[jfcarbel]

EDITED BY AUTHOR (with a nights rest):
There are heavy contributors here that post alot of scans. First off - Thanks.
While appreciated perhaps it is a lack of scanning knowledge or scanner features that contributes to a significant amount of these having quality issues.
So asking if its possible that it can be addressed for covers that are poor so they can be removed and either repaired or replaced by another poster.

I know one PM told me outright to just avoid covers by these creators, but the issue is that other contributors see that cover is already contributed and thus do not submit one. Whats worse is one can lose credits assuming these are of adequate quality since they have been approved.

Here are some examples, but you can download some of "Virus" recent covers and many seem to exhibit excessive halftone dots or black levels not adjusted. I have commented on the few of them so others can avoid or creator can correct.
What I might ask is that if others see any quality issues on these to please PM the creator ad leave comment on the cover as well. I will make effort to do the same as well.

Kalifornia - DVD Cover Art
Fletch - DVD Cover Art (this ones a killer, no descreen or gaussian blur, not straight, levels off)
http://www.r1db.com/covers/blu-ray-s...7s-angels.html

Then there are some older covers by this creator that look pristine:
http://www.r1db.com/covers/blu-ray-s...-exorcist.html

There is also another contributor called "troyb", sometimes his covers are good quality and sometimes they have low quality
Here are some examples:
Tell No One - DVD Cover Art
Shakira - Oral Fixation Tour - DVD Cover Art
Tomb Raider - DVD Cover Art
http://www.r1db.com/covers/blu-ray-s...ination-2.html

I was about to purchase some credits for this site, but I seem to have had bad luck recently running into many covers exhibiting poor quality. So I am the fence on this. But I do love this site and am appreciative of the mods and creators and have recently learned how to scan and cleanup covers as well and have contributed a few. Virus and Troyb are great contributors to this site, but with the number of scans they provide weekly its probably understandable that a few slip thru with some minor quality issues.

If their was a system in which a credit could be given if someone reports a bad cover download, then then this would be a start to perhaps motivate others to spend the time to assist in correcting these issues.

[troyb]

Let me get this right. You put up a bunch of blu-ray cover requests, when members here, weather they be custom artists or scanners try and help you with the best scans they have at their disposal you get upset over a couple credits. I just checked my covers that you have listed that I printed myself on photo paper and a good printer and they look fine. As for Virus's covers I have used many of them and they look fine. I appreciate the time and effort everyone that contributes here takes to help others out.If any member here has downloaded my covers or labels and they are unusable please let a mod or me know so they can be removed. If you have wasted credits on my covers I apologize.

troyb

[jfcarbel]

I did thank the contributors in cover comments and do appreciate the effort and perhaps on a printout they look acceptable. I will give that a try. But I am comparing them to other scans here and based on cleanup guides for cover scanning that I read in these forums and my own results.

I now understand not everyone has descreen on their scanner but there are blur and despeckle filters that should help. Granted this involves some effort.

Thank you for the Tell No One cover, I was able to remove the halftone dots for it and correct levels, sharpen, etc. But I am doing this off a compressed and resized image. If this was done at a 600dpi original scan first, I am sure the quality is much better. If you are willing to put up a tif scan of the cover on file site I am willing to clean it up in Photoshop.

Yes, I did notify mods about the bad covers in some instances they were replaced or fixed up by a mod. But some were left and I was just told to avoid them. I also did comment in the cover section. I think best next time I will also let the creator know as well as I am sure with all the covers virus and you post that you rarely see the comments.

In addition, I wrote this at 4am when I should have been in bed, so I believe the tone was on the cranky side. Perhaps due to my credits being near gone. Sorry as was not my intention but rather to see if it could be addressed.

This is the guides I follow from my own notes based of cover scanning guides/tips here and there.
They have worked well for me, perhaps they may help those without a better or full featured scanner.

Cover cleanup notes:

Always apply cleanup before resizing.
Scan cover at 600dpi to start.

Cleanup - HALFTONE DOTS

Now we will try and get rid of the Halftone Dots while still keeping as much quality as possible.
Go to Filters --> Blur --> Gaussian Blur. Set the radius from 0.8 - 1.0 but no higher or lower. Try not to blur the image too much...just enought to be able to rescue it later on.
Radius from 0.8 - 1.0 (no higher, no lower)

Then go to Filters --> Noise --> Despeckle. Make sure your scan is still 600 dpi (6480x4350) then apply the Despeckle filter 2 times, because the image is larger, we need to apply this filter more, but DONT apply it more than 3 times, otherwise you will lose too much information and the cover will look too edited.

Then resize your cover down to 3240x2175, with 300 dpi

Filters --> Sharpen --> Unsharpen Mask. Set Amount to 60%, Threshold to 1, and the Radius to anywhere from 1.2-1.6 but no higher. I would recommend 1.4 because I feel this is the ideal setting.
Amount to 60%
Threshold to 1
Radius 1.4 (advised range 1.2-1.6 but no higher)

Resize image for Bluray to 3118 x 1748 or 3173 x 1762
Apply Adjustments - Levels (Set black and white levels)

Check text, most of time need to sharpen text again 38-45%

SAVE YOUR WORK
File --> Save the image at number 11 quality setting in Photoshop. And Your Done!