How to Clean Scanned Artwork in Photoshop

While I love using Photoshop to edit and color my comics, I ve never been too crazy about the time-consuming process of scanning images and cleaning them in Photoshop. Throughout the years, I ve learned several nifty tricks for sharpening the lines of scanned images while removing unwanted "noise and specks" gained through the act of scanning.

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Step1
Turn on your scanner. Open Photoshop. Under the File menu, click on Import and then click on your scanner s brand name in the drop-down menu. This will open a window in your scanner s software. I use an Epson Stylus model.


Step2
In the scanner software s configuration window, open the resolution drop-down menu and select a resolution size that s at least 300 DPI. Many artists, however, swear by 600 DPI. Open the image type drop-down menu and select grayscale. This mode is especially recommended for scanning line art or grayscale images.


Step3
Click the Preview button to double-check the image s scan size and resolution. Make whatever adjustments are needed before scanning. When you re satisfied with the way your image looks in the scan preview, click the Scan button.


Step4
After the image has been scanned into Photoshop, change your image s mode from grayscale to RGB. Under Photoshop s top row Image menu you ll click on Mode, opening the drop-down menu. Click on RGB.


Step5
At this point, there are several ways to clean up your scan. It varies from artist to artist. I usually use the Brightness/Contrast slider tool as my first step in strengthening lines and removing unwanted fuzz and lines. ( Image, then Adjustments in drop-down, and select Brightness/Contrast. ) This opens the Brightness/Contrast dialog box.

Play with the Brightness and Contrast sliders to get the right level of shade and sharpness for your image according to your preferences. Note: Make sure that the Preview checkbox is checked.


Step6
Open the Curves tool. ( Image, then Adjustments in drop-down, and select Curves. ) This opens the Curves dialog box. Click your cursor on any part of the fishline in the box. Push and drag the line while watching how this action affects your image s resolution. Click the OK button when you re satisfied with the image s resultant clarity.

Note that some artists prefer the Levels tool to the Curves tool. To open the Levels dialog box, press Ctrl-L. In the box, play with the three sliders to light and dark preferences. Click the OK button when you re satisfied with the image s look.


Step7
If there are still unwanted lines or paper textures, click on the polygonal lasso tool in your vertical toolbar. Use the lasso to manually select unwanted parts of your image; then hit the Backspace button to remove these parts. Or you can use your eraser tool. This can be a time-consuming process.

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