Bilddigitalisering

Bilddigitalisering, or image digitization, converts photographs, drawings, film negatives, slides and other physical media into digital images. The goal is to preserve the original material, enable access, and support long-term storage and re-use for research, education and publication.

Methods include flatbed, sheet-fed, and drum scanners, as well as digital photography with calibrated lighting. Output is often archival TIFF or PNG, while JPEG or JPEG 2000 is used for distribution. RAW formats may be retained for future processing. Aim for appropriate resolution, bit depth, and color management via ICC profiles.

The workflow typically includes assessing the original, cleaning, calibrating equipment, capturing, and post-processing such as deskewing, color correction and cropping. Metadata collection and consistent file naming support retrieval and long-term use.

Metadata and standards are central. Descriptive, technical and administrative metadata may follow Dublin Core, PREMIS, or METS/ALTO to document provenance, technical parameters, rights and preservation actions.

Preservation considerations include redundant storage, integrity checks, format migration or emulation, and access policies. Physical storage should be protected from deterioration; digital repositories should implement versioning, backups and regular refresh cycles.

Legal and ethical issues involve copyright, licensing, privacy and access restrictions. Institutions typically define rules to balance public availability with rights and privacy protections.