Hey everyone. Happy New Years. How do I get my sketches into my pc? I have many sketches on newsprint paper and want to turn the entire pad into an electronic document in photoshop. I have a very basic 8 1/2 x 11 scanner, and a 4 meg digital camera. I tried using the camera but the photo’s turn greyish. I like the effect but I notice that many of the sketches I see here don’t have a grey background. I tried brightening the photo once taken and loaded into my pc but it distorts the sketch. Help… 
what’s the dimensions of the paper?
Using a camera will definitely distort the drawing because that’s how the lens work… unless you got a digital SLR plus the appropriate lens.
If it’s not that much trouble and you really like your sketches, I will just scan them bit by bit and piece them together on photoshop. You will get a much better and well controlled digital copy of the prints.
Instead of using “brightness” use “levels” in Photoshop, you can eyedrop the background as the white value and it will fix your grey background problem…
The paper is 18x24. Way too big for the 8 1/2 x 11 scanner size. I guess when I scan it in I should scan it in as a jpeg phote. Right?
Also I’m not sure how to eye drop a white value background from the levels menu. I see where levels can be adjusted, and I see three eye drop tabs from within the levels menu (I’m using photoshop 7). How do I eyedrop in a white level background?
It is easier to do in curves- Plus you can add a mid tone and black point. And if you know how to use adjustment (threshold) layers + color sample tool you can get it pretty equal and persise everytime.
pezzy - That’s another way to do it, but how is it easier?
Both have 3 eyedroppers for white, midpoint, and black, and both can be accessed via hotkeys (Ctrl+L and Ctrl+M respectively) Let me know if I’m missing something…
Pezzy and Nate
No need to argue you are technically preforming the same function from two different access points…same code and algorithm is used. The levels approach just gives more “fine motor” to expert users.
Maybe earier is the wrong word. How about “my prefered way.” Everyone is right- both ways can be used to get the same result…
Yeah, I would use a digital camera and use Photoshops levels & white-eyedropper.
I’m starting to use my camera more and more instead of my scanner.
No arguing from me…genuinely wondered if I was misunderstanding something…
thanks all…