Takes about two years to learn scanning and image management, setting aside most other projects. After two years a person might want better quality images (because their storage method has improved) or they might decide on a "practical" size for organization of the available number of images. One copy of each picture isn't enough. Multiple copies in multiple locations (progressively organized backup sets) is better. CD-Recordables are affordable but occasionally scratched. A hard drive can't be considered "permanent." At one time I had over 25,000 JPG images and hundreds of others in various formats on a single hard drive. Use some of the pictures in the intended way. If you can "see" the difference, perhaps it is worth saving large files of special originals. If you need to be able to print a *collection* of pictures in a word processor file or genealogy scrapbook or album program, use the smallest files with acceptable quality. None of my Internet contacts have reported using a Word 2000 file with more than 50 images as part of a family book, yet I'm reasonably happy with family data files that will print 500 and 750 small images (early scans) organized in scrapbooks from single genealogy files. A single scan of a microfilm printed recently from 61 mb file was well over the size of the 500 & 750 picture sets that are around 45 mb each. All it proved was that the computer equipment could print a big file one page at a time. I gave up worrying about dpi calculations about 1997 and "just do it." Documents received yesterday will be scanned to 600 pixels wide and e-mailed to a cousin in England. The quality settings for JPG and variations for TIF (uncompressed, LZW etc) are hidden in Adobe image programs compared to other products that have an Options button in the "save copy as" window. A JPG doesn't change each time it is viewed, just when edited and resaved. Do Photoshop full version, LE, Essentials (etc) allow multiple copies of images to be viewed for comparisons? The person who talked about images at a November meeting used ACDSee to display them even though he has a full copy of Photoshop and took an expensive course to learn it. A new compact version of JPG is in development. PNG is hardly discussed on the Internet and unlikely to become "standard." Pictures sent as e-mail attachments need to be 600 pixels or less if the recipient doesn't know how to manage printouts from large files. PSD (Photoshop) and PSP (Paint Shop Pro) image formats are used for editing images, not sharing with owners of other image products. Personally, I find it easiest to work with pixels displayed rather than dpi or inches. A full page item or 35mm slide can be printed from an image 600 pixels wide and 900 pixels high. If it has interesting details, I scan "closeup" sections in preference to keeping a huge TIF file and cropping later. I remember when a photographer friend brought a portrait to be scanned and took home a 1.2 mb JPG copy on a floppy. He couldn't print it with his expensive new computer and had to come back to a 486 that was fast and powerful at the time. Elizabeth (with a minimum of frustration over images) ----- Original Message ----- > I started saving files in the .TIF format (too big to transfer before I > could burn CDs) so changed to .JPG (didn't know that there is loss EVERY > time it is saved, not just the first time) then .PNG (now I find that > some/many image programs don't recognize this format > I have spent a fair amount of money and a lot of time on this project so far > with little to show for it but a lot of frustration so any and all > instructive messages to the list will be read closely. > Dennis Smith

Elizabeth, Having scanned 25,000+ photos, you must have set some records. At the rate I'm going, I won't live long enough to scan 25000, thank God I don't have that many. Tell me, do you edit the photo as you scan or do you get the best scan possible without heavy editing and move on? I have a number of tintypes that are pretty badly damaged, and while I can get a much improved image, it takes hours with the clone brush to cover all the cracks. Perhaps I should be scanning just to get it done and then go back to the editing after all the photos are neatly filed in the computer. Earlier I think you mentioned that you save your photos in a database format. What program do you use? Right now I just save to a subdirectory on my harddrive (will transfer to a CD very soon) and use FlipAlbum to view the various groups. It works quite well, but without any search capabilities other than file name. KAY --- Kay Keating's outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.306 / Virus Database: 166 - Release Date: 12/4/2001