How to make an electronic copy of the paper book
Tips Do It Yourself / / December 19, 2019
What do you mean the book? If this is not just a fascinating companion, but also a wise mentor, you ever thought about how to preserve it for the future. Digitization of paper books has two indisputable advantages: the book in electronic form is always at hand, and it is very easy to share.
Of this manual you will learn about the basic stages of creating a convenient electronic version of paper books with navigation and the ability to copy text.
Introduction
It is stipulated that in the age of rapid copyright protection and easy access to the literature, originally laid out in electronic form, it makes sense to digitize or old fundamental Soviet textbooks, or something really rare and only for personal use.
Having access to the old technical manuals, I sometimes gratuitously helped those unfamiliar to me people who do not have enough good sources of knowledge for learning. And if so, I contract many, wanted to do their job at a high enough level to the book reader was nice to dive into it.
Step 1. book copy
Over time, many of the processes are simplified. If five years ago, this stage was very long (had to use a scanner), then with the improvement of mobile phone cameras takes time significantly reduced. Of course, the camera discord camera, but if you pick up suitable shooting conditions, should come up any more or less modern phone.
Of course, the use of the scanner is still more preferable. Especially when it comes to technical literature, comprising a plurality of formulas and drawings.
Anticipating events, I note that the images are subsequently processed by a special program. But still worth in good faith to treat most shooting, so as not to put the quality of the final product depending only on the post-processing.
So try as widely as possible to disclose the page that bends at the spine of the book were minimal. It would be great if you were someone in this helped. One person holds the phone, and the second page turns and straightens. Among other things, the students love to do on library books, notes, and it would be nice to erase them.
We make a series of shots and toss them on the computer in a separate folder. It's time to work inanimate brain.
Step 2. Treatment
I came across two major programs for processing scanned (photographed) books: ScanTailor and ScanKromsator. Perhaps the years of my inactivate there are still some decent alternative, but I doubt — it is very small and poor user niche. Most hardened knigodely prefer ScanKromsator. It is extremely a lot of options and opportunities, but to understand and understand all the bells and whistles offered, apparently unable to and the author of the program (just kidding). Therefore, I recommend that you ScanTailor. I was able to follow the development of this tool from the first days of its existence. Developer several years ago stopped supporting the project, but still gave the world a good tool for processing scans.
Beginning of work
Work in ScanTailor consistent and simple. All intermediate steps are displayed in the left side of the workspace, you can easily flow into the process.
Select the folder with the source, the output folder will be created automatically. For all pages, set the maximum possible DPI — 600×600. Power of modern computers make it possible to handle such images quickly enough.
Step 1. Correcting orientation
The quickest and easiest step. Chances are you originally photographed pages with the correct orientation, and because of trouble should arise. Let me just note that initially ScanTailor will offer you to run batch processing of the current action (Play a little icon next step) — be sure to use them, in order not to click on each image separately.
Step 2. cutting pages
Virtually hassle-free move. I have rarely met a program error at this stage. Be sure to pay attention to the book cover — it is here that often arise nuances.
Step 3. tilt compensation
In most cases, the algorithm works correctly. Do not wait for a dirty trick, move on to the next step.
Step 4. Living area
This is probably the most crucial moment. Only the contents of the book is of decisive importance, execution — a secondary matter. It is from this step starts a bunch of "computer — man". The program sometimes small glitches occur, and thus the automatic processing jog around in the preview of the page on the right side of the screen. errors are usually immediately apparent.
Step 5. fields
margins — a matter of taste. The more important point is the ability to align the page sizes. Do not forget to put the check in order not to get to the exit "dancing" page.
Step 6. Exit
The last fight — he most difficult. Plus the most resource-intensive for your computer and the most demanding of your attention.
Finish the segment is marked by a number of important actions. First of all, you define the output Book mode: black-and-white, color or mixed. Then the pages are cleaned of debris, leveled curved line. I will not go into details, but did not point you to the most notable tabs located a few illogical and unusual — between the preview page thumbnails and ribbon. Each tab is responsible for the important function of manual adjustment of the images. If you find the desire and time to understand the principle of their work, your books will be of higher quality.
Total
Striving for the ideal, for this job, you can spend more than one hour. It all depends on your interest in the outcome and quality of the original pictures. Yes, once again I come back to this topic. A little more effort on the stage of preparation can save a huge amount of time it takes to bring the pages in a decent view.
Please do not take a sample given screenshots — For everything it took me no more than a couple of minutes. I have no doubt that I forgot to point you to some of the nuances of working with ScanTailor — too long ago, I did not process anything with it.
As a result, you get a set of separate pages in .tif format. It's time to crosslink!
Step 3. Creating a djvu-file
If you want to quickly bungled DjVu-file, ask for help from a tiny utility DjVu Small. There are also more serious programs, such as DjVu Editor Pro. Of course, the preferred application of the second tool is seen. But you decide: either install the program and compare their features.
Regarding the creation of PDF - the Internet has car and small truck of programs and Web services.
Step 4. Create OCR-layer
One of the recognized world leaders in OCR is certainly a company ABBYY FineReader, with its well-known product. Probably not such people who have not heard about this program, so the paint is nothing special. Recently FineReader time can open and save your work straight to DjVu, eliminating the need for middleware software.
Step 5. Creating a table of contents
In the vastness of the web had a chance to meet the positive feedback about the program Pdf & Djvu Bookmarker. As it is clear from the title, softina able to work with the two most common e-book formats.
conclusion
Most likely, you will not have mastered a lot of letters and immediately went to the conclusions. And they are for the average human disappointing. electronic publishing — troublesome, full of challenges and surprises. Later promoted to even the "green belt", you have to spend a lot of time. Digitization of paper books at a high level — the lot of enthusiasts. If you do decide to go baker's dozen circles of hell, then you get an incredible experience. Always nice to do something socially useful and get a normal human gratitude.
But in general, I recommend to stop after processing ScanTailor, to unite the scattered pages in the PDF, and then not to go into the jungle.
Consciously or unconsciously, I missed a bunch of details and nuances that you podsteregut towards creating a good e-book. I hope to discuss in the comments and connect people in the know will point to my errors or talk about their secrets.