Pint of Adnams Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 One of the problems with home scanning tightly bound documents (such as Working Timetables) is that it's impossible to flatten the item sufficiently to prevent the page curving away from the flatbed of the scanner, resulting in a distorted image area near the spine. Does anyone know of any software, preferably freeware, that can be readily used to correct and remove the distortion? TIA, PoA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I only came across this topic while seaching for something else. I hope you don't think I'm being funny with this reply - it is meant seriously. I don't know of any software that will do this. However, I seem to remember cheap hardware for this - a triangular-section perspex rod which sat in the curve of the double pages. IIRC, the angles of the sides had to be such that you got internal reflection inside the rod, but it produced reasonable results. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9-70 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I don't think there's any software that can do what you suggest without distorting the complete image. What you can try is, lay the book/page as flat as possible on the scanner. Don't fold the book in on itself, leave it open, then place a heavy object/book larger than the page on top of the page and scan it. After scanning the page, crop the image to remove any possible curving that remains on the scanned image. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penlan Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Provided the 'curved' edge is in focus.. unlikely, then with one of the software programmes for editing pictures you could cut the curved edge part of the picture off into strips and 'stretch' their width a little bit and reassemble them into a wider picture, but it's time consuming and relies on the curve being in focus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
14Steve14 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 There are a couple of free programs that may help you. The first is gimp and the other is paint.net. Both can be found by searching. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted January 2, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2012 Thinking about this, maybe a heavy sheet of glass over the page(s) and a digital camera would be a better bet than a flatbed scanner. A quick google found several academic papers on this (page curl) subject, so I don't think anyone has found an easy/quick solution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Thinking about this, maybe a heavy sheet of glass over the page(s) and a digital camera would be a better bet than a flatbed scanner. Spot on, assisted by use of a suitable tripod to keep the camera still over the subject matter. It will be less prone to exaggerating the printed dots than scanning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penlan Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 ....Spot on, assisted by use of a suitable tripod to keep the camera still over the subject matter. The only problem I have had with this method is keeping away an light (room/sun/etc.,) from reflecting off the glass. I have a black umbrella for this purpose, but then that reduces the light on the page/object photographed. I use to copy photo's back in the 60/70's for Family History, Railway Social History etc., with a short tripod fixed camera with a fixed proper flatbed etc., plate glass weight etc., out in daylight on a cloudy day at a picnic table - my wheelchair bound friend was on a course at the time and I had about 6 hours to wait before transporting her home again - you can get a lot of copying done in that time and read a book...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 If you have a specialist library (county archive, academic, deposit collection) somewhere convenient to you, there are species of photocopier/scanner units in some of these places with an end platen, enabling books to be copied opened to no more than a right angle. Delivers both minimum distortion and reduces strain on the binding. Might be worth asking around for availability and per copy charge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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