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Author Topic: Resizing Tif Scans ?  (Read 249 times)
jmp
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Resizing Tif Scans ?
« on: Wednesday 14 May 08 00:38 BST (UK) »

Am I missing something here.

I understand that Tif files are better for keeping something permanentlybut create very large files in comparison to Jpeg. If I scan at a large resolution of 1200 ( which I want to do) and then resize the Tif file to say 10% of the original scan am I losing anything?  Huh

I have printed the photo concerned and both appear to be the same

Jackie
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Scottiedog
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Re: Resizing Tif Scans ?
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 15 May 08 00:06 BST (UK) »

I thought someone else would have responded to this question better than I can, so I left well alone - I see that's not the case, so I'll have a go anyway - be gentle with me.

The brief, one word answer, is yes - you'll lose much of the extra detail you gained by scanning at such a high resolution. The fact that you can't see the difference when you print is simply because your printer can't do justice to the high resolution you originally scanned at.

If space is a problem, you would be far better off using some form of compression technique on the tiff or switching to a compressed file format - or even questioning why you need to scan at 1200 dpi. Remember that there are lossless compression techniques available - jpeg is "lossy".

Les
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jmp
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Re: Resizing Tif Scans ?
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 15 May 08 00:18 BST (UK) »

Thanks Les for that

I must admit these things confuse me somewhat. I want to make sure the papers I scan are retained in the best shape possible for posterity as it were.

I thought that scanning and saving in Tif was the best way, and just wondered what if anything I would lose by scanning at 1200 say, and then resizing to a size that would fit properly on a CD say at 10%.

I understood that Jpeg files were not lossless and that was the problem with them  and therefore if I scanned them as above I would lose the detail but not if I did it in Tif Huh

Oh dear I think I must be confusing myself. Undecided  May I ask what resolution you would scan at to achieve the best results for photos and text

Jackie
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Scottiedog
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Re: Resizing Tif Scans ?
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 15 May 08 00:57 BST (UK) »

Ahh - you're scanning papers. Are they in colour? You could save considerable space if they're not by switching to greyscale.

You're quite right about jpeg - it's NOT lossless - but with many programs you can control the aggressiveness of the compression and reduce the loss if that's a concern - but I can see why you want to avoid any loss with, say, photos which you might want to edit at a later date. Not so sure about papers though. Perhaps you could have look at what the British Library do.

When considering longterm storage (for posterity) there's much more to worry about than compression losses. How long are you thinking about? Will cd drives be around in 100 years? How long will a cd stay readable for anyway? Even if the cd is readable will the file format be decipherable? - and that's even if the file system can still be accessed - the questions just go on and on.

Unless someone maintains the digital images, converting them and transferring them to new media as time goes by, non-digital storage techniques (i.e. archive quality paper) are probably your best bet, better even than micro-fiche or film.

2000 year old papyrus scrolls can still be read. 100 year old nitrate films self combust! When did you last see a punched card reader? Your grandad's old photos (printed on paper) are still great to look at but how many people have a 35mm slide projector these days?

Am I a luddite? - possibly, but I'm also an IT professional and a realist.

To try to answer your question about what resolution to scan at - let me ask - what do want to do with the images? Edit them, crop them, zoom in to some to fine detail or just print them at their original size? If the latter, 300 dpi is usually considered adequate. I think your own printing experiments may have demonstrated just that.

Sorry about the long post!

Les
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Scott (Dublin, Merseyside)
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jmp
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Re: Resizing Tif Scans ?
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 15 May 08 01:06 BST (UK) »

Thanks very much for that Les

I understand exactly what you mean about the likelihood of storage and mediums which will become defunct probably fairly quickly, but I would like to do as much as possible to hold on to these items and if necessary to upgrade in due course. I suppose it is a question of hoping for the best to some extent that what I scan at and at what compression etc it is turns out to be compatible at some later stage.

Thanks for the ideas re archive paper etc, that I had not thought of, and will persue that as well

Many thanks again  Grin
Jackie
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Guy Etchells
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Re: Resizing Tif Scans ?
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 15 May 08 05:48 BST (UK) »

First consideration what optical resolution can be obtained from your scanner?
It may not be capable of an optical scan of 1200dpi and only achieves it by interpolation.
Cheers
Guy
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Scottiedog
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Great Uncle George (RNCVR WWI)


Re: Resizing Tif Scans ?
« Reply #6 on: Friday 16 May 08 10:34 BST (UK) »

Yes, that's a good point, Guy.

I just wanted to add that if you decide to use archive paper, you'll also need to look at using special inks too.

Les
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Scott (Dublin, Merseyside)
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jmp
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Re: Resizing Tif Scans ?
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 17 May 08 19:57 BST (UK) »

Thank you both Les and Guy Wink
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