Most books about scanning, fixing photos, and OCR are written by graphic artists for other graphic artists. Scanning for Kids of All Ages was written by a technical writer with 14 plus years of experience in simplifying complex information into usable knowledge that anyone can understand - librarians, teachers, grandparents, kids, genealogists, and photographers (a digital camera is a scanner, too). The book is based on a course the author taught at a community college for seven years.
This full-color soft cover book is only 56 pages (8.5x11), yet it explains in just enough detail the technical terms you need to know relating to your scanner. These include: OCR, brightness and contrast, sharpen, resolution for scanner and printer, image size, JPEG or JPG, GIF, BMP, moiré, and color depth. Along with definitions, it relates a specific scanner or digital camera problem (for example, fuzzy images) with the correct image editing tool (Sharpen) that fixes the problem.
Simple tables list guidelines for choosing the correct resolution and the best order to use software tools to scan and fix photos, newspaper articles, slides, or art work. Hands-on projects and step-by-step procedures walk you through attaching a photo to an email message, using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software, and the best way to insert an image into a Word document.
Did you know that each scanner has a "sweet spot" where items should be placed for best results? Histograms will become your best friend and Brightness and Contrast settings will no longer be guesswork. With Scanning for Kids of All Ages, you will feel like an expert even before you are.
Contact the author at her web site: www.writeondesign.com/scanforkids.htm
Donna Ford is a technical writer and trainer who understands the anxieties associated with technology because she has overcome them; she never touched a computer until her oldest son was 18. Her love of communications and information design shows in her exuberance for every project. She has created award-winning documents for industry leaders in several fields...everything from paper sculpture to marketing pieces to industrial training materials.
Her book Scanning for Kids of All Ages resulted from her community college workshops on scanning and OCR attended by state workers, librarians, professional artists, and ordinary people who wanted to use their new scanner. She learned right along with her students, developing an eye for identifying and fixing photos that had problems and finding the best ways to work with OCR and digital images. Using what she learned, the author created most of the color art for this book. She has nine grandchildren whose photos appear throughout.
The author states that her lifetime goal is to help others achieve theirs. Writing this book has been a step in accomplishing that goal. Visit her website: w w w . w riteondesign.com/scanforkids.htm