Hi, I like to buy Sudoku magazines (the 'killer' variety with the
grids inside), scan the puzzles into jpgs, and them print them much
bigger. The only way I get a decent image is to scan them grayscale,
which leaves much of the backgrounds grey (surprise surprise). I am
getting through quite a few ink cartridges printing these things out,
and thought that even a newby like me ought to be able to use CS3 to
remove the gray, and leave just the black grid/numbers.

It seems to me that using CS3 for such a mundane task is like using a
chainsaw to cut down a dandelion; i.e. it is far too powerful a beast,
because i have tried many different techniques (boosting contrast/
brightness, painting white etc), but have so far failed to find a
slick method to do what i want. Given that there are roughly 50
puzzles per mag, I was hoping for something very simple.

Can anyone out there ?

jesoakley@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
> Hi, I like to buy Sudoku magazines (the 'killer' variety with the
> grids inside), scan the puzzles into jpgs, and them print them much
> bigger. The only way I get a decent image is to scan them grayscale,
> which leaves much of the backgrounds grey (surprise surprise). I am
> getting through quite a few ink cartridges printing these things out,
> and thought that even a newby like me ought to be able to use CS3 to
> remove the gray, and leave just the black grid/numbers.
>
> It seems to me that using CS3 for such a mundane task is like using a
> chainsaw to cut down a dandelion; i.e. it is far too powerful a beast,
> because i have tried many different techniques (boosting contrast/
> brightness, painting white etc), but have so far failed to find a
> slick method to do what i want. Given that there are roughly 50
> puzzles per mag, I was hoping for something very simple.
>
> Can anyone out there ?

Scanning them as line art doesn't work?

If not, then Image, Adjustments, Levels and use the left eyedropper to
set your black and use the right eyedropper to set your white.

--
JD..

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:44:40 -0700 (PDT), jesoakley@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

>Can anyone out there ?

Contact me if you want to beta test this:

http://www.ransen.com/ransenscan/

it might be just the lightweight program you need.



Easy to use graphics effects:
http://www.ransen.com/

Cheers for the rapid replies, guys.

I've tried the Levels adjustment trick, and possibly because there's
no actual white on the pic, i can't get white without washing out the
fainter black dotted lines. However, you have both suggested that
maybe i'm approaching this from the wrong end, and should be scanning
differently in the first place. I have a bog-standard HP 1350 3-in-1,
and I've been using the equally standard Windows scanner software.
There is no 'scan as line art' option that I can find. However, with
some messing about, using the HP scanner software, I've managed
slightly better results, but it always seems to be a fine balance
between losing the faint '- - - - -' type of lines, and turning the
grey white.

"Owen Ransen" <willy@wonker.com> wrote in message
news:je2tu3pmicbuludbeqbqbme7dk17i66a4u@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:44:40 -0700 (PDT), jesoakley@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>
>>Can anyone out there ?
>
> Contact me if you want to beta test this:
>
> http://www.ransen.com/ransenscan/
>
> it might be just the lightweight program you need.

Not to disparage your product, but if one already has CS3 he can use the
built-in automation to scan a number of pictuers at once to one image, and
it will separate each from the single scan, and straighten them.

Sincere best of luck,

jes oakley wrote:
> Cheers for the rapid replies, guys.
>
> I've tried the Levels adjustment trick, and possibly because there's
> no actual white on the pic, i can't get white without washing out the
> fainter black dotted lines. However, you have both suggested that
> maybe i'm approaching this from the wrong end, and should be scanning
> differently in the first place. I have a bog-standard HP 1350 3-in-1,
> and I've been using the equally standard Windows scanner software.
> There is no 'scan as line art' option that I can find. However, with
> some messing about, using the HP scanner software, I've managed
> slightly better results, but it always seems to be a fine balance
> between losing the faint '- - - - -' type of lines, and turning the
> grey white.

What happens when you use the left eyedropper to make the faint black
lines the black setting? Then use the right eyedropper to turn the grey
white.

--
JD..

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:45:46 -0500, <jjs> wrote:

>
>"Owen Ransen" <willy@wonker.com> wrote in message
>news:je2tu3pmicbuludbeqbqbme7dk17i66a4u@4ax.com.. .
>> On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:44:40 -0700 (PDT), jesoakley@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>>
>>>Can anyone out there ?
>>
>> Contact me if you want to beta test this:
>>
>> http://www.ransen.com/ransenscan/
>>
>> it might be just the lightweight program you need.
>
>Not to disparage your product, but if one already has CS3 he can use the
>built-in automation to scan a number of pictuers at once to one image, and
>it will separate each from the single scan, and straighten them.

Yes, if you have CS3...but a lightweight program which does only
that might be more suitable for some purposes.



Easy to use graphics effects:
http://www.ransen.com/