Hints and Tips in Scanning Tarot Cards Etc.

[thealien]

Hints and Tips in Scanning Tarot Cards Etc.

Hi I have scanned into my computer hundreds of tarot and other card decks and I have compiled a few hits and tips to create the perfect decks for programs like Orphalese or Visual Tarot etc.

Depending of what printer/scanner you have, always scan at 300dpi (dots per inch) and in true colour (unless you want effects like sepia or black and white or even grey scales).

Always clean your scanner’s glass before scanning a deck, don’t leave any streaks or bits of waste edge trimmings on the glass (some brand new decks have a little paper dust), and always make sure your cards are clean and dry, wipe then with a clean, soft, dry duster.

Don’t scan the cards right up to the top edge, left, right edges or bottom edges of the scanning area, always leave about ¼ to ½ inch gap, you can use a strip of thin plastic or wood to make a spacer (a narrow school ruler is perfect) and fix in place with tape but do not put tape on the scanning glass itself this helps to keep the spacer in place and perfectly square up the cards on the scanning glass.

If you have preview in your scanning software always preview before you make a final scan doing this will allow you to make final adjustments to the orientation of the cards.

If you have multiple item scanning (for example Epson Scan) then you can scan 2-4 cards at a time depending on the size of the deck, although you will have to preview scan once and line the scan area boxes to each of the individual cards, this will make sure your scanned cards are all the same size.

When using multiple scanning make the scanning box slightly smaller than the card itself as to omit and shadow of the edge of the card and the spacer, and if you have the ability in the scanning software copy the scanning area to the other cards on the scanning glass.

If you have the program use Picosmos Tools (it’s free and has other special effects too) to resize and optimize the cards without changing the definition of the cards,

When scanning, scan them in order of the program you are using the deck in, for example Orphalese like to use :-
And if your scanning program uses a prefix like img for example img000.jpg you can use a batch renaming program.

Majors = 00-21
Wands/Clubs = 22-35
Cups/Hearts = 36-49
Swords/Spades = 50-63
Pentacles/Diamonds = 64-77

And if your scanning program uses a prefix like img for example img000.jpg you can use a batch renaming program.

Jokers, info, index, back, box, bkg etc have no particular order as they are named cards, multiple cards start with no number then continue with 2,3,4 etc.

With other oracles and cartomancy decks either number them as they are in any manual or instructions you have, the number on the cards or alphabetical.

And please remember scanning decks for your own use is ok, but if the decks still have a valid copyright you should not share them in the decks exchange (P2P) and always please make a note in your files regarding the artist and publisher etc... and if you plan to use the decks in Card form outside the program, buy the deck, many are available on e-Bay and Amazon etc. quite **...

If anyone has any more tips or something i have missed or is incorrect please add to this post...

[WebWeaver]

Great job!
I'll just add that you can use your own numbering system. I start with the cup cards as that's how it works in my own head. That's one of the reasons I love Orphalese, you can use your own personal system and are not locked into the default.

[thealien]

I use this numbering method as usually any good Tarot deck would pack the cards in the box this way and most of the card meanings files are also sorted this way, and to save time I also number Cartomancy / Poker decks the same way, clubs, hearts, spades diamonds. other card decks oracles, runes etc, if I have the instructions or books etc. I number the cards in the way illustrated in the literature given, but if not I number cards numerable/alphabetical.

Also Orphalese seems to have a size limit to the deck's folders on the decks exchange, I think it may be 30KB as any deck larger than this i cannot upload this is the reason I like to optimise each deck after scanning, but still keeping the graphical definition of each card both in size, colour and graphical content.

It just saves time especially when you are scanning over 1200 decks like what I own... lol

[WebWeaver]

Yes it is standard numbering, just not mine :)
1200 decks! You do have a job ahead of you. I'm not sure about the size for the deck exchange & if I upload I do use the default numbering. I think there is now a way to tell Orphalese how you want your deck ordered. I haven't looked into it as the decks I use are already numbered that way.