 Directory |
| Flatbed Scanners can be used for macrophotography. Their resolution
is not as sharp as cameras, but they offer a convenient way of documenting certain
specimens, especially leaves. Cannon
makes flatbed scanners that are extremely compact and do not
require a power source other than a laptop computer. These could make excellent field
tools. I protect the plate glass by placing a thin sheet of clear acetate over it. This diminishes quality somewhat, and I occasionally scan the subject without the acetate sheet. I also protect the inner surface of the lid with acetate or another material like colored construction paper. The scanner lid can remain up in many cases. This provides a light background but it may need to be cleaned up later. Alternatively, a black piece of construction paper can be placed on top of the specimen.The color of the background makes a difference in the scanned image. A white background can be better than a black background in some cases. It is possible to get useful images of 3-dimensional structures like stems. Most scanners have some depth of focus and this can be enhanced during image processing. I scan at the highest optical resolution of my scanners. This is 600 dpi for me. However, scanners with resolutiuons of 2400 dpi are available. This creates large .tif images. I reduce their size and convert them to .jpg images if I use them for Webpages. The original images are better for prints. However, they are very large and require many megabytes! |
