Best software for imaging coins??
billboat
Posts: 2,260
I've got the HP photo imaging program and its not working very well. I've tried a number of coin pictures on the test forum and haven't got anything that I'd be willing to post on the BST or Coin forum. I think that my digital camera is OK but the editing software doesn't do a good job. Also, do I need some sort of website to upload to---I've been active on this board for some time and would like to post pictures--but I don't want to post fuzzy pictures. Help! What should I get to work with my coins so that I can share them with you all?
Edited to add: Guess I just want everyone to know that I really have some decent coins in my collection and am just not someone that posts his opinions without actual collecting experience.
Edited to add: Guess I just want everyone to know that I really have some decent coins in my collection and am just not someone that posts his opinions without actual collecting experience.
Curmudgeon in waiting!
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<< <i>Guess I just want everyone to know that I really have some decent coins in my collection and am just not someone that posts his opinions without actual collecting experience. >>
Billboat, it might not mean much coming from me but I've always respected the opinions you've given. Mainly I've seen you give opinions on Bust material so I'm assuming you do indeed have some great coins to show. I look forward to you sharing.
For good photos, the forum upload limit simply is insufficient. So yes, you will need an independent site to host photos.
If you have broadband, it is highly likely your package includes at least 5 MB of webspace on which you can host pictures (or anything else you want). Once your space is set up, it's a snap to upload pictures, files, anything you want.
???????? The below image is hosted here by the CU upload box.
09/07/2006
billboat the trick is not having to edit it. You need to make an image as close to the allowed 50kb limit as possible. When you make a larger image & reduce it quality goes downhill.
I looked @ the pictures you posted on the tf & see you're doing silver dollars......
Most people use too much dpi when using a scanner. On a Morgan or Peace if you use an image size of 300 and dpi of around 100 it will give you a decent enough picture to see all the details and to sell it on the bst or ebay. When you save the picture from your scanner use the outline box to save only the coin, don't keep any background & you won't have to crop anything with image software. The less you edit the better picture you have. More dpi just makes a larger picture, not a better one. I get about a 40 something kb file with Morgs & Peace this way.
Same thing on camera settings, use the lowest pixel size which is usually around 600 something and only photograph the coin, hold the camera close enough that all the extra background is left out. That makes the coin bigger for the same file size. But this usually gives me a file size of around 70 kb so i just use a image resizer program that you can find free on the net, you don't need anything special, expensive or complicated, & I reduce it to 400 pixels, which gives me a file sixe of 40 or 50 kb.
This was done with a coolpix3500. The original picture was 65.8 kb & after resizing it from 500 pixels to 400 it has a file size of 42.6 k and still plenty of detail. I shot it freehand and was kinds shakey so the date is kinda blurry but if I need a perfect picture I use a copystand.
This was 2 50kb scanner pictures pasted together-file size 48kb after reducing it from 900 pixels to 400. Kinda small but it gives you a good idea of what this toner lookes like.
Another scanner picture. Straight off the scanner @ 46.7 kb. Good nuff for eBay if I wanted to sell it.
Here's a close up of a RPD on a slabbed Liberty Nickel. Photographed whole coin @ 2272 pixels makes file size of 750 kb, crop the date leaving a file size of 44kb and upload it to board. No other editing, resizing or whatsoever.
I'd recommend Paint Shop Pro as an all-around imaging software for you. It's about 1/5 the cost of PhotoShop, has most of the same features (of those you're likely to use, anyway), and the JPEG compression is fantastic, at least on the 5.01 version I'm using. There's always a trade-off between resolution/image quality, and file size, but Paint Shop Pro gives me 25-40k JPEGs that look as good as 80-200k PhotoShop 7.0 JPEGs.
I use both products for a variety of things, each determined by the job, and I often switch back-and-forth between the two. If I only wanted to post pictures of coins here or on Ebay, and I had to use only one product, I'd choose Paint Shop Pro.
Cosmic, it's a nice photo. But to show detail or display the spectacular images that people can shoot, in my opinion the forum upload limit is insufficient. Compare the detail in your forum-hosted photo with one I took that is remotely hosted. I think you'll agree the detail in the latter is superior, and perhaps to a significant degree. (I'm not saying my photo is superior because of camera skill, but I am saying because the second image hasn't been compressed to death, you get much more information and detail. And if you were to limit the compression on your photo, the details of your coin would similarly shine through.)
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