How to make a really nice scan/picture of the cel?

Hello everyone (^__^)/
I'm new to this wonderful hobby, so I hope you'll forgive what is probably a "newbie" question. m( _ _ )m
I was glancing around at some galleries and I noticed that the scans and pictures are much better than those I scan. Granted I have an older model scanner (2008); but I was wondering if maybe I'm missing a trick or just not scanning it in correctly? I also have access to Corel Painter and PhotoShop CS3 if that helps any?

So any of you have some scanning/photographing tips for cels?
How about for large Pan Cels?
(Googling "How to scan cels" does not work ^_^;; )

Thank you in advance!!
~Aeryn

some cels need color correcting once their scanned

I've been talking to you via e-mail about our shared favorite series ^_~ (check your email, I sent you one this morning, btw).

I think most folks use Photoshop to crop and do color adjustments after scanning (I know I do -- I currently use CS4). It also helps to scan at a higher resolution and then shrink the image down afterwards.

If you're looking for specifics, it might help for you post how you go about doing your scanning and others can perhaps make suggestions based on that. ^^

Take it out of the cel bag and scan with some sort of background.

My scanner is probably as old as yours. One tip is to put your hand lightly on the lid to close off light leaks, or to cover the cel with a sheet of art paper. I always leave a strip of scanner lid on the scan, and before I crop it off, I use the "Enhance color" function in MS Picture Manager to define this as a neutral white. That also corrects any tendency of the scanner to produce scans that are slightly green or orange.

Also using MS Picture Manager, I usually up the contrast a little. That especially helps with the colors, though if you overdo it you can lose some detail. If you play with the "Brightness and Contrast" options, you can usually get something that comes close to looking like the cel itself.

Sketches also usually need some help. I often darken the midtones several degrees (but not enough that the scan starts to look like a xerox copy!) and then up the contrast just a few points so that the paper looks white rather than gray.

Probably you need to play around with your options in whatever image management program you have. Save your first scan in one folder and then copy it and play with it in another. That way if you totally screw it up, you can delete it and go make another copy of the first scan and play with that some more.

Good luck! I've always tried to make my scans look at least as good as the originals, or a little better if possible.