Scans and Picassa

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Posted By: T206Collector

I recently subscribed to Google's free image hosting/editing software. It is amazing -- I can manage all my T206 scans from scan to uploading to the web all with one piece of free software. And it is so easy to make your scans look better.

Here is the scan I had been using for my SGC 60 T206 Three Finger Brown portrat:



And here is how I was able to enhance it with Picassa in about 3 seconds and then upload to my google album in about 2 seconds:



It is amazing how the enjoyment of my cards is enhanced by my relative ability to improve the online look of my cards. Does anyone else have this feeling?

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Posted By: jay wolt

Nice software, quite the difference.

My only worry is that some shady cats can play games on their eBay
auctions and play w/ their scans as this process seems very easy to do that.

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Posted By: James Feagin

My little devil's advocate tells me it is better to have a scan of a card as it REALLY is rather than a touched up glossified version.

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Posted By: John

Paul, the one above looks so much better and natural IMO. The one below looks like it's on a contrast and color supplement (juiced).

Either way nice looking card.

John

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Posted By: John

"It is amazing how the enjoyment of my cards is enhanced by my relative ability to improve the online look of my cards. Does anyone else have this feeling?"

Yes me too in fact with the right program I now can collect all the T206 Cobb color variations…LOL.

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Posted By: T206Collector

I guess my only comment is that the Brown is brighter in person than it is in the first scan. When I scan my cards, I can never get the default to look just like the card. But with Picassa, I can make the card look as bright as it really is.

And, with respect to the ebay comment, the people with better brighter scans get more money for their cards. This goes on quite a bit.

Picassa is a lot of fun. I particularly like Jesus Cobb:

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

nice to see you getting in touch with your feminine side with the pink & purple background Cobbs......

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Posted By: leon

That original darker image is very nice to look at but I have to admit it makes me a little uncomfortable too. I see some cards on ebay that have the same before and after look. I feel strongly that that software should not be used when selling cards.....For your own collection and scans it doesn't matter but to sell them with "improved" scans would be dishonest......

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Posted By: JK

Leon,

I would respectfully disagree - in part. In my opinion, if the software is able to make the card more true to how it looks when you are holding it than is the unedited scan, I think its perfectly fine to use the software. However, I do not believe its ok to brighten up cards to hide flaws etc.

The Brown above looks like its had the contrast turned up a tad too much IMO. Granted, I havent seen the card in person, but the top image looks better to me. Ive found that the best way to get a nice scan is to scan it as a .bmp rather than .jpg file. Its a larger file size, but you get a more accurate scan.

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Posted By: leon

It should have been very easy to understand what I meant. Maybe it wasn't.... If you scan a card and the scan looks like it does when you have it in hand then that is perfect. If the scan looks better than the card does in person then that is a bad thing......To me it looked like the first post was touching up the scan to make it look better than it really did. If that is not the case then I have no issue....It's the same reason I try to point out minute flaws in cards I am selling. Full disclosure...I want the card to be exactly described so when it's received it doesn't get the "oh SH**" that we have all experienced. I hate it when that happens...

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Posted By: JK

I agree completely.

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Posted By: T206Collector

...question of ethics, to be sure, but if you browse T206 cards on ebay, for example, you will see all manner of quality scan and photograph of cards being sold. I agree that there is an obligation to not alter an image to imply no faults where there are some, but what I am talking about here is essentially taking a photograph with flash. And some sellers provide clearer images than others -- e.g., scanning PSA and SGC cards against black backgrounds, etc. I'm not sharpening corners or erasing creases; nor am I advocating same.

The converse is also true, by the way, and we have all gotten some great deals where the scan was horrible, blury and not representative of the card being sold. In such cases, we were pleasantly surprised with how nice the card is.

At the end of the day, if you purchase a card online with a doctored "brightened" image, you know it immediately upon receipt. You always have a claim against the seller that his image was not representative of the card's true image.

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Posted By: JK

Hey Paul,

Hopefully you didnt read my email to imply that you had altered your scan. If so, that was not what I meant to state. Ive never seen your card, so all I have to go on is seeing other cards. I just thought your top scan looked more natural. If, however, the card is truly as bright red as the second scan, than I have no problem with the computer editing and, in fact, I would do the same to my own cards to try and make them more accurate when viewed on screen.

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Posted By: T206Collector

I did want to raise another point which is that the scans on my home computer (LCD screen) come out much cleaner than when I view them at work (old monitor). So, it is not just enough to go with scan/photo software... the quality of the monitor is an issue, too. That is, in order to enjoy my cards at work, it helps for me to make them a bit brighter at home.

I was really just wondering if anyone else found themselves in this (or similar) boat.