Inky T O D - Ink Review Series - Next - Digital Capture - Scan Or Photos

[amberleadavis]

In the last few weeks, I've been asked about how to do ink reviews. I must confess that I'm far less knowledgeable than our very own Saskia_Madding, Visvamitra, Sandy1 and LGSoltek to name but a few who are on the first page of Ink Reviews.

So, every day (or every few) days, a new topic will post so we can talk about ink reviews. Your actual ink reviews still go in the Ink Review forum, these topics are for us to Ponder the Peculiarities and Think about Ink.

First, which ink do you pick?

Now, which papers do you use?

So, which pen or pens do you use?

What information do you want to see in a review? What is important? What is just nice?

So, now that you have written the review - and we may come back to that again, how do you capture it for the future? Do you scan or photograph? Let's hear you talk about Gray Scales.

[musicman123]

I photograph my reviews. On each of the ones I post, I state that I'm using an iPhone 6. Here is the start of every review I do.

 

The pictures were taken with an iPhone 6, back camera, in artificial lighting. Effort has been made to show the true color, but your milage may vary depending on your monitor. If you would like to see all my ink images, you are free to go to http://inkyreviews.tk/

 

For color correction, I use the brand new Apple Photos app for basic touch-ups. If I have to do more color work, I use Adobe Photoshop CS6 and focus on Color Balance and Curves. This generally gets the ink into the correct color, but possibly not the background paper.

 

At the end of every review, I also throw in a scan with my Brother MFC-4260DW all-in-one printer but the color isn't very accurate. I don't bother correcting it.

[HalloweenHJB]

Scanning is simpler for me now, but the scanner can't pick up on sheen, so it depends on the ink. Sheeny inks need to be tilted towards the light source. For example:

 

[Tessy Moon]

I look forward to reading what different people's methods are for the reviews!

My photos and scans sure could use some improvement, but aside from purchasing some new equipment (which won't be happening anytime soon) I am not sure how to really improve those pictures/scans. I hope to learn a new tip or trick or two!

[THRobinson]

I'm making a How-To for this type of thing... ordered a set up grey cards off eBay for $0.99US with Free Shipping. I have a grey card already, but needed a new one so figured when these arrive I'll do a colour balance article with them so anyone interested can see how it's done for about a buck.

 

Briefly though...

 

I put the grey card down on the scanner bed and run a scan, then remove it and scan whatever it is I need scanned. In lightroom, I open the scan with the grey cards, click to set white balance and click on the grey card. The software knows that what I click should be 18% Grey (neutral). The software then looks at what I clicked, and if the scan is off in exposure, colour, tone etc... it auto-adjusts the image and forces it to be 18% Grey. I then tell it, whatever adjustments you just made, apply the same adjustments to the scanned image. Since both images were scanned by the same scanner, however the colour may be off in one image is likely off by the same amounts in the next.

 

Also works with photos... the 18% Grey cards were designed for photography actually. I've never seen anyone else mention their use with scanners, I just tried it on my own one day, and works exactly the same.

This method is great, because it's fast, easy, and way more accurate than eyeballing it. Especially since the software isn't affected by your monitor being calibrated or not. You could have a black and white only monitor, and the software will still adjust the image properly. Which is good because lets face it, if your monitor's colour is off, then why try adjusting the image manually looking at a screen that's not correct?

 

I'll do a how-to with samples when those cards come in. Meanwhile... these may be helpful... can see how fast it adjusts the colour. (not my videos, just YouTube samples I found quickly).

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cvnyJDicDs

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZIPc7FfBU8

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCCYszvIDCM

Edited May 6, 2015 by THRobinson

[musicman123]

I'm making a How-To for this type of thing... ordered a set up grey cards off eBay for $0.99US with Free Shipping. I have a grey card already, but needed a new one so figured when these arrive I'll do a colour balance article with them so anyone interested can see how it's done for about a buck.

 

Briefly though...

