How to Scan 12 x 12 Scrapbook Pages

How to Scan 12 x 12 Scrapbook Pages
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Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is a hobby performed by various people across the world. It is a great way to collect photography and keep memories alive.

Scrapbooking is essentially a form of art for some people that allows them to express themselves by designing their own elements, choosing a theme for their scrapbook and adding other customized items . After spending hours and even days creating the perfect scrapbook page, you may want to scan the 12 x12 page to keep a digital copy or backup. By having a digital backup, you can always replace the scrapbook page should something happen to original to destroy it. Learning how to scan 12 x 12 scrapbook pages can be more challenging than scanning a regular-sized page, but it can be done with the use of photo-editing software explained in the following steps.

Scanning the Scrapbook Page

Step 1: Select a flatbed scanner connected to a computer to scan your page. Most flatbed scanners will work. Place the document on the scanner by placing the right side of the image first. Your scrapbook page will have to be turned to face the scanner. Make sure that the scrapbook page is as straight as possible on the scanner. A 12-by-12 page will be too long and too wide to fit fully on the scanner.

Step 2: Choose the settings on the scanner. Most scanners will have an option button in the scanning software on your computer that reads “Scan Settings” or similar wording. Ensure that the settings are set to a “JPEG Image.” This allows the scans from the scanner to be saved as a JPEG file that can then be processed in a photo-editing software.

Step 3: Choose a resolution setting for your images. Resolution should generally be anywhere between 300 to 400 pixels per inch. The resolution for the image will increase the file size. The higher a resolution is, the more detailed an image will be. The image will also have a better print quality.

Step 4: Create a folder on your desktop and select a name for the folder. You will save the images scanned in this folder so select a name that will be appropriate for the folder. Scan the right side of the scrapbook page and save the image in the folder on your desktop.

Step 5: Move the scrapbook page over to fit the bottom of the right side of the scrapbook page. Repeat the procedures in Steps 1 to 4 to scan the bottom portion of the scrapbook page’s right side.

Step 6: Move the scrapbook page up and over to fit the left side of the scrapbook page on the scanner. Make sure that there is some overlapping parts from the right side of the image. Scan the document by following Steps 1 to 4, and scan the bottom of the left side by following the same procedures.

A key tip:

When you are scanning the images, make sure the images overlap at least 40 percent. Photoshop will not merge the images if they do not overlap enough. Should the Photomerge command not work, try scanning your images again and overlapping them more.

Merging the Images

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Photoshop, a renowned photo editing software created by Adobe, has a feature that allows users to merge images that have overlapping similar parts to create one continuous image. The program recognizes the similar pixels in the image and merges the two images by overlapping similar pixels. Learning how to scan 12 x 12 scrapbook pages involves using this program.

Step 1: Open a new Photoshop document to a 12 x12 inch size. Change the resolution setting to the same resolution you chose to scan your images at. Keep the color mode to RGB and 8 bit. RGB color modes in Photoshop are more advantageous because they allow users to make use of the filters available in the program. You can change the color mode to CMYK if desired; however, you will not be able to use all of the photo editing filters available.

Step 2: Under the File menu, select “Automate” and chose the “Photomerge…” option. A window will pop up with various settings you can choose from. Choose the Auto option on the left side. This will simply merge the photos and blend them together while choosing the best merging settings for the photos. You can also select the “Reposition” option which will simply position the images by matching overlapping content.

Step 3: From the drop-down menu, select Folder instead of File. On the right hand side, click the “Browse” option. Select the folder created on your desktop where the images scanned have been saved. Click “Ok” once you have added the four images.

Step 4: Allow the program to merge and blend the images. Use the crop tool to crop the images down to the appropriate 12-by-12 size or resize the image by using the “Transform” tool under the Edit menu.

Step 5: Save the image as a .psd file. This will allow for further editing to be done to the image. If you are certain you will not edit the image later on, you can choose to save as a .jpg file.

Image credits:

sxc.hu, Ambrozio

sxc.hu, ba1969