IMSLP:Scanning music scores
Free public domain sheet music from IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library
Image scanning is currently the preferred method for converting scores to images that can be uploaded to the IMSLP. We recommend scanning at a minimum resolution of 600 dpi (ppi) monochrome, with CCITT Level 4 compression (the compression can be added later by other programs). See the Talk page for further details.
- Score submissions should usually be scanned in black and white, unless color is used purposefully in the score. Color scores are much larger in file size than black and white scores. Also, grayscale may be permitted if it enhances legibility.
- Align the page of the book to the edge of scanner to avoid any skew.
- Adjust the brightness and/or contrast settings until you get the best scan. Make sure the the image is not underexposed, else adjust the brightness until you get the best image.
- It's inevitable to scan background noise, but an underexposed image will have broken notes, staff lines, etc. An image can be overexposed as this better preserves the details in the sheet music. This also helps in accuracy in Music OCR (optical character recognition) software.
- Crop out all edges and parts of the image that are off the page.
All file submissions should be PDFs. A full list of file formats can be found here. Please scan also the covers and title pages, as they contain vital information that serves for identification of the publication!
- For a method that is labor intensive, but produces extremely high quality scans, see IMSLP:High Quality Scanning.
- For Unix tips for processing scans, see this page.
- Feel free to ask other users for advice on scanning! Two such users who would be more than happy to help are Daphnis and Piupianissimo.
External links
- Guide to sharing documents is a technical tutorial on how to obtain the best scans.
