Advice for scanner/screen caps/etc

[Izret101]

I have been less than helpful on the image side* of things for a long time to say the least.

If i walk into Best Buy tomorrow what would be my best/cheapest option for a scanner and/or video capture card?

With a capture card i had heard in the past it can have enough lag to make playing some games a troubling task. Is this still the case or is it more on a case by case basis depending on the speed or your computer or the console(s) used?

I would probably be unlikely to use a capture card ATM since i use the same monitor for PC and gaming anyways.... but i figured it would be worth asking.

Also to those who do use batch image resizers throw out some suggestions. I know there was just a topic with some in there.


*Well a lot longer than the data side anyways...

[Duke.Togo]

I can't speak to the capture card side, but honestly with the resolution required to do scans for this site, a cheapy should do just fine. If I were you I'd ask friends/family if they have an old one sitting around, and after that hit some thrift shops. Also ask folks if they have old all-in-one printer/scanners they don't want anymore.

[blcklblskt]

For photo resizers, I use FastStone Photo Resizer.  It is free, and quickly edits image sizes in massive batches.  There is also an option to resize the shortest side of a picture (so you don't have to weed out vertical or horizontal scans) so that you can resize the smallest side to 550 pixels for RFG.

[Izret101]

I'll have to check that out. Thanks blck.

@Duke
I have an all in one now but it is huge and i have minimal space where my PC/games are.
I'll end up snagging a thin/cheap one next time i am out.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

I'll have to check that out. Thanks blck.

@Duke
I have an all in one now but it is huge and i have minimal space where my PC/games are.
I'll end up snagging a thin/cheap one next time i am out.

If all else fails, there's always the cell phone cam.

[Sirgin]

Buy a scanner that uses LED lighting as opposed to a more traditional bulb. Old(er) scanners are notorious for "warming up the lamp", which means you end up waiting for ages just for the scan to start. Mine is a CanoScan LiDE 700F and it's great. No waiting around.

It'd be even better if the actual scanning itself was faster. A full plate scan at 600dpi takes about 15-20 seconds. I'd love a scanner that could do that in 5 seconds. But the price would probably increase tenfold.

[Izret101]

For photo resizers, I use FastStone Photo Resizer.  It is free, and quickly edits image sizes in massive batches.  There is also an option to resize the shortest side of a picture (so you don't have to weed out vertical or horizontal scans) so that you can resize the smallest side to 550 pixels for RFG.

This program rocks.

[blcklblskt]

For photo resizers, I use FastStone Photo Resizer.  It is free, and quickly edits image sizes in massive batches.  There is also an option to resize the shortest side of a picture (so you don't have to weed out vertical or horizontal scans) so that you can resize the smallest side to 550 pixels for RFG.

This program rocks.

Glad you like it!  I know it has saved me a crap-load of time when editing scans.

[bombatomba]

I second what Sirgin says.  Finding a cheap CanoScan LiDE (like a CanoScan 30 or 70, even), will make life easier.  Most of the smaller ones get all the needed power from the USB port, so you don't even need to plug it in.

If you are rocking Windows 7 you can just use MSPaint to easily resize proportionally (I've been using it for my screenshots lately), but you can't beat FastStone for it's batch utility.

Now you guys have got me nervous about my Hauppauge capture card.  Granted, it was free (and I've been thinking about selling it before Christmas) but it's got me wondering...