SECTION G: PHOTOGRAPH DIGITIZATION

DIGITIZATION WORKFLOW

OVERVIEW

DIGITAL PRESERVATION

“Digitization must strive to preserve to the greatest extent possible the authenticity and integrity of the

original information. Digital enhancements may be performed on copies to improve access, but an

“authentic” unaltered version (the original analog document or a digital version) must always be kept."

For preservation of ‘at risk’ or delicate material, capture the highest quality digital image technically

possible and economically feasible for large-scale production, while optimizing the potential for longevity

via a monitor and for reproduction purposes via hardcopy output at a range of sizes using a variety of

printing devices.

Digital master image files capture the image at the time of scanning, not what it may once have looked

like if restored to its original condition.

ACCESS VERSION – CORRECTED COPY OF SCAN

Additional derivative versions of the image can be produced for other purposes with different

reproduction renderings. These versions include any adjusted and touched images.

ARCHIVES SCANNING

FILE NAMING

SINGLE DIGITIZED IMAGES

SCANNER SOFTWARE AUTOMATED NUMBERING

Some scanning software will automatically number your files in increments of one. It will also allow you to

put a set prefix. In this case, you will need to pay attention and change the set prefix every thousand

images (i.e. at image a001000, a002000, etc.) You may also need to pay attention every new time you

open up the software – it remembers the prefixes and destination drive from the last time it was used, so

if someone else has used the scanner in the interim, you will need to re-set this information to carry on

from the file name where you last left off.

MAKING A CONTACT SHEET (FROM NEGATIVE STRIPS)

within the film area guide as much as possible. For sheets with a lot of negatives– this is OK, as

long as each negative can be fit into the film area guide. For archival negative sleeves with 6 rows

of strips of 6 negatives, scan the sheet in two separate scans, scanning the first 4 rows of

negatives on one scan, and the second 2 rows (plus extra sheet) scanned on a second scan.

Open scanning software from the Programs menu on the computer. An scan window will appear.

Change settings, then scan and save as indicated in the diagram on the following pages (5-6).

Save contact sheet to appropriate folder (using naming determined convention. Showing the number

range assigned to these images.

Print out a copy of the contact sheet for next steps

File with negatives after scanning and numbering.

In addition to the unchangeable embedded technical metadata, it is possible to append additional

metadata that is embedded in the image file. This additional metadata is editable. Using Adobe Bridge, it

is possible to create individualized templates and apply them to batches of images.

CREATE A METADATA TEMPLATE

1. Start Photoshop from the Applications on the desktop.

Adobe Bridge will open with an image browser window. Or, open Photoshop directly.

Navigate to the folder that contains the images to which you want to append metadata (see Directory

section following). Previews of the images/files will appear in the “Content” column. If you select

one particular image, a larger thumbnail and its metadata will appear on the right.

Open the Create Metadata Template dialog box from the menu bar.

at point of scanning)

Click the Save button to save the Template. Check to make sure the template is saving to the

Templates folder.

1. Select all of the images to which you want to append a particular metadata template.

From the menu bar, under “Tools”, choose the arrow next to “Append Metadata” and choose the

appropriate metadata template. If you are appending metadata to a large number of files, it

could take a few minutes to write to the server.

You can edit metadata for a single file in the Metadata tab on the bottom right, but the changes will

only be made to the single file you are working in.

If dust persists, use a soft cloth for negatives (or a PEC*PADs wipe), or negative/film cleaning solution

(PEC-12).

COLOUR PROFILE (ALSO COLOUR MODE OR COLOUR SPACE)

Setting the color profile is critical to digital capture and can be set within the scan software prior to digital

scanning.

A color profile simply describes the range of colors, or gamut, that a camera can see, a printer can print or

a monitor can display. Color profiles, such as Adobe RGB, are device-independent and determine a color

range you can work in. Their design allows you to edit images in a controlled, consistent manner. Adobe

RGB has a wide gamut space, which allows for greater color information to be captured about the original

item and allows for conversion or downsizing to a narrow space later.

Gray Gamma 2.2 is recommended for grayscale images.

Avoid saving files in CMYK mode. I you need to supply a CMYK file to a publisher or printer, convert to

CMYK or LAB profile from an Adobe RGB tiff.

SETTING THE COLOR PROFILE

See Scanner Instructions

BIT DEPTH OR COLOUR DEPTH

In computer graphics, bit depth is the number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel in a

bitmapped image. Higher the number of color bit depth produces a broader range of distinct colors

available in the image file.

BLACK-AND WHITE

COLOUR

Color images consist of three or more grayscale channels that represent color (R,G,B) and brightness

information: 3 channels x 16-bits = 48-bit color.

source that is preserved well or unstained.

If the black-and-white film or print source is very old, has faded significantly or is stained, then it might be

better to scan to colour and produce an RGB scan image. Black-and-white negatives or prints which have

staining, discoloured film base, retouching, intensification, or other discolourations (both intentional and

the result of deterioration) can be optimized by scanning in colour, then adjusting the colour image and

finally performing an appropriate conversion to grayscale.

Each colour channel will have to be evaluated individually to determine the adjustment needed in order

to minimize the appearance of any deterioration and optimizes the monochrome image quality. The

correction can then be used for the conversion to a grayscale image.

See the section in Post-Scanning Image Adjustments and Corrections to get more information on