Editing Guidelines

The file format section is a little outdated. When I have time I will update it with instructions on how to batch convert images to PNG by creating an action in Photoshop, which oftenly gives smaller filesizes than converting with Converseen. The only exception I have found so far is that uncompressed TIFF to PNG conversion gets smaller filesizes when using Converseen.



The correct process of scanlating:

Cleaning should be done before typesetting, but I bet everyone already knew that.


File formats:

Before you start editing the scans, make sure that the scans are in PNG format. PNG is lossless unlike JPG, so no quality will be lost. If the scans aren't in PNG format you should convert it to PNG. If your OS is Windows I recommend Converseen. (It is also available for some Linux distributions, but not Mac. If anyone knows of a good batch image converter for Mac please let me know).
Converseen is a batch image converter, meaning that it can convert whole chapters and volumes in one single process. It uses some really good libraries, so the converted files will be of very good quality.

Once you have installed Converseen make sure that you view it in full size mode, otherwise you won't see all the options. Click on 'Image settings' in the down right corner and set the quality of the compression level to 100 for both Jpeg and Png. Then choose 'PNG - Portable Network Graphics' in the drop down file type list. The rest is easy.
Once you have pressed the 'Convert' button you should not move your mouse pointer. If you do any multi-tasking while converting it is likely that some thumbnails won't load and then you'll have to convert those images again. If you don't do anything extra while converting there's a better possibility that all thumbnails will have loaded. To be clear: You can have other programs running in the background, just don't do anything else while converting.

Apparently Converseen converted the Chinese magazine scans from RGB to Index mode. This is the first time this has happened and I'm not really sure why it has happened. Maybe it's the bad quality of the scans or something? It worked fine with the French chapter 40 scans. Well anyway, you can still use Converseen as it is still a good helpful tool, just make sure that you at least open up one of the converted scans in Photoshop and check that it's in the original image mode. If the image mode has been changed you'll have to convert the scans again using another converter.

Now that you have the scans converted to PNG you open them up in Photoshop and save them as Photoshop documents (.PSD). All editing should be done in PSD format, both cleaning and typesetting. Then if there's an error, for example a spelling error in the dialogue, it will be easy to correct. When the cleaning is finished you send the PSD-files to a typesetter who typesets it. When the PSDs are done and typeset they are converted to PNG with Photoshop.
Always keep the PSD-files. Also, both PNG and PSD are lossless formats, so no quality is lost when converting between those formats.

There is one exception to this:
French Pokémon Special scans will be given to typesetters as PNG-files and not as PSD-files. This way the scans will not be reversible to the French original. Cleaners should still save those scans as PSD in case you need to fix some of your editing, just give the typesetter PNG versions.

We use zip-files when we upload and share scans and we do not resize scans.


Cleaning:

Grayscale all non-colour scans before you start to clean them (or afterwards, if you forget).


Naming systems:

For Pokémon Special volume releases we will use this naming system: Pokemon_Special_vXX_cYYY_pZZZ | Example: Pokemon_Special_v43_c457_p001

For Pokémon Special BW arc magazine releases we will use this naming system: Pokemon_Special_BW_cYY_pZZ | Example: Pokemon_Special_BW_c45_p01

(X = volume number | Y = chapter number | Z = the actual page number)

Advanced Renamer is a really good batch image renaming tool, in case you need to rename a lot of scans and don't want to do it manually.


Fonts:

We currently use Anime Ace 2.0 BB. I don't think we have decided a standard font size for standard dialogue. Maybe we should do that.


Private sharing:

We use Google Drive for private sharing. Private sharing is to be used for any scans that hasn't been publicly released yet. French scans should never be publicly released.


Translating:

Put the translations in a Google Document. That way you can update it anytime.


Scanning:

When scanning something for Team Special Scans, scan it to PNG-files. If the scanner can't scan to PNG, scan it to uncompressed TIFF-files (make sure that it's uncompressed TIFF and not compressed).
Colour pages should be scanned in 600 DPI and black and white pages should be scanned between 300 and 360 DPI (the highest possible number between those two).
When scanning debound pages you should put a black paper on the other side of the page you are scanning. That will do so that the back side of the page won't be visible through the front side of the page when scanned.

If you are going to debind a volume / magazine there are three popular methods of melting the glue in the spine as far as I know: hair dryer, flat iron and microwave. (Or you can rip out the pages or cut the spine, but as a wise woman once said: ain't nobody got time for that).
Be aware that when you use a method that involves melting the glue it will smell, so it's not the most discrete way of debinding. If you melt the glue in the spine it is probably a good idea to open a window or turn on the air condition.
/a/non used a hair dryer in the past. That's probably the saftest method to melt the glue in the spine.
Some people prefer to use a microwave since it flattens the pages. If you are going to use a flatiron you have to remember to put either parchment paper or a dry cloth between the volume and the iron, so that the glue won't destroy your iron. It should protect a little against burning the volume as well.
I am very sceptical about the microwave method though, since it might set the volume on fire, so I wouldn't try it.
You can probably find debinding tutorials on MangaHelpers and via Google.

More info about scanning can be found here (haven't read this guide yet), here and maybe also here.



