Tips on Creating Images

The best way to create an image of your item is to either:
     a) photograph it with a digital camera or
     b) scan it on a flatbed scanner.

While building the museum, I discovered that a lot of items came out better using the scanner than they did with the camera ... sometimes an image taken with a camera is fuzzy and out of focus. In addition, the image you get with the scanner has a little bit of shadow, which is nice.

I was surprised by the kinds of items I could scan ... mousepads, CD holders, pens clothing logos, pins, etc. Sofware packages (i.e., boxes) can be scanned and though they appear very one dimentional -- as opposed to a photo -- the writing on the box is usually more readable. So for these items, it really a toss-up on which method to use. When capturing a piece of clothing on a scanner, it helps to weigh it down with a box of software or a heavy book.

To shoot clothes or other large items, try laying them flat on a bed and them standing over them to photograph them. Just be careful not to get your feet in the shot!

--The Curator