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Table of Contents
- Introduction and Overview
- Setting Up Your Equipment Each Day
- Create a Folder
- Capture Images
- Evaluate Images
- Transferring Images to the Hard Drive
- Turning Off Your Equipment Each Day
Introduction
Welcome to the Image Capture Quick Start Guide for new volunteers and contractors. This quick start guide is designed to be a basic overview of the image capture process. If you need more instruction on a certain step, please refer to the DCam User Guide.
Overview
Each day starts by setting up your equipment. After your equipment has been set up, you’ll follow these 4 basic steps with each batch of images.
- Create a folder
- Capture images
- Evaluate images
- Transfer images to a hard drive
You will be repeating this process multiple times in an average workday. At the end of the workday, you will shut down your equipment so that it’s ready to use the following day. This guide will take you through the steps of setting up your equipment, creating folders in DCam, capturing images, evaluating images, transferring these images to a hard drive, and turning off your equipment.
Setting Up Your Equipment Each Day
Before you can begin the four-step process of capturing images, you need to set up your equipment. When setting up your equipment for the day, turn on your equipment in the following order:
A. Lights
B. Camera
C. External Hard Drive (shuttle)
D. Camera and DCam software
Step 1: Turn on the workstation lights using the switch on the back of the light. There is no need to allow the lights to warm up.
Step 2: Turn on the camera and remove the lens cap.
Step 3: Turn on the external hard drive (shuttle).
Step 4: Open DCam by double-clicking the DCam icon on the desktop.
Create a Folder
Before you can capture a group of digital images, you need to create a folder. Folders manage the basic level of all archival records that you work with. You create folders to capture the metadata, which is descriptive information associated with each record.
Step 1: On the home screen of the DCam computer, click on Manage Projects, Listings and Folders.
Step 2: Select the correct project and listing.
Step 3: In the folders section, click Create.
Step 4: Enter or modify folder information as needed.
For more information, see the DCam User Guide: Folder Information Screen Fields, and Folder Information and Natural Groups.
Step 5: Click Save and Capture.
Capture Images
The image capture process is more than simply taking a digital picture. To capture images properly, you must ensure the image quality represents the historical record as closely as possible.
Step 1: Calibrate the camera.
A. Prepare software and equipment for calibration.
B. Set the camera height.
For typical imaging height, the camera height standard is 26.5 inches from where the camera body and lens connect (at the silver ring). The camera height should never need to be changed except when there are oversized books.
C. Take a picture of the calibration targets or “clam shell,” which is displayed in the image at the right.
Note: There should not be any extra items (such as documents, hands, etc.) within the frame during calibration.
For more information, see the DCam User Guide: Color Camera Calibration (Nikon) or Grayscale Camera Calibration (Illunis, Redlake).
Step 2: Set up templates in DCam.
Note: Templates are camera shots you can set up for different document sizes, shapes, and orientations. When you select a template, you do not need to set up each camera shot individually.
A. Assign the template a name.
B. Place a document within the frame of your template.
C. Select the type of template you want to use.
D. Set the crop attributes for the template.
E. Adjust the frame to the desired size.
F. Lay black photographer’s tape along the bottom and along one side of the document to maintain a straight alignment while capturing images.
G. Assign an X-Key to the template for quick access.
For more information, see the DCam User Guide: Templates.
Step 3: Capture the images.
A. Capture an image of each document. Use the programmed X-Keys to capture images more quickly.
For more information, see the DCam User Guide: Setting Up X-Keys.
B. If needed, use aids to help make the image clearer.
Examples:
- Place white paper beneath more transparent documents.
- Use black foam board to flatten the edges of documents.
Capturing Multiple Documents
Images with Double Page Capture Mode
Using the double page capture mode, you can capture both pages at once. DCam automatically separates and saves each page as its own individual image.
For more information, see the DCam User Guide: Capturing Images with Double Page Capture Mode.
Images with Attachments
An attachment is connected to the main document via glue, staples, or tape and contains information relating to the base document.
Capture the base document first, then press Ctrl+L or Ctrl+R to capture the attached document. Attached documents are indicated by a paperclip icon in the thumbnail image.
For more information see the DCam User Guide: Attachments.
Evaluate Images
Evaluation of images will be performed during the initial image capture. A second opportunity to evaluate images to meet or exceed imaging standards will be given during the evaluation step.
In the Evaluation stage, you will review the images you captured. This process ensures that the images are high quality and within image capture standards. Evaluating images will also decrease the chance that there will be a need for folder rework.
Step 1: Check for extra objects in the frame. These may include (but are not limited to) hands, shadows, glare, document skewed, etc.
Step 2: Check for transitional lines in the captured image and ensure there are no more than 3 transitional lines outside of the primary lines of the letter, number, etc.
Note: Use vertical and horizontal ONLY. Do not use numbers or letters that curve or are angled.
For more information see the DCam User Guide: Evaluating Images.
Step 3: Check the captured image for proper image orientation.
Note: Proper image orientation captures the image as it is intended to be read, generally from left to right and top to bottom. One exception would be languages that are read right-left.
Step 4: When you’re done evaluating all images, click Close this folder.
Transferring Images to the Hard Drive
Once a group of images has been captured and evaluated, it is ready to be transferred to the external hard drive and shipped to an ingest center.
Step 1: Before beginning the transfer process:
- Ensure the external hard drive is connected and turned on.
- In the Folder screen, review folders to make sure that the status is Closed.
Step 2: Transfer the folder or folders to the hard drive.
A. From the DCam Projects, Listings, and Folder screen click Transfer.
B. Verify that the Media number is correct, or adjust as needed.
C. Click Transfer to External HD.
D. Sign into FamilySearch from the popup screen.
E. Make any needed updates in the Estimated Project Completion screen. The transfer of folders begins.
Note: The Confirm New Project screen will display if this is the first media to be transferred from this project to the external shuttle.
F. You may return to the Projects, Listings, and Folder screen and create the next folder while the transfer runs in the background.
G. When prompted, confirm if this is the final transfer to the hard drive.
Step 3: Ship the external hard drive to the ingest center.
Turning Off Your Equipment Each Day
Step 1: Turn off your equipment in the reverse order that you turned it on:
A. Computer
B. Shuttle (or hard drive)
C. Camera (lens cap on)
D. Lights
