Oscraps

How to use ephemera?

tanteva

tanteva

Mistress of Mayhem
I have tons of old postcards, magazine, books etc. Now that I'm decluttering, I'm finding stuff everywhere! I was thinking I could use some of it for scrapping, and was wondering:

What's the best way to do it? Scan of take photos? Are there any special settings I should have on the scanner or the camera?

How do I make them look the best? Thinking dpi, size etc. And is there any tips and tricks on editing them to make them look the best?

I guess, I haven't got the slightest idea, so any tips & trix are welcome!
 
Madi

Madi

Diane
CHEERY O
use it with scissors and glue!!

but

scanning would be better than photo?
if possible 300 dpi, like digiscrap kits?
but maybe a designer would have better ideas?
 
Vicki Robinson

Vicki Robinson

Designer + Brush Queen + Mac Guru
Designer
I use a ton of ephemera in my kits and, of course, in my mixed mixed art. I scan on a flatbed scanner, at least 300, but usually at 600 - it captures more detail and allows me to size however I want. I also scan using the “photo” setting rather than the “document“ setting. I only photograph 3D objects — in a light box setup, shooting straight down with my iPhone.

The key for easier extractions is to get as much contrast as you can between what you’re scanning and the inside of the scanner cover, which is usually white. So for light colored things, I tape a sheet of black card stock over the scanner cover. I used to try to lay the card stock over the stuff on the scanner, but the slightest wrong move causes everything to shift which is annoying. For darker papers, I use white copy paper or card stock instead of the black - because the inside of the scanner cover seems to read more yellow than I want for contrast purposes.

Remind me what software you use? I use Photoshop CC, so if I think something needs to be edited, I might use the Camera Raw filter to mess with the texture and lighting settings If the stuff is really vintage and I want that look/feel. Sometimes a Levels or Curves adjust is needed, and sometimes a brightness/contrast adjustment is helpful. But honestly, since you’re not selling what you scan, it’s a matter of your personal taste, I‘d not worry too much about editing.

Is this helpful? Feel free to ask as you play!
 
tanteva

tanteva

Mistress of Mayhem
Thanks Vicky! I don't think my scanner is even connected to the puter right now, but I'll see if I can try & scan some stuff tomorrow.

My scanner has a white thingamajing in the lid, that I can remove if needed. It's my dad's old scanner that he bought to scan old photos. Gee, I'm not sure what the type of photos are called in English?? You know, those who look like negatives almost (just not negative) that you use a projector & show them on a white screen.

I have a Stoneage version of PSE. (PSE11)
 
Vicki Robinson

Vicki Robinson

Designer + Brush Queen + Mac Guru
Designer
We call them "slides" and you show them on a "slide show projector" — and in fact I have some scanned to use in a kit! Lol

Just be sure that the inside lid of the scanner provides enough contrast - that's what becomes the background for your scanned image.
 
Kythe

Kythe

Well-Known Member
I do exactly what Vicki suggested and send the scan directly to my computer. Then put the scans into various folders for quick access. If I can, I put the name of the person and date but if unknown I just put general terms like man, woman, family etc.

If the photo is faded, I bring up the contrast by duplicating and putting a screen or overlay filter on the top photo and adjust as needed.
You have a treasure that will keep you busy for a long time. Enjoy.
 
digiscrapper

digiscrapper

Pictures, please
When I travel, I try to find historical postcards from ages past. I add them to layouts of the same place to add some historical depth to the page. Here's two examples of how I used the same postcard on two different pages. The Journey one was a cover page and the other one was just for fun. I used elements from Anna Aspnes store.
 

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digiscrapper

digiscrapper

Pictures, please
Cath said:
what about newspaper, what would you place behind so printing on back doesnt show thru
Click to expand...
Vicki Robinson said:
Unfortunately, I’ve found no solution to that - some newsprint is just too thin.
Click to expand...
In Photoshop Elements,
Vicki Robinson said:
Unfortunately, I’ve found no solution to that - some newsprint is just too thin.
Click to expand...
In Photoshop elements, got to Enhance -> Convert to Black and white (even if it is already black and white) and a list of types of output will open. Click on "Newspaper" and that conversion will clean up the original very well
 
Hamer Lodge

Hamer Lodge

forever learning
Vicki Robinson said:
I use a ton of ephemera in my kits and, of course, in my mixed mixed art. I scan on a flatbed scanner, at least 300, but usually at 600 - it captures more detail and allows me to size however I want. I also scan using the “photo” setting rather than the “document“ setting. I only photograph 3D objects — in a light box setup, shooting straight down with my iPhone.

The key for easier extractions is to get as much contrast as you can between what you’re scanning and the inside of the scanner cover, which is usually white. So for light colored things, I tape a sheet of black card stock over the scanner cover. I used to try to lay the card stock over the stuff on the scanner, but the slightest wrong move causes everything to shift which is annoying. For darker papers, I use white copy paper or card stock instead of the black - because the inside of the scanner cover seems to read more yellow than I want for contrast purposes.

Remind me what software you use? I use Photoshop CC, so if I think something needs to be edited, I might use the Camera Raw filter to mess with the texture and lighting settings If the stuff is really vintage and I want that look/feel. Sometimes a Levels or Curves adjust is needed, and sometimes a brightness/contrast adjustment is helpful. But honestly, since you’re not selling what you scan, it’s a matter of your personal taste, I‘d not worry too much about editing.

Is this helpful? Feel free to ask as you play!
Click to expand...
thank you for all this info....it is really really helpful. I have just turned my office into a spare room for visitors, now I am thinking I will need an office again to scan old photos and postcard.
 
Vicki Robinson

Vicki Robinson

Designer + Brush Queen + Mac Guru
Designer
digiscrapper said:
In Photoshop Elements,

In Photoshop elements, got to Enhance -> Convert to Black and white (even if it is already black and white) and a list of types of output will open. Click on "Newspaper" and that conversion will clean up the original very well
Click to expand...
I did try that on one of mine - but the print from the other side shows up too much. So it will just depend on how thin the ioringal newspaper is.
 
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