Scanning graphite / pencil

[arkain]

Hello everyone

I wanted to know how does everyone make sharp / clean scans from their sketchbooks , iv tried scanning my drawings at 300 ppi with 256 gray scale but it still didnt look right and in every scan i make theres some lighter values that barely show

- How many ppi is recommanded for sketch / drawings for the best result / file weight

- if i use a blue pencil , should i use the 256 colors option ?

- if i am using graphite (i use HB) should i use gray scale ?

i dont plan on printing them , just to post online , so printing isnt an issue

if you have any tips on scanning and stuff , id appreciate it , my scanner is brand new , its a HP scanjet photo g4010

thx alot !!

[chaosrocks]

I scan in grayscale on auto
then in Photoshop auto correct and dodge the white areas

graphit doesnt even get close to actual black, so you will want to adjust your grey scale to make a full range
pm if thisis confusing

and show pics?
chaos

[arkain]

ok i scanned a few piece in my sketchbook , the problem is that all my drawings looks like they are going to blind people and the lines seems to die because of the white , the lighter values doesnt appear alot and when i tweak them in photoshop they dont seems 100% correct they seems artificial , and it never feels like a real stroke.
Heres my sketchbook to see the results of my scans...maybe someone can find the problem , i tried lowering the gamma , helped a bit , but still doesnt seems right... maybe i draw 2 soft ?

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107976

i saw alot of sketchbooks that the drawings looked like the real graphite texture and paper like pictures...

[Grendel Grack]

An HB pencil is really the middle of the road. Try exploring with some darker pencils - like a 2b and a 4b. This will give you much darker values that your scanner will pick up more easily. Learn how to create value with darker pencils and I'm sure this will help. Also, make sure to erase any smudge marks around your image with a soft eraser, like a kneaded or white plastic eraser. This will minimize any "shadows."

[Extent]

I scan in 48 bit color mode at 300 dpi. Adjust the white point to set how much paper grain I want to see, crop to size and scale down to final size. With this method I can usually see all the way through the page and faintly to the (pencil) drawings on the next if I don't put a white spacer page behind it.

Getting the raw image out of the scanner is the trick, I wouldn't consider buying any scanner that doesn't support that.