Software Considerations
Scanning Software
The link between your scanner and computer hardware is the software that both controls the scanner and passes scan information directly to your storage media, image editing software, or both. Most scanners come equipped with software to manage this transfer for you. However, ensuring control of your scanner software is crucial to capturing a clean, unaltered master image. This generally means you will not make use of the scanning software’s automatic settings. If available, opt for the “advanced” or “custom” settings mode and disable features such as automatic unsharp masking, preset output levels for black and white, moiré descreening and anything else which alters the image in any way. Advanced settings mode will allow you to control both the image captured and file formats generated by your scanner. If your scanner software does not allow advanced or custom settings, consider using your image editing software (i.e. Adobe Photoshop or similar) to import scanned images directly from the scanning hardware.
Image Editing Software
Once you have captured an image from your scanner and have saved an unaltered master file to your storage media, you will need to manipulate surrogate copies of that image using image editing software. Projects should consider acquiring professional image editing software, such as the widely used Adobe Photoshop, for the creation of surrogates which can be delivered via the web, print publication or for in-house uses such as exhibits.
When selecting image editing software consider the following features:
- Ability to work directly with scanner software via TWAIN or other plug-ins
- Support for common non-proprietary file formats (see File Formats below)
- Tools for image optimization and repair (color adjustment, tonal adjustment, sharpen, re-size, crop, rotate, clone/retouch, etc.)
- Ability to convert color spaces (RGB to CMYK for print output)
- Ability to undo edits, either one-at-a-time or multiple
- Ability to watermark images
- Usable interface and documentation, reliable technical support and/or an active community of users
- Ability to extend functionality through custom plug-ins
- Ability to create a batch sets of actions with macros for frequently applied functions
- Ability to apply a batch set of actions to increase productivity
Digital Asset Management (DAM)
DAM software assists project managers in managing simple to complex digital assets. Digital assets include image, text and/or multimedia files. DAM software saves time by providing a structured environment for projects. It is used to centralize the discovery and access of project files, track multiple projects, simplify workflow management and assist with rights management. Software is available for both stand-alone and network management of digital files or as add-on modules to existing library and collections management software.
Project managers considering digital asset management software should ask these questions:
- How does it fit with the overall project goals and workflows?
- Is it scalable to meet future needs?
- Does my current technology infrastructure support the software?
- Does the system work with all the current file formats and metadata schemes?
- What are the startup, maintenance and staffing costs?
- Is it possible to easily extract and migrate metadata and files?
- Does it support multiple users?
- Does it offer multiple user security levels?
- What search and retrieval functions does the system offer?
- Does the system offer customization of the public interface for image size and display of metadata fields?
- Does the system support emailing, saving or exporting images and accompanying metadata for web galleries, slide shows or reference?
- Does the system provide an e-commerce system?
