How to scan a piece of white silk with white embroidery floral on it?

my scanner (a dell) allows me to adjust the contrast and the brightness before scanning I think I would try it on several up and down levels to see which was the right direction and tweek it form there.

How to scan a piece of white silk with white embroidery floral on it?
I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are doing. But if you are trying to get a picture of a white on white piece it will be a little difficult.


Stretch the silk onto a hard surface that has some color. The color will show thru the silk and make the whte embroidery show up. Color choice has to be your decision. The darker the color the more the embroidery will show up but the less it will look like white on white.





Lots of luck
Reply:You might try putting something like black paper on top of the embroidery.
Reply:You probably aren't going to get anything you'll like, but the other answerers suggestion about putting something a shade or so darker behind it can work on a flat bed scanner if there are open (no fabric) parts of it. If it is a solid piece of embodered silk, it won't matter what you mount it to. You will mostly end up with a pattern.





To record the detail, you need to photograph the linen. Light coming at an angle will create shadows that will model the threads in the piece and give it texture. By it's nature, a scanner uses direct straight on light and you lose that modelling effect.





You can use basically the same approach of mounting the linen piece, but light it from the side at 45-60 deg with a desk lamp and photograph it.





You will probably have to adjust your exposure over whatever the camera thinks is correct by opening up +1 1/2 stops or so using the apeture or shutter speed controls of the camera (if it has them).





Good luck with which ever way you choose.





Vance