Anyone used a flat-bed scanner to scan side art? My DE-SW sideart in several locations is utterly screwed. Its silk-screened, so theres no chance of getting a replacement. My artisitic abilily to repaint all this detail is near zill. I have a much better chance of fixing my artwork problems in Photoshop then by hand painting.

So was looking to use a FlatBed scanner to scan the sideart, and then have it printed into decal.
Anyone done anything like this? Could you post pictures and any helpfull hints?

No, but I know a man who has.

His work was rather good plus saved him a few Benjamin's/pounds.

I'll attempt to source photos.

You need to scan the side art section by section. Then combine all the sections into one. Make sure your document is saved in CMYK color scale. Do whatever touch-ups/color restores you need to do. Trace the entire image.

here is another option - scanner mouse for about $100 in Aus..

Can you use it with windows or mac, scans up to A3. There is an extra windows cd for stitching scans together.

Biggest hassle is never lift the mouse otherwise you have to start the scan again.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/24/lg-announces-lsm-100-scanner-mouse-saves-valuable-desk-space/

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but how do you scan cabinet art with a tabletop flatbed scanner? A handheld option makes more sense, but getting your pin up onto a flatbed without crushing/damaging the scanner seems a bit tough to imagine. Am I missing something?

BrianZ said:

Anyone used a flat-bed scanner to scan side art?

You may want to try this scanner. it may be worth the price for this type of scanner

http://www.irislink.com/c2-2032-189/IRIScan-Book-2.aspx?adwp=GGS-ISBook-US&gclid=CMG-5YHLoK8CFQLonAodSiylQQ

good luck

i am currently working on the this same project for my Simpsons Pinball Party (TSPP) and i purchased this scanner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16838111033

i like this one because the top can be laid completely open. the only problem i have run into so far is that you need to take all the hardware (side rails, legs, head hinge, etc) off otherwise you can't get a perfectly flat area.

i then load the files into photoshop and use Photomerge to stitch them together. i have only done the left side of the head so far (and just ran through it quickly) but i really like the results.

i just need to find a shop (or a friend) that has a printer that can do the vinyl work.

hope that helps

let me know if you have any questions (although, i am no expert by any means)

the problem that i found with the handheld scanners is that if you don't have a perfectly steady hand the scan will be skewed. for $100 i would much rather use the flatbed scanner. i just have to hold it up to the machine and let it do its job, them move it far enough so that some of the image is overlapping (so that photoshop has something to work with) and them move on to the next part.

christopher

_{Post edited by nmeun87007 : though of something more}

With the lg hand scanner, you can wave it around in any direction it blends everything it, only downside is lifting, great for doing small playfield areas without removing any hardware. Some colours are not perfect but just trace and colour correct.

For cabinets and large areas I would opt for the flatbed style.

Thanks Everyone. Will give it a shot, and provide updates in next month. Thx

Amazon has them for $120 with free shipping. http://www.amazon.com/Lg-Electronics-Lsm-Scanner-Mouse/dp/B0053T0HNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333986434&sr=8-1

You will need a hand scanner. Then you go into photoshop to fix any abnormalities. After that it is just a matter of finding a company that can and will print it off for you. Not, tech legal so some companies may so no, but I have seen sideart for quite a few titles that has not been done by the main sources so someone does it.

In addition with the LG scanner it states on the packaging for PC / Windows only, but there is a downloadable update from LG which allows for Mac use - which is what I have done.

Brian,

have you had any luck with this project? i tried using the flatbed scanner, but it didn't work as well as i would like it too have.

let me know if you have had any sucess.

christopher

I would really like to know also.. as I am in need of side Art for my pin!

Yeah my SW is in bad shape also. Good luck, let us know how it goes!

Update... Still no movement. My Cyclone restore has consumed my attention. Once im done with Cyclone, I will be back working on this. I'm wondering if i can get good results with a high-res DSLR on a tripod. I would need to correct for angle and lens destortion. Anyone tried this?

I've used a Nikon for small areas. Once you get past about 6" by 6", or at most a square foot, it's almost impossible to correct for the viewing angle and parallax (unless they are very simple graphics like on the EM's).

I typically use the VuPoint Magic Wand (900px). Although it does take a little practice it works fine. I typically mount a straight edge (2x4 or whatever) on the cabinet so I have a guide for the scanner. That helps a lot.

From a software perspective, although it's not cheap, Corel Draw Graphics Suite has a great bitmap to vector tool if you're making a stencil rather than decals. Cut's the cleanup time by about 90%.

I'm in the process of making my own stencils and am using a DLSR to produce the images. Some useful info there, perhaps. http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/home-hack-making-my-own-stencils