VUESCAN Pro v9.3.07

VueScan 8.0 Professional

If you have a scanner, you also have at least one driver that came with it. So why would you want to pay $79.95 (direct) for a scan utility like VueScan 8.0? Well, if you use scanning strictly as a means to copy, fax, or input text documents to your PC using OCR software, there's no reason to. But if you scan photos, whether as prints or slides, and particularly if you like to tweak your photos to get the best possible results, VueScan is very much worth your attention.

VueScan will give you more control over your scans. It supports features like infrared scans to remove dust and scratches with a scanner that offers that feature, and it lets you adjust such settings as white point; black point; brightness for red, green, and blue channels; printer color space; and several more sophisticated settings. All you give up is the ability to scan from within a program, like Photoshop. Instead, you have to launch VueScan, scan the image, and save the file before you can open it in another program. What you get in return is the potential for better images.

The help file makes the point that VueScan is to a typical Twain driver as an F-16 is to a hot-air balloon: It's a more sophisticated tool, but it can also take you much farther off course in far less time. But the program is designed well enough that if you approach the options cautiously, making small changes and looking at their effect, you can learn what each setting does and recover easily from missteps.

Anyone who cares about high-quality scans should be able to teach him or herself how to use the more sophisticated features. For rank beginners, the program offers a choice between basic, standard, and advanced options for each settings screen, so you can start with the basic controls and move to the next step when you're ready.

One thing you'll need to check beforehand is whether VueScan works with your scanner. There's a list of supported scanners on Hamrick Software's Web site (www.hamrick.com). Even better, you can download the program and experiment with the shareware version before investing. If you're interested enough to try it, we suspect you'll go ahead and buy it.