Scanning the Coin



Raw scan


The image which results from scanning at this point is what I call a "raw" scan. As you can see it is inverted and much too dark, and has an unacceptable amount of space around it.



Crop the image


Using a freeform crop tool, specify a close fitting square around the coin and let this become the full image. Don't forget that most edit menus provide an UNDO option. If you don't like the way you cropped the image, undo it and try again.



Save It!

At this stage it is best to save the raw image in a full uncompressed file. You can delete it after you have finished editing the image. In naming the files I prefer to use a name which reflects the identity of the image somehow. In this case the name reflects the RIC number for a coin from Constantinople including the officina (Con 82 ia) and the fact that this is a view of the reverse. The tif file extension is the tipoff that this is a raw image.



Rotate 180°


Next you may rotate the image 180 degrees so that you don't have to crane your neck to see what effect your efforts are having. On the principle that any image manipulation is an alteration of the original state, I prefer to do this and the later steps after first saving the raw image. The only exception is the initial crop which has an impact on file size.


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Next: Adjusting the tonal balance. Better than brightness.