Content DM Documentation
Obtaining slides
Professors who want to have slides scanned will contact Jonathan Leamon (iTech) with the request. Jonathan will then contact us about the slide scanning project and pass on the slides along with an Excel file that includes organized descriptive information. Once that is completed, Jonathan will then upload the scanned files onto ContentDM. Before scanning
One step that will save both you and the Prof a lot of grief if the slides get mixed up is to number each and every slide before you do anything else. A small number on the upper righthand corner should be fine. This step also helps with checking to see if your file names in the Excel file match up with their descriptors. Scanning:
Connecting adapter to scanner
The batch scanner adapters should be located in a box in one of the storage cupboards in the Aquarium. It is a good idea to use the provided latex gloves to keep from smudging or dirtying the slides in anyway. Make sure to replace the adapters in their containers when done.
When you attach the adapters into the scanners, make sure the scanner is turned on its side so that the big silver power button is on the bottom right- hand corner, and the word "Nikon" is vertical.
Slide the adaptor in and push the silver power button. Everything is properly connected if you see a green light on the adapter.
Loading
Open the cover of the adaptor and pull the cream-colored end away from you so that you can load your slides into the machine. It might be a good idea to start off with a batch of 8-10 slides or so.
(Also, slides can only be put in horizontally, so even if the picture makes sense if the slide is held like this: you still need to load it into the scanner like this: (Or part of the picture will be cut off)
Starting up Nikon 4 Scanning Application
Open up the Nikon Scanning Program by going to Start, Programs, Scanning, and select Nikon Scan 4.
Important: Saving location and format
Hit the Preferences blue button and select the File Locations category on the menu. Save your files in the folder on the ContentDM server provided by Jonathan. If you have problems, you can save to the scratch disk and then transfer the files after. Under the File Savings category, make sure that the Default file format is still set at TIFF. Click OK and restart the Nikon Scan program.
When the program restarts, click the Tools purple button. Select the Crop button and make sure that the option to "Keep this file size" is selected and that the file size is set at 18 MB. Also make sure that the color depth is set to 8-bit.
When you are ready to do a batch scan, select the Nikon Scan menu from the toolbar on the other window that popped up when you opened up Nikon Scan 4.
Select Slide Feeder and enter the number of slides that you will be scanning.
Press Scan. Click OK in the Batch Scan window.
When you are asked again abut file saving, select your folder that is on the ContentDM server.
Again, if this doesn't work, you can also save to another location and transfer the files later.
Important: Numbering
Also note that when the File Saving Options dialogue box pops up, there is something called a Starting Index. This feature automatically numbers the slides for you. This is important because if, for example, you need to redo slides 10-13 when you have just completed slide 20, you can change the index number from 21 back to 10 at this point to replace the old slides numbered 10- 13. Click Ok.
(Note: sometimes the scanners act up after scanning for a bit, or they start jamming right from the start. Restarting the scanner usually helps, along with restarting the Nikon program.) Editing the Slides
At this point it might be a good idea to put all those unedited TIFF files in a subfolder called "original" or something along those lines, to distinguish them from the new edited TIFF files, which you will be making shortly. Create another subfolder and call that "edited slides."
- Go to Start, Programs, Graphics Editing, and select Photoshop.
- Open up an original TIFF file and do whatever rotations are necessary until the scanned image matches up with the picture on the slide. (Go to Image then Rotate Canvas).
- Crop the image so that you don't have black borders along the edges.
- If requested by the faculty member, do some color enhancing by going to Image on the menu bar and selecting Adjustments. Play around with the Auto Color, Auto Levels, and Auto Contrast options if the image needs more vibrancy. Note: some slides are fine just they way they are, and most Profs would like their scanned images to look more like their slides than something that has obviously been enhanced. If you think that the slides need enhancing, check with Jonathan.
- Save the file as a TIFF in your subfolder called "edited slides." When a pop-up dialogue box appears, asking you about Image Compression, make sure you select None.
- Repeat step 4 for all the slides.
Updating the Excel file
Once all the slides have been scanned in and altered, you will need to update the Excel file. Open your file in Excel (Start- Programs - Academic - Excel). You may have to add a column to include file names so select Insert Column so that a column appears on the left-hand most part of the spreadsheet. As a title in the first cell type in "File Name"
You now want to match up the file name to the descriptor. Ex:
| File Name |
Sheet Number |
Caption |
Photographer |
| IMG001.tiff |
1 |
Green River at Dawn |
MMD |
| IMG002.tif |
1 |
Sunrise by Mountains |
MMD |
Double-check to make sure that your order of numbering the files matches up with how the Prof laid out the descriptors (i.e both go either horizontally or vertically.)
Once you have entered the file names for all the slides, save your work and quit.
You should have three items in your ContentDM folder: a subfolder with the original scanned TIFFs, another subfolder with the cropped and edited TIFFs, and the Excel file with the descriptions.
Send Jonathan an email letting him know the images are ready (jleamon@williams.edu), and he will upload your edited TIFFS into ContentDM.
|
|
