How to Use a Tabletop Scanner as a Camera

Years ago I had the privilege of working with Joseph Scheer of Alfred University on the startup of their Institute for Electronic Arts. You may recall his work with moths and butterflies for "National Geographic" (you can view and purchase his outstanding works by visiting the link in Resources below). Dr. Scheer was the first person that I knew to use a simple flatbed scanner as a camera. The scanner can be used as a camera to scan any thin, transparent object. In Scheer's work, nature is the art. However, you can just as easily use the scanned objects as sources for artistic creation with an image editing tool. In this article I will provide the basics and some examples--and to get inspired--take a gander at the works of Joseph Scheer.

Instructions

Before you begin, clean the scanner glass and clean in between scans to make sure you don't scan artifacts into the image. Set the scan resolution to the highest possible one, which will allow you to crop the image later if needed. This is a scan of a houseplant leaf. The unique light source provides details and colors you may not have noticed in the original. This is especially true in Scheer's moths.

Even something simple like spaghetti takes on a unique look and feel when scanned. You can see that the noodle on the far left appears almost translucent, while the spaghetti that is piled up in the center has a different color, since not as much light can pass through. You can use this effect to create different textures with transparent objects.

You can scan fabrics, which can then be used as backgrounds for other images or even websites. Color silks and satins will take on new looks when scanned. You can also scan other objects using fabric as a background. Make sure that the fabric is taut and that other objects will not wrinkle it during scanning.

This is a scan of a pine branch. Hard as I tried, I could not eliminate the shadow on the left due to the thickness of the branch. You can use books or other weighted objects to hold down the scanner platen; however, that did not work in this case.

Since I couldn't eliminate the shadow, I decided to use it instead. "Do you want to understand digital photography methods that deliver experienced photographers to where they are today? Well, The Top Secret Photography Techniques would help you out in doing so. To find amazing photos we first need to look at some basic photography techniques. The preliminary one I am able to share with you is figure out about light. You can locate everything about photography techniques on , The Top Secret Photography Techniques. Each time you discover about light and in what technique it interacts with the direct environment then your pictures will get much better..". Scanned objects are fun to use with image editing programs to create new art. In this case I inverted the HSL map and adjusted the color and luminosity to alter the entire image. I like this more than the poorly scanned original. Your creativity is your only limitation. When spring is coming, get ready to photograph your blooms and see them in a new light.

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