will not need to check the result for color matching. Let's talk about some pitfalls that may await you at this stage. First, never trust your monitor. Just look at the numbers. On some monitors, the image may look terrible after editing. However, I assure you that when you print, you will get exactly what you expected.

Thirdly, try not to make a mistake in choosing lights. The slightest deviation in color is primarily noticeable in the highlights. Look at several objects that you think are white and see which one is closer to the desired CMYK ratio and whether they all have the same color shift. If, for example, two of the three white areas are shifted to blue, and the third is shifted to yellow, then most likely it is yellow and you should not select it as the white point, no matter how white it sparkles on your monitor.

If, for example, you often scan nature rather than portraits, then find your characteristic colors. For example, the color of the sky is almost constant, but the color of the grass fluctuates within small limits. Snow may be yellowish, but not purple, but sand on the shore is clearly an unreliable object, changing color greatly depending on the light.

Filters

A few short notes on usage additional features scanner software. We are talking about the descreen and Unsharp mask filters.

The first should be used to suppress moire that occurs when scanning printed prints. Its only adjustable parameter is the original lineature.

There are a lot of reviews on the Internet and a lot of questions like “The scanner doesn’t scan, help!” or “I bought a new printer, but the scanner doesn’t work. What should I do??!”, a lot of information on repairing or eliminating “symptoms of the disease.” Experts say that in 30% of cases a completely serviceable car gets sick. So there is no need to immediately run to the service center and send the printer for repair. You can do the repairs yourself.

For example, try preliminary scanning, that is, run any software, which will allow you to get an image.
When scanning starts, it starts earlier installed driver. If the driver has not been installed, then you need to take installation disk, which comes included, and just install the one you need. If the driver is installed and ready to work, then the steps are completely different.

The driver is installed, but the scanner still does not work

So, the software is there, but the device is not detected. The first step to start diagnosing the problem is to click on the Start panel, Find and go to Control Panel. Then find the Administration item, click on it. A window opens with a list of different functions. You need to find and launch the device manager (a lightweight option is to go to the My Computer shortcut, right-click on an empty space, and go to the hardware tab).

The item is found and another window pops up on the monitor, with a bunch of plus signs and names. You need to find the scanner and determine if it is installed. Searching for "Imaging Devices" shouldn't take long. So, click on the plus sign and there it is, the model name and next to it Exclamation point on a yellow background. What does it mean? This means that the drivers are either not suitable or are outdated. But the way out is the same. We go to the Internet and find the driver we need.

You can also download a program that will automatically update all drivers on your hardware. The drivers are found and installed, we restart the machine, everything is ready.

But what to do if everything is in working order in the device manager? The scanner is detected, but still refuses to work? There's one more catch. For normal functioning you need to purchase a specific program on the manufacturer’s website. And, of course, not for a small amount. But this problem can also be solved in the same way: you need to go to the Internet and find the necessary software.

Having considered the technical problems, let's move on to the physical ones.

People often ask this question: why, even if the device is working properly, does the hardware refuse to scan? Some solutions to this problem.

• Checking the power supply and power cord (if both elements are faulty, the scanner will not function).
• Inspect the connecting wire for visible damage. system unit and the scanner itself.
• Check the voltage in the network (it happens that many electrical appliances are working at the same time, and the scanning device simply does not have enough power).
• Some experts claim that scanners may not work due to the creation of microwaves by some objects (just in case, turn off the microwave, it may help).
  Check the grounding of the electrical wiring.
• Finally, check your settings in case it's just not configured correctly and resetting to default settings will restore everything.

If the device uses a USB interface, then perhaps the reason is in the connection port and installing it on a different port will solve all the problems.

It still doesn't work even though everything has already been checked?

The operating system installed on your computer or laptop plays an important role. Most manufacturers in Lately produce printers and scanners designed for use in the operating room Windows system 7.

Let's sum it up

The simplest method to check is to open the “device manager” and check the controller, it should not be marked with a yellow exclamation mark. The controller must operate in optimal mode. If a problem occurs, then you should try installing the scanner on another computer; perhaps the problem is with your hardware. It often happens that perfectly good systems simply refuse to work. A striking example is the Mustek scanner, which simply refuses to work with bus controllers manufactured by Tekram. So before installing a scanner, you should definitely consult which bus this product operates on or ask for recommendations on choosing a new controller.

If none of the proposed options are suitable and the scanner continues to refuse to work, then there is only one way out: take it to a service center for warranty service. IN service center They will definitely help you and explain what the reason was.

Problem #1.
If your scanner does not blink, does not light up, or shows any signs of life at all...

Solution #1:
Try removing and reinserting it from your computer or switching it to a different port. If you are using a USB hub, then try to connect the scanner directly to the computer, because... the scanner requires more power than the USB hub can provide it... If all the computer ports are occupied by other devices, for example a Rutoken dongle, then swap the Rutoken dongle and the scanner so that the scanner is in the computer and the key is in the USB hub. If nothing helps and the scanner still doesn’t work, then change it to another one...

