Scanning bulky objects question

[nikellis]

Hi everybody.

I use Silverfast Ai on my HP Scanjet 8300.
I often scan bulky objects like jewellery and I have the following problem.

Because of the thickness of the objects the background of the scan comes out rather dark. So I have to work on the scans quite a lot in Photoshop in order to get a nice clean white background. It usually takes quite some time since I have to select the background first and then adjust the levels on it so that the actual object does not get affected.

Is there a way in silverfast to achieve the same effect without all this trouble?

Thanks beforehand, I would appreciate any tip on this.

Mark.

[degrub]

Use the same principal as the MultiExposure feature - do one scan overexposed so that you get the background right and then one scan for the foreground. Stack the layers in photoshop with a opacity blend until you get the best fit. Hardest part is making sure the scans register exactly in photoshop.

Otherwise a decent digital camera with a macro lens will do the same thing for you only easier. Then it is easier to control the lighting.

[nikellis]

Thanks for the reply degrub.

That is exactly what I'm doing in Photoshop. I just wondered if there was a way during the scan to compensate for the the dark background.

By the way, I tried the highlight tool in Silverfast, and clicked at the background. It turned white exactly as I wanted, but the jewellery got slightly lighter. If I can avoid that last bit, it would be a life saver.

Thanks again