Is there a safe way to Scan a oversized cel?

[1hellofabutler]

I have an oversized cel I want to put up on rs.. What way would be recommended for this big guy? I have never scanned it before but have taken pics of it. I bought it on eBay and I’m pretty sure the seller just took a pic of it…probably the safest way to go?

Is there a safe way for me to scan this cel or have you guys ever taken cels to a scanning shop to get your cels scanned and put on a flash drive or something? ( like a kinkos or office max?)

The size is about 18” by 30” and looks like it would make a good poster

[cutiebunny]

I actually purchased an oversized A3 scanner just for this alone.

I don't recommend bringing it to Kinko's simply because they may not scan it. When I used to go with my cels, the staff would ask if the artwork was my own artwork and then they'd tell me that they're not allowed to make scans of copyrighted material. While this might not be an issue if you're scanning items from an obscure anime, it might become more problematic if what you're scanning is art from a well known series, or if the staff tend to be particularly anime saavy.

The Kinko's near me didn't have a flatbed oversized scanner, so I had to insert it through one that you have to put the item through and it will eventually pass to the floor. The staff also tried to do the scanning for me, but I, with gloves on my hands, told them that that wasn't going to work.

Anyways, what most people do is simply scan portions of the item and then, with the help of photoshop, align all the portions together to create an oversized image.

[sensei]

Yeah, basically what you need is some kind of graphic software that includes what is called a "stitch" function. The program that came with my Canon Canoscan (called PhotoStudio) has this, and I'm sure lots of others do too. It takes two graphic files and fits them together into a bigger file. What I do is scan the oversized item in two or three passes, then crop them so that they just barely overlap. Then stitch, then dither with the edges of the sections until they match up exactly. (Actually, I use MS Paint for the dithering part because it's easier to use.) It takes time, but after you've done it a couple times, it will seem natural.

The main thing is to be sure that you line up the item you're scanning along one side of the scanner bed, so that each pass is exactly parallel to each other. If you don't, then the sections won't match up no matter what you do. Also that you run the scans immediately after each other. When for some reason I've paused or come back later to do the second scan, the color qualities of the scans often don't match.

The alternative is to take a photo with a digital camera, but that has all kinds of disadvantages, the most obvious being that you always get reflections off the shiny side of the cel.

[Rekka Alexiel]

I usually take multiple scans of the cel in various positions and then splice it together in a graphics program. It usually works pretty well, but it does take some time and patience to both make the scan and put them together.

[1hellofabutler]

Hey thanks for the info everyone!

Ah, I see your point, this cel has game characters on it so taking it to someone is out. I looked into the oversized printers...I'd like one so I can save up for it but they are not cheap. I did find one that was 250 but quality was low. I may try the scanning one section at a time, I have Photoshop and I will see if there’s a way to buy that or download it..

If I can't I will take a pic but it's just that I have tried and the details just don't pop, but I can take several and maybe some close ups.

Thanks again, that really helped open up some options for me

[pixie_princess]

Yeah, basically what you need is some kind of graphic software that includes what is called a "stitch" function. The program that came with my Canon Canoscan (called PhotoStudio) has this, and I'm sure lots of others do too. It takes two graphic files and fits them together into a bigger file. What I do is scan the oversized item in two or three passes, then crop them so that they just barely overlap. Then stitch, then dither with the edges of the sections until they match up exactly. (Actually, I use MS Paint for the dithering part because it's easier to use.) It takes time, but after you've done it a couple times, it will seem natural.

The main thing is to be sure that you line up the item you're scanning along one side of the scanner bed, so that each pass is exactly parallel to each other. If you don't, then the sections won't match up no matter what you do. Also that you run the scans immediately after each other. When for some reason I've paused or come back later to do the second scan, the color qualities of the scans often don't match.

The alternative is to take a photo with a digital camera, but that has all kinds of disadvantages, the most obvious being that you always get reflections off the shiny side of the cel.

You dont always get reflections as there are ways around this. You do need to use an slr (it can be digital) a cable release, a tripod or a stable mount of some sort, and quite possibly a non reflective fabric behind the camera as to avoid pesky reflections. Also under no circumstances can you use flash. There was a period of time when I had no scanner as my current os was incompatible with my old one. I have a rig that allows me to shoot from overhead. I have this because I did some product photography for a nice lady who made afghan blankets for babies. The concept is pretty much the same as the one behind doing copy negs. Afterwards you may have to fiddle with color correction a bit in photoshop. Its a bit time consuming at times, but at least you are getting it all in one shot. Though stitching from multiple passes will yeild better quality faster.

[glorff]

Do you have a color copier at your workplace? If you do, or a friend does, it should have a color scanner that will handle 11 x 17.

[ginga123]

FedEx Kinko's has not stopped me yet and i've been bold enough to bring a cel or sketch or two to scan on site using their computer rental. Granted, 90% of the time I bring in my scans of that recognizable copyrighted material and I'm pretty speedy about Photoshop chop, crop, watermark and turnaround.

If you decide to crop and align the scans using PS, make sure you make a psd so you can fiddle with it until you know you've got it right.

[1hellofabutler]

Wow guys, thanks for the help! I really had no idea how many options were open to me and this really helps me. I’ll be able to figure out something this week thanks to everyone.