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Scanner for taking Photo's

Jewelry Discussion
#1

I have been looking to buy a digital camera so I went to see a
photographer friend who specialises in digital photography. I thought
he could finally help me make my decision now that I have narrowed it
down. He did, but he also suggested I play with my scanner for fun. I
used an old ice cream container with the jewellery inside and was
quite impressed with the results. Rings I suspended with a needle and
thread through the top of the container leaving them resting at a
slight angle on the scanner bed. When scanned I just brushed out the
cotton. Whilst this does not take place of a camera, if you don’t own
a digital camera but do a scanner it is a good way of getting a
digital image on to your computer quickly. I found it best to scan at
200% or above.

Chris

#2 
 he also suggested I play with my scanner for fun. I used an old
ice cream container with the jewellery inside and was quite
impressed with the results. Rings I suspended with a needle and
thread through the top of the container leaving them resting at a
slight angle on the scanner bed. When scanned I just brushed out
the cotton.

What a great idea about suspending the rings with a needle and
thread! I used a scanner for jewelry images for a year or so after
my regular camera dies, while I was deciding about what kind of
digital camera to buy. I found the scanner to be wonderful for cast
pieces, less so for flat fabricated pieces- too many reflections.
But rings were always difficult, getting the angle right. Actually
they’re still the hardest thing to photograph with the digital. I
just bought some of that clear adhesive museum gel, but haven’t
tried it yet.

I still use my scanner in designing, to scan stones so I can design
around them in Photoshop. Maybe I’ll try the ice cream container
ring trick.

Janet Kofoed

#3

Chris - please post details on how you used the ice cream container
on the scanner, and what sort of ice cream container it was
(cardboard or matte plastic - not Chocolate or Vanilla - another
jeweler’s joke?). I’m having trouble visualizing what you did!

Thanks!
Beth in SC

#4

For some of my flat enamel tiles a friend of mine scanned them in
using her flatbed scanner and touched up the small areas of glare
using photo shop. I used the images in a brochure I put out and they
did look really good! This was before most of us normal types could
afford a digital camera at all.

Karen

#5

Hi Janet …It would be very interesting to hear about your process
of design after you’ve transfered your image to Photoshop. Please
elaborate. K Kelly

#6

I use the scanner with my filigree work, which is primarily 2
dimentional. The biggest advantages seem to be accurate color and
control over ‘real size’ which you don’t get with digitals.

On another point with scanners. I scanned a bunch of odds and ends
faceted stones once and the synthetic ones showed up almost as though
i were veiwing them through a chelsea filter! something to test out
some time!

Jeanne

#7

Photoshop is a wonderful program for designing jewelry (maybe not as
good as the 3-D, but…). I have a database of designs and sketches
I’ve built up. Sketches I’ve done in my pocket notebook when ideas
strike, photographs that give me ideas, everything is grist for the
mill and gets scanned.

After I scan the stones, I bring the image into Photoshop and start
playing with designs. I can draw elements using the paintbrush
tools, and I can bring in design elements from the database. I put
all these things on separate layers, all of which I can manipulate,
reshape, and resize individually. When I’m satisfied with the way it
looks, I can go into all the different layers and duplicate each
element, so I can see everything individually. Finally I print the
whole page out so I can have it on my workbench.

This is especially valuable for nonstandard shape stones, which I
use a lot. A lot of what I do is pierced and layered work, so this
works really well. Even for wax work, it’s valuable, since I can
often work directly on the printout.

Janet Kofoed

#8

Hello Jeanne,

A few years back I scanned a tray of emerald rings for a customer
and was quite perplexed to see that most of them scanned red. The
customer however was delighted and wanted a print. He identified by
mine and country from the shades of red. The green ones were
Brazilian, vanadium.

Not all scanners will do this but my Umax 2400S is certainly one of
the worlds most incredibly expensive Chelsea filters too.

Tony.

#9

Thanks for your wonderful explanation concerning Photoshop Janet. I
use Paint Shop Pro 7 and I’m wondering if any one has used both
Photoshop and Paintshop Pro. How is the learning curve for
Photoshop and is there enough difference between the two programs to
justify getting Photosop? I’ve been thinking about it for a couple
of years but haven’t wanted to spend that much or to take the time
to learn a new program. I’d really appreciate it if someone could
give me a comparison.

I like paintshop pro but some things are hard to manage and I have
trouble drawing with it (that little curser just wont go where I
want it to.) Thanks to all you wonderful Orchid people.

Jan
http://www.designjewel.com

#10

I’ve been using Paint Shop Pro for several years, starting with v.
5, and I love it. Don’t know for certain if there are any particular
pluses to the other, but for the price, Paint Shop does it all for
me. It also has the animation workshop in it, which I used to create
the animations on my web site, and others as well. And, I used the
paint features to create the logo. Hope this helps. Jim

#11 
showed up almost as though i were veiwing them through a chelsea
filter!

What’s a chelsea filter??

Tas