Scanning Items
Hi,
I have not yet opened a store. However, I was interested in how most sellers scan images for individual stamps. Are they using software, smartphones, digital cameras or other methods? It appears like the scanning would require a great deal of time, unless you were selling an entire stock sheet with 30 stamps for sale. Any comments on this topic would be appreciated. Thanks.
I have not yet opened a store. However, I was interested in how most sellers scan images for individual stamps. Are they using software, smartphones, digital cameras or other methods? It appears like the scanning would require a great deal of time, unless you were selling an entire stock sheet with 30 stamps for sale. Any comments on this topic would be appreciated. Thanks.
Comments
Even with a scanner, I think you would do well to download an excellent, and free, image editor called Irfanview.
Here is the link to their web site: https://www.irfanview.com/
I use it religiously with pictures from my digital camera and my scanner.
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/fatdanes-stamp-store
Here is Jason's YouTube tutorial for the program, and here is the link to the free download:
http://www.drakeserver.com/
Ted
You'll note that not all the stamps are the same height. These were all laid out on the same Hagner sheet (with varying amounts of space between each row), scanned, and the software did the rest. As Michael mentioned, you have to name the image yourself, but from my perspective, it's a small price to pay to have software that can automatically create the boxes around each image individually or create grouped images.
Jason is great to work with, and has added some functionality for me. He does it all for free, so if you start to use it and like it, he won't turn down a token of gratitude.
Rob
Again, thank you for your detailed comments.
Do you use Photoshop or one of the less advanced versions, like "Elements?" I'm quickly learning that each program has its own unique learning curve. I also have "EzImage," but don't find it the easiest to use. Thanks for your input.
I have both but I prefer the full Photoshop - it has less useless "stuff", at least for this purpose - and it has the best losless algorithm for jpg files.
I use Elements for other things, and I depend on Irfanview for my day to day stuff, a quick look or crop and Irfanview has a gangbuster batch conversion mode. If you can afford it get Photoshop alongside Irfanview.
I let my scanner name the images sequentially and I scan them in the order I'm going to post them so no renaming is
necessary (saves time and typos). I then put the whole thing through a stamp database program that allows me to describe and price the lot, select the image and automatically crop and straighten the image, it then creates the csv file for uploading, creating a Private ID in the process. That whole process including uploading images and the csv lets me post about 100 lots in a little more than half a day. Since I'm retired - that's my limit! Scanning those images takes about an hour or so of that time.
It was just a general question as I was wondering if a bursting program would really help me all that much. (Right now at the upper end I can scan almost 150 single stamps in an hour doing it the way I am doing it now with out any other program than what came with the scanner.)
Thanx
A free alternative is to use GIMP (a photoshop work alike that is free). How to do it can be found here:
http://francoismalan.com/2013/01/how-to-batch-separate-crop-multiple-scanned-photos/
the problem is that GIMP and Photoshop often screw up (at least according to the human running the program).
Although I don't recommend using Java at all, you might try downloading it with either Internet Explorer or Safari on the
Windows machine.
2. Laptop $1,200.00
3. Windows 10 paint program
4. Desk Craiglist-$20.00
4. HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS of scanning the front, crop, then the reverse, crop.
5. HOURS AND HOURS of listing stamps.
note: add in some adult beverages and the time will fly by-
one word of caution, go easy on the adult beverages, I have learned that some how cheap stamps get listed for 10.00 and not $1.00. Funny how that happens-
Good luck
I used to try to place the stamps in clear Vario sheets, but I thought the plastic distorted the images a bit, plus I often found I couldn't crop closely enough along the bottom edge of the stamp to remove the "seam" from the bottom of the row. So I place the stamps down directly on the scanner glass, make the scan, then flip them over and scan the backs.
- - - - - -
I keep thinking there's got to be a way to put the stamps in some kind of "carrier", like a clear Vario sheet (but where the stamps won't settle so close down to the bottom of the row) and then use a pass-through scanner that will scan both front and back at the same time without my having to flip anything. (I know a couple of postcard dealers who do this, but postcards lend themselves better to this than stamps do.)
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/the-philatarium
But the good news is that there's a special photographer's plan, that's just Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom, for $10/month. (You have to commit to a year at a time, but they just bill you $10/mo.)
I find Bridge really helpful for image management and some scripting chores, like smart batch renaming, making images for sets of stamps, converting to jpgs, etc.
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/the-philatarium
That beats the $50/month for their regular plan with access to more of their products.
Having read the contents, I have down loaded Irfanview to try.
Worked a treat on my first test scan - 16 separate images - three needed adjustment - but hey I can live with than
However, on every subsequent scan it gives me a single page image only - Frustration Rules OK
I appreciate that is probably just a setting somewhere - and any one with an active braincell could probably sort it in seconds - but I am totally puzzled and frustrated - (Braincell is on holiday for a few weeks - well probably for ever actualy) I do not think I made any adjustments from the first scan to the second but the hammer is being warmed up in readiness.
If anyone can save the last few hairs on my head that have not yet been pulled out - I will be most grateful please
Balding David
Switched over to scanning. Much better results. I use a Brother Multifunction Printer/Scanner/Copier. I scan into JPG files at 600dpi. I export the scan into Picasa(Google freeware). There I make copies of the original scan(say there are 6 items, I make 5 copies). I then crop, straighten and rename as individual items(6 of them). I name the files with a private SKU that I use in my Hip Listings. Finally, I export the files(with a watermark) into a folder at a reasonable resolution(1024 px) for upload(usually around 250kb).
Lots of work and relatively time consuming. I pretty much only do this for items valued over $5. For the rest I use stock "photos".
Hope this helps
Bob