Category Archives: Glossary

Continuous light is understood in artistic photography as an artificial light source that illuminates a motif over a longer period of time. One of the advantages is that, in contrast to natural light, there can be no light fluctuations. The distance between the subject and the lamp as well as the output of the continuous light lamp have an influence on the brightness of the object to be exposed. Another advantage of artificial permanent lighting is that the quality of the photo can be recognized before the actual picture is taken, since shadows and brightness can be regulated by adjusting the height. This is particularly important in analog photography. The disadvantage, however, is that the continuous light can produce color distortions, especially if a little daylight is also involved.

Our systems use sustainable and gentle LED lighting: by default, it is only switched on during the scan and slowly raised and lowered within a second to protect the operator’s eyes. This mode of operation extends the service life of the LEDs, which are generally very long-lived, even further.

In the area of cultural property protection, conservation or preservation refers to all measures that serve to examine, document and preserve the authenticity of works that are important in terms of art and cultural history and that are worthy of protection, without undertaking irreversible interventions that damage the object or change it massively. In 2000 the guidelines for preventive conservation were laid down in the Vantaa document.

Conservation is a preventive measure to secure the property and protect it from destruction, be it through catastrophes, wars or climatic influences, and to avoid restoration. However, a professional restoration can also be necessary for the permanent preservation of an object.

In the museum and archiving area, the conservation measures for exhibited and stored objects primarily include ensuring and controlling a stable room climate with regard to temperature and humidity as well as reducing light and pollutant emissions.

In a broader sense, the digitization of cultural assets is also a conservation measure. It enables objects to be seen, examined and researched without being subject to physical stress from transport, exposure or use. At the same time, however, the digitization process itself must meet preservation requirements and must not lead to any damage to the objects.

Modern scanning systems for the digitization of valuable cultural objects must therefore have the appropriate preservative components. These include, among other things, an adjustable, gentle lighting system, wear-preventing contact surfaces, book cradles with book spine release and adjustable opening angle and special glass, controllable pressure processses as well as special supplements for careful handling.