scan your slabs?

[Peruano]

I seem to recall someone suggesting this for those who have inadequate camera expertise or equipment so I tried my scanner on several slabs that were at hand. This one is a cropped version of a larger scan.


Here is the total scan. I saved it as a jpeg, but if you have to save it as a pdf you can easily convert to jpeg format for posting here.


I thought I'd add a couple of others and try to identify what is domed and what is flat.


This photo is mostly Rio Puerco agates with a pudding stone from same area (top row) and AZ petrified wood (second row)



The top two rows of the last photo consists of pedernal chert tumbled as flat slabettes (except for right hand of 2nd row which is Mexican beach agate (again a tumbled flat that had been preformed).
The third row has some chalcedony (a single pebble cut in two with one showing the flat side and one having a natural domed side - for comparison of focus? The black and white stone on right in third row is a partially domed slabette.

[Fossilman]

I have scanned rough,but never slabs or cabs... Great idea!

[jamesp]

Not bad at all.

[Deleted]

Looks like the scanner didnt light them well. Usually scans are flat light from close to the camera. This image shows very strong sidelighting from the left, see very long shadows going right?

At thousands of pixels per inch, a scanner is equal to a DSLR. Try looking in settings for a higher resolution image. Then your pics will show far more details and also, one scan will have sufficient resolution to crop out each slab for individual display.

Tom, please dont be hurt by my saying, your phone could do better than what you displayed here.

[Peruano]

No problem on critiques. I'm just exploring. Part of problem is having different thicknesses of stones and scanner top no lying flat. Tom

[Deleted]

Maybe that is the source of the sidelight.

Try a dark towel over scanner while imaging. Maybe the scanner light will do its job better.

I support exploration!

Have a nice weekend

[unclesoska]

Avoid colored cloth or towels as they may influence the color of light, giving you incorrect color rendition.

[Deleted]

Jun 17, 2016 12:25:09 GMT -5 unclesoska said:

Avoid colored cloth or towels as they may influence the color of light, giving you incorrect color rendition.

I said over the scanner and that wasnt clear.

Over the scanner lid.

[unclesoska]

If light is "leaking" when you close the scanner lid and you use a bright red towel for example, the leaking light will bounce off the towel and give your photos a "pink" cast. Use only neutral color, ie: black, grey or white. Hopefully this clears up my last post. Thanks Shotgunner!

[tbvet3]

I think there's quite a bit of variation among scanners as well as cameras.  My scanner is an HP and I get this:



Use my Cannon in Macro mode and get this:

[rockjunquie]

Rocks will scratch up your scanner glass and ruin your scanner..... ask me how I know.

[unclesoska]

Jun 18, 2016 12:33:37 GMT -5 tbvet3 said:

I think there's quite a bit of variation among scanners as well as cameras.  My scanner is an HP and I get this:



Use my Cannon in Macro mode and get this:

It may work better w/ slabs, but you can't expect a scanner to have ANY depth of field. That's why your leather won't focus. It's why they make cameras with macro mode.  Even w/ a macro mode, depth of field is limited by f/stop, film speed and in your settings you can change the auto focus  area. Try focusing on the reflections, and see how that works for ya.

[tbvet3]

Thanks, I'll give it a whirl.