Advice needed: new project

[GlobalBoosterHunter]

I am taking my boosters out of one album and transfering them to what I hope will be their final resting place.

Enroute I thought I would scan them and turn them into a visual reference.

My scanner's software is apparently not supported by Windows 7 so it is running off an old computer.

I just want to ensure that I don't have to go back and do it all again because I get to the end and think of something I should have done.

I am scanning the boosters at 600dpi, bigger than needed but not unmanagably large.









I would love to remove the background from the boosters but last time I checked, the magic wand tool in Photoshop was unable to perform miracles and the polygonal lasso was too time consuming. Is there a way of having a background which is easier to remove?

I have only added info which can be used to identify boosters, it isn't going to be the definitive guide to boosters.

It looks a bit plain but I figured I would wait till the end before I bother formatting it. That's when I will add the index and table of contents and all that palaver. Might as well do it once than have to redo it each time.

I am also a little concerned that my keyboard and brain will struggle when it comes time to add in the asian/oriental boosters and that is where the visual reference would be most useful. I am hoping google+cut+paste are going to help me with that but if anyone knows of a better way...

I will also add the names of the cards for boosters which have card art on them, I have already found them in the various languages.

Finally, has this already been done? It will be a lot quicker if I don't scan each booster before it is translocated.

[caquaa]

well the best way I'd be able to think of would be to use something drastically different in color form what you're scanning. Maybe some hot pink background. It should make the magic wand tool easier to use as you can use it at a high tolerance and it shouldn't grab anything unwanted if the colors are that different. The big issue is you'll end up w/ rough edges on the pack scans because of the magic wand tool. IMO I'd find a nice background color to scan against and just leave it be once done scanning. trying to edit every scan in PS will be a nightmare.

[Alien_Starfighter_Pilot]

I will also add the names of the cards for boosters which have card art on them, I have already found them in the various languages.

If you need a name, maybe this will help: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... n_US#gid=0

Let me know if you have any issues viewing it, or need help finding any other card names.

Clay

[GlobalBoosterHunter]

I was hoping that white would be that colour!

Maybe some side lighting to brighten up the shadows?

Light grey is not so bad, I can live with it, I was just wondering if a green background would work, like in the special effects movies!

[GlobalBoosterHunter]

I will also add the names of the cards for boosters which have card art on them, I have already found them in the various languages.

If you need a name, maybe this will help: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... n_US#gid=0

Let me know if you have any issues viewing it, or need help finding any other card names.

Clay

Perfect, even has the squiggle writting, I was wondering where I was going to find that!

[caquaa]

actually, found a fast way to do it...



it works w/ your current scanning, but would be wayyy easier if you used a red, green, or blue background. Once you have your scan, just double click the layer in PS and in the blending options choose "blend if:" to whatever background color you choose. Move the slider on the right until the background fades away. You'll notice that some of the color in the middle blends away too, all you do is grab the quick selection tool and run it over the booster then copy and paste. It will fill in the missing bits. Merge everything together. I did it w/ the grey in less then a minute and it should be even easier w/ colors that don't match the shadows and ends of the boosters. If you want to save it as no background rather then a white background, save as PNG.

you can see what it looks like w/ a random background color thrown in:


I touched up the boosters a tad more between the first and second pics. The big issue was blending grey because the ends of the booster wrappers are grey-ish.

I'm no expert w/ PS by any means, but hope this helps some

[GlobalBoosterHunter]

Excellent work!

It will probably work with GIMP too (Photoshop is too expensive for me but I had a copy 2-3 years ago). I will tape some light coloured paper to the lid of the scanner.

I might even have to add a shadow to the final image.

Glad you figured this out before I did too many of them.

Thanks again
Mark

[magicevolution]

Hi
Modificate portuguese and spanish ( spanish is 8 cartas coleccionables = Magic EL ENCUENTRO)

[GlobalBoosterHunter]

Hi
Modificate portuguese and spanish ( spanish is 8 cartas coleccionables = Magic EL ENCUENTRO)

Did I get the Spanish and Portuguese boosters mixed up? No one needs this reference more than me it appears!

For some reason the writing on the bottom of the Portuguese Booster was all in 'UPPER CASE' whereas all the others were in 'lower case'.

Thanks, just the sort of feedback I need, plus I shouldn't do any tasks which require concentration after 22:00!

Mark

[mystical_tutor]

A suggestion from the senior section.

Be very careful with dark or main color (RGB) backgrounds.

In my virtual collection I chose to go with a very light tan/off white. It was actually from resume paper I got at Office Max. The color is just light enough that the font showes up well and the background does not overhelm the real subject, like the blue above.

In any case use a larger font for your lettering. I can not read the material below the card in the picture above.

If blue is your thing, lighter blue--more of a sky blue, shows font well.

Also the light tan of off white will go equally well with all your booster colors. I am still working on the "perfect" background for my project as the tan I ended up with on the first go is too dark for me now.

Gary

[GlobalBoosterHunter]

Maybe a manila folder would be a good match, I have one somewhere.

[mystical_tutor]

Maybe a manila folder would be a good match, I have one somewhere.

Excellent Idea. Why didn't I think of that---oh, my hanging folders are yellow--DO NOT like that color....grin.

Gary

[caquaa]

Be very careful with dark or main color (RGB) backgrounds.

The color is just light enough that the font showes up well and the background does not overhelm the real subject, like the blue above.

The reason a red. green or blue background was suggested was to make it possible to REMOVE the background with ease. I did a fill on the background on that one to show how the background was removed and what effect was achieved. I used that color because I like the color, not because it looked good w/ the boosters :p
I do agree, the text needs to be able to stand out a bit more, but it would be added in after the background editing which would leave the text a tad more crisp. Also, my photobucket pics are smaller then yours for some reason even though I just copied yours o.O

[GlobalBoosterHunter]

For sure, the booster scans would be edited before adding to the Word doc and converting to a PDF (and then a jpg so it could be uploaded to the forum)

Text will be unaltered by the process.

As I want a white/blank back ground I will try the colours suggested, it sounds easier than cutting out a cardboard mask to frame the booster as it sits on the scanner.

Cheers

[mystical_tutor]

Actually the cardboard frame is not a bad idea for making sure that your boosters are neatly alligned. I have a terrable time getting my cards "dress right dress" for a scan. Even closing the scanner top changes them sometimes.

In any case, the project is highly commendable IMHO--lot of work but something to be proud of.

Gary