Equipment and extras

- Alright, let's talk about that scanner that you're gonna be using for this course. Okay, first of all, I have to say, I don't know the first thing about your scanner 'cause I don't know what you've got. But let's not worry about that. Because for the most part, there's a 99% chance that what I'm gonna say about my scanner, it's gonna apply to your scanner too 'cause scanners are scanners. Speaking of my scanner, let me introduce you. In fact, I'll actually be using two scanners here and they're gonna be a perfect pair since they represent the two main kinds of scanners that are out there. Okay, first up is my thin profile Epson V39. Now this is what's called a CIS scanner, and these have very shallow depth of focus. Things that are within a couple millimeters of the glass will stay in sharp focus, and any details beyond that will get blurry really fast. Another characteristic of this scanner is that its default background tends toward light gray or white. And I often play around with the amount of light in the room when I'm working with this scanner, just to get things looking like I want 'em. My other scanner is a thicker profile Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II. And this is what's known as a CCD scanner. CCD's have a depth of focus that go several inches above the glass and their default backdrop tends towards black. And if you're not sure which kind of scanner you have, well you're gonna find out soon enough, 'cause the difference between the focal depths of a CIS and a CCD scanner is pretty obvious. And yes, you can do great things with both kinds, as you're gonna see throughout this course. Oh, and your scanner, it may or may not have hardware for scanning film negatives. If it does, you'll have the option of using that hardware for a couple of the videos ahead. I should also mention that both of my scanners, they're hooked up to my Mac. And if you're using something different, like a PC, don't worry, your computer is gonna talk to your scanner pretty much the same as mine, even if your software and your interface look different. So beyond your computer and your scanner itself, there's not a lot of other things that you're gonna need here. I mean, along with all the things that you're gonna want to scan, just about the only other things that you gotta have are some glass cleaner and a rag, maybe a sheet of clear acid tape from the art store. You can use that to protect your scanner's glass. And for sure, do use this on your scanner whenever you're scanning something made of glass, like marbles, or the drinking glasses that you're gonna see later here. Glass on glass can easily lead to scratches and I have learned that the hard way. Also, I sometimes use plastic wrap to protect my scanner, especially if things are gonna get really crazy. Alright then, more specifics regarding equipment and extras, they're bound to come up during the rest of this course. But for now, that's a good look at the essentials.