Whenever you come across a photo that is not digital, and that you want to scan to make a back-up copy, or use for a digital scrapbooking project or even MORE! It is good to know how to get the right resolution for the task at hand!
A couple of weeks ago we went through the basics of scanning in an article called “How to Scan a Photo into Photoshop Elements or Photoshop”. This article gave great info for those that hadn’t scanned using Elements or Photoshop’s scanning features. However, one important item you might want to know now that your are a “scanning pro,” is how to set the resolution for different tasks.
For example, I was happy to be given a physical photo (not digital photo) of my girls the other day, and wanted to make a copy. I was excited to begin 
scanning this precious treasure so I could use it in one of my digital scrapbooking projects. As you know, it would have to be digital for me to put on my digital scrapbooking page!
As I began to scan it, I got thinking about how I might upload this scanned photo onto my blog or Website, send it in a email, or even print it out at home or upload it to a professional printing company, not to mention using the digital photo in a digital scrapbooking page too!
While I was considering all the ways I might use this photo, I realized how the resolution of a scanned photo needs to be set differently if it is to be used on the web, rather than printed! This special photo really reminded me about the importance of setting the scanner’s resolution depending on how you want to use the photo! Sometimes it is hard to find this setting and just using the default setting might not give you the results you wanted or even expected!
So, as you gather more photos from albums to scan for digital scrapbooking projects it is important to know how to scan into Photoshop or Elements, and it is also very important to know how to set the resolution!
The great part about scanning photos into Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is that you can adjust the resolution, fix the photo, alter it, apply filters or use the other special features that are built into right inside these software programs. But before you can do all this you must set the scan settings and scan your photo. Here are some tips on how to do that in Photoshop Elements and Photoshop.
Photoshop Elements and the Scan Settings.
Here is the information to save your photo treasures. To scan a photo into Photoshop® Elements, first, start in Editor Mode, then go to File > Import > (your Scanner/Printer).
You may have several options to choose from, and your scanner may be listed twice. Choose your scanner’s name without the “Twain” (or “TW” option) after the name. This pulls up the Photoshop Elements pop-up menu.
Next, when the pop-up menu appears, click on the blue underlined sentence that says “Adjust the quality of the scanned picture” towards the bottom of this pop-up menu (see red arrow).
Once you have clicked on this blue sentence link, then another pop-up menu comes up (see red arrow). Now, you can adjust the resolution here.
After the resolution is selected click the OK button and then the Scan button.
Photoshop and the Scan Settings.
For Photoshop, go to FILE > IMPORT > WIA Support. A pop-up menu will appear in Photoshop, select the options and push the Start button. Next another pop-up menu will appear, pick the scanner you want to use and click OK button.
Next, when the pop-up menu appears, click on the blue underlined sentence that says “Adjust the quality of the scanned picture” towards the bottom of this pop-up menu (see red arrow).
Once you have clicked on this blue sentence link, then another pop-up menu comes up (see red arrow). Now, you can adjust the resolution here.
After the resolution is selected click the OK button and then the Scan button.
Scan Settings for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements:
HOT TIP for Scanning in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements: The resolution for a scanned photo for printing should be set between 200-300 dpi. The resolution for a photo that you want to use on the Web, or to email or for computer viewing (other examples: uploading to MySpace or Facebook) should be set between 72 -100 dpi. If you only have time for one scan then scan for print quality as you can always change the resolution to lower 
quality in PSE — but not the other way — in other words, low quality to high quality doesn’t work!!!!
Once I set the resolution for photo, I scanned the photo for both a Web version (my resolution setting was at 72 dpi) and Print version (my resolution setting was set at 300 dpi).
You can check the resolution on the image here – see red arrow in image.
Next, I saved each scanned photo in the PSD and JPEG format. That way I would have a copy of both versions so I could use as I liked in whatever project I might be working in.
Once my photo is digital and scanned at the right resolution, I can now use my photo in my latest digital scrapbooking page or projects and MORE!
Try using these scanning tips for your own photos and see if you can get more out of your scanning projects!
Enjoy!
Cheri
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The Tea Party Digital Scrapbooking Kit 1 is filled with pretty pastel colored papers laced with Victorian-style flowers. This adorable digital scrapbooking kit is a perfect match for spring projects, baby showers, Mother’s Day events, and a great way to scrap an “any-time” tea party celebration!
Use the Tea Party Digital Scrapbooking Kit 1 to preserve special memories of you and your favorite girls enjoying a hot glass of tea and desserts! Tea time is a great way for us ladies to talk and bond, and certainly an event that deserves to be digitally scrapped! Use this precious tea party kit to remember all your favorite girly, tea moments!
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