 

I put the grey card down on the scanner bed and run a scan, then remove it and scan whatever it is I need scanned. In lightroom, I open the scan with the grey cards, click to set white balance and click on the grey card. The software knows that what I click should be 18% Grey (neutral). The software then looks at what I clicked, and if the scan is off in exposure, colour, tone etc... it auto-adjusts the image and forces it to be 18% Grey. I then tell it, whatever adjustments you just made, apply the same adjustments to the scanned image. Since both images were scanned by the same scanner, however the colour may be off in one image is likely off by the same amounts in the next.

 

Also works with photos... the 18% Grey cards were designed for photography actually. I've never seen anyone else mention their use with scanners, I just tried it on my own one day, and works exactly the same.

This method is great, because it's fast, easy, and way more accurate than eyeballing it. Especially since the software isn't affected by your monitor being calibrated or not. You could have a black and white only monitor, and the software will still adjust the image properly. Which is good because lets face it, if your monitor's colour is off, then why try adjusting the image manually looking at a screen that's not correct?

 

I'll do a how-to with samples when those cards come in. Meanwhile... these may be helpful... can see how fast it adjusts the colour. (not my videos, just YouTube samples I found quickly).

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cvnyJDicDs

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZIPc7FfBU8

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCCYszvIDCM

Gasp!!! Is there any way to do this with Photoshop CS6 instead of Lightroom? I have both but greatly prefer Photoshop over Lightroom for these types of edits.

 

BTW do you mind posting a link to the eBay deal for me?

Edited May 6, 2015 by musicman123

[musicman123]

Well I just found this.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n19pJoHxy-Y&spfreload=10

[lgsoltek]

I usually prefer scans, but my scanner has been acting weird recently (like turning Verdigris to purple). I need to try that grey card method.

[THRobinson]

That eBay grey card thing... hundreds of them on there... and all the exact same black/white/grey card with a red lanyard. Price ranges from $0.99 to $6 I think, but, there is always someone on there with a few posted with a start bid of $0.99 and usually no one else will bid against you because well, if there are 10 of them.

 

Just search "grey card" and go to the "cameras and photo" category... sort by lowest price. Would be 3 cards (black/white/grey) and a red lanyard included. You'll see literally dozens of them. Most are "buy now" but they do pop-up often with $0.99 start bids.

 

Downside... free shipping from China... ordered mine April 26, and the eta for arrival is May 15 to June 2nd. :S

 

Otherwise, I have a set from KODAK that are cardboard and may get impatient and use them anyways.

 

Tutorial wise, I am hoping to do one for Lightroom, Photoshop, and I also downloaded free apps like Picasa and GIMP. Figured being free, may help those who don't have expensive software like Photoshop.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

A photo scanner and a Kodak Gray Scale for yours truly.

 

I consider ink to be malleable - it is most often dye/s which are not opaque. Hence it resists being 'nailed down' like an opaque pigment-based paint chip.

 

The use of the KGS as an external calibrated reference enables neutral depiction of the ink on paper, so the nuances of a given ink+pen+paper combo can be shown.

e.g. By changing the paper alone:

Sailor Jentle Epinard from a Cross ATX on five papers.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Paper%20Review%20-%20G%20Lalo%20Velin%20de%20France/edfc698a.jpg

 

No matter what tools, techniques, knowledge and wizardry are used, pixels on a display are not ink on paper.

 

Bye,

S1

__ __

We have the benefit of at least two recent Topics on depicting inky images:

> Member Morbus Curiositas 'Presenting Your Ink With Realistic Colors' : https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/266271-presenting-your-ink-with-realistic-colours-counter-the-differences-between-paper-and-monitor/?p=2985949

> Member vossad01 'Do You Care If Scans Are Color Adjusted?' : https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/269421-do-you-care-if-scans-are-color-adjusted/?p=3039055

Edited May 7, 2015 by Sandy1

[amberleadavis]

Thank you Sandy for the links.

 

I came back to these threads because my new scanner is WAY off in terms of color.

 

Let's see if I can demonstrate...

 

 

 

[amberleadavis]

Those are the same ink, with the same pen on the same paper (different pages).

[amberleadavis]

This is Private Reserve American Blue.

 

Scanned with my new scanner which I think is way off and the camera which is not perfect. (The camera image is sideways)

 

This looks much closer than Navajo Turquoise.