Problem #2:
Your scanner is blinking and beeping, but the product is not recognized in the program, then in this case...

Solution #2:
Minimize all windows and click on the “My Computer” (or “This Computer” icon depending on your windows versions) on the desktop, right-click and select "Properties":

In the window that appears, we see two lists; in the left list, select the item "Device Manager", and after changing the right list, select in it "COM and LPT ports" and expand the list by clicking the plus sign or check mark (depending on the version of your Windows):

Having found the Voyager 1450g(COMx) item there, look at the COM port number in brackets - there should be a value COM3- if it corresponds to the value 3, then this decision will not help you and you can close the window. If you have a different meaning, for example as in our case it is COM9- then the problem is simple and easily solved, click on our device (on the line Voyager 1450g (COMx) with the right mouse button and select "Properties":

In the window that appears, go to the "Port Settings" tab and click the "Advanced" button there:

And at the bottom of the window in the drop-down list we find and select the value COM3:

That's all... Now we close all windows by pressing the "OK" buttons and check the operation of the scanner in the 1C program - everything should work.
P.S. If you have Windows 10, then after changing the properties of the COM port, you must also restart the computer.

Problem #3:
If you go to the "Task Manager" and expand the "COM and LPT Ports" item, you do not find the Voyager 1450g (COMx) scanner line there, but the scanner is connected to the computer and lights up, then...

Solution #3:
In this case, take a scanner and point it at the screen and scan this barcode (directly from the screen):

And after the appearance of this equipment, make sure that it gets its name COM3, if it’s different, then follow the second solution to the problem...

The scanner does not scan: instructions for solving the problem
There are a lot of reviews on the Internet and a lot of questions like “The scanner doesn’t scan, help!” or “I bought a new printer, but the scanner doesn’t work. What should I do??!”, a lot of information on repairing or eliminating “symptoms of the disease.” Experts say that in 30% of cases a completely serviceable car gets sick. So there is no need to immediately run to the service center and send the printer for repair. You can do the repairs yourself.
For example, try preliminary scanning, that is, run any software that will allow you to obtain an image.

When scanning starts, the previously installed driver is launched. If the driver has not been installed, then you need to take the installation disk that comes with the kit and simply install the one you need. If the driver is installed and ready to work, then the steps are completely different.
The driver is installed, but the scanner still does not work
So, the software is there, but the device is not detected. The first step to start diagnosing the problem is to click on the Start panel, Find and go to Control Panel. Then find the Administration item, click on it. A window opens with a list of different functions. You need to find and launch the device manager (a lightweight option is to go to the My Computer shortcut, right-click on an empty space, and go to the hardware tab).
The item is found and another window pops up on the monitor, with a bunch of plus signs and names. You need to find the scanner and determine if it is installed. Searching for "Imaging Devices" shouldn't take long. So, click on the plus sign and there it is, the name of the model and next to it an exclamation mark on a yellow background. What does it mean? This means that the drivers are either not suitable or are outdated. But the way out is the same. We go to the Internet and find the driver we need.
You can also download a program that will automatically update all drivers on your hardware. The drivers are found and installed, we restart the machine, everything is ready.
But what to do if everything is in working order in the device manager? The scanner is detected, but still refuses to work? There's one more catch. For normal operation, you need to purchase a certain program on the manufacturer’s website. And, of course, not for a small amount. But this problem can also be solved in the same way: you need to go to the Internet and find the necessary software.
Having considered the technical problems, let's move on to the physical ones.
People often ask this question: why, even if the device is working properly, does the hardware refuse to scan? Some solutions to this problem.
Checking the power supply and power cord (if both elements are faulty, the scanner will not function).
Inspect the wire connecting the system unit and the scanner itself for visible damage.
Check the voltage in the network (it happens that many electrical appliances are working at the same time, and the scanning device simply does not have enough power).
Some experts claim that scanners may not work due to the creation of microwaves by some objects (just in case, turn off the microwave, it may help).

Check the grounding of the electrical wiring.
Finally, check your settings in case it's just not configured correctly and resetting to default settings will restore everything.
If the device uses a USB interface, then perhaps the reason is in the connection port and installing it on a different port will solve all the problems.
It still doesn't work even though everything has already been checked?
The operating system installed on your computer or laptop plays an important role. Most manufacturers have recently released printers, and scanners are designed to be used on operating system Windows 7.
Let's sum it up
The simplest method to check is to open the “device manager” and check the controller, it should not be marked with a yellow exclamation mark. The controller must operate in optimal mode. If a problem occurs, then you should try installing the scanner on another computer; perhaps the problem is with your hardware. It often happens that perfectly good systems simply refuse to work. A striking example is the Mustek scanner, which simply refuses to work with bus controllers manufactured by Tekram. So before installing a scanner, you should definitely consult which bus this product operates on or ask for recommendations on choosing a new controller.
If none of the proposed options are suitable and the scanner continues to refuse to work, then there is only one way out: take it to a service center for warranty service. The service center will definitely help you and explain what the reason was.