That's everything I can think of right now. Feel free to correct me, suggest changes, add more guidelines and ask questions.

I should have posted this in the 'News & Announcements' section, but apparently I don't have access there anymore.
Dreamingflower, can you please move this thread to the 'News & Announcements' section and give me access to make threads there again?

Okay, wow seems like a lot has been going on in my absence. *sweat drops*

*Updated.*

Oh nevermind my first post, here it is.

So actually instead of sending the chapters to each other, can't we put everything up on some private sharing site? (not familiar with google drive but I'll try)
I still couldn't find the RAWs so maybe that too.

Suggestion: Something like a work list could be useful as well, so everyone can easily see who's working on what, so there won't be two people working on the same thing/you can see what you need to work on next. With so many members it can be quite confusing (for me)!

Google Drive is a private sharing site.

The RAWs: jb2448.info/downloadalbum/zip/album/41515

sanigo wrote:Suggestion: Something like a work list could be useful as well, so everyone can easily see who's working on what, so there won't be two people working on the same thing/you can see what you need to work on next.

Good idea. We already have a list for the French chapters and the Chinese chapters are almost done anyway (the only confusing part there is who QCed what), but I'll make a list for volume 43.

Sooo I finished cleaning ch.458, do I have to send it to someone now?
Do I have to drop it somewhere in Google Drive (which I guess I need an invitation to some group for)?

About the cleaning: Since it’s my first time, please tell me if it’s fine so I can continue like that, like is it too dark or too bright, or anything else.
More questions:
1. Since the cleaners save the files as psd anyway, there’s no need to convert to png first right?
2. I didn’t quite get why the cleaned files need to be psd anyway, are we supposed to use masks or something? I just clean everything directly, saves time and it’s not like there’s so much to worry about with a simple shounen manga as Pokespe. For now I saved everything as psd with the raw page under the cleaned one, if the typesetters need to check the RAWs real fast or something.

Sorry if I’m being annoying, I just need to get to know some stuff first and then I’ll never talk to you again and just quietly clean!(´･ω･`)
Went ahead and started with ch.459 too so leave that to me.

You share it in private with my e-mail address on Google Drive using this guide (https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2494886?hl=en). I'll send my e-mail address to you via PM. If I remember correctly PSD is like a container: You get what you put in it. Lossy formats like JPG stay lossy and lossless formats like PNG stay lossless. I'm not a 100 percent sure though, but better safe than sorry. We use PSD in case we make mistakes that have to be fixed later, so that the RAWs can be checked and in order to make it easier for foregin scanlators.

By the way, did you convert the RAWs to PNG before you put them into PSDs?

Okay I send it to you.

Uuuh since we save as psd anyway there won’t be any quality loss... The moment you open a file in photoshop and save it as something there won’t be any information of what kinda file it was before. But alright, whatever, the way I saved it should be fine.

Guess I’ll be taking ch.460 too, so HGSS will be complete.

Okay to bring a little more flow in this I have a few more suggestions, mainly for cleaners.
Before anything I’d like to split all available RAWs equally.
When we write everything down on a list, we don’t always have to post here to let everyone know and we only have to write it down once. (is it possible here to make some kinda table that every user can edit on their own?) If not I suggest we make a proper thread for the lists with all work that needs to be done to make it clear, making it in the middle of some thread will make it hard to find later.
If someone’s busy and doesn’t think they can finish it before the translators finish their part, they can let everyone know and someone else fills in.
Maybe it’s too much but out of experience I know that many cleaners don’t even start when they don’t get a little push or have some kinda schedule. If I could I would just hog all the chapters for myself ^ q ^ but I’m a busy person too.

Dunno, just posting all the time here feels kinda weird to me. I barely talk to my own scanlation companions, everyone’s just doing their job properly and quietly. I don’t know how many translators we have here, but I suggest splitting the work beforehand and having them taking turns on chapters will give everyone more time too.
Hope I don’t feel like an asshole suggesting so much when I’m the newbie haha...


edit:
Oh right, maybe you could make a proper work list thread with everything listed down too.
Meaning, all the work we have to do, listing all chapters, magazine scans, (available) RAWs, what we need to purchase, what needs to be scanned, whatever.
Also of course who does the cleaning/translation/typesetting/QC for that one chapter.

sanigo wrote:is it possible here to make some kinda table that every user can edit on their own?

Maybe a Google Spreadsheet document with access to all TSS members?

sanigo wrote:Oh right, maybe you could make a proper work list thread with everything listed down too.
Meaning, all the work we have to do, listing all chapters, magazine scans, (available) RAWs, what we need to purchase, what needs to be scanned, whatever.
Also of course who does the cleaning/translation/typesetting/QC for that one chapter.

I'll try to do that when I have extra time some day.

sanigo wrote:Oh right, maybe you could make a proper work list thread with everything listed down too.
Meaning, all the work we have to do, listing all chapters, magazine scans, (available) RAWs, what we need to purchase, what needs to be scanned, whatever.
Also of course who does the cleaning/translation/typesetting/QC for that one chapter.

Done: https://teamspecialscans.forummotion.com/t25-ongoing-pokemon-special-scanlations