Cleaning Manuscripts Using Image Processing Software To Reveal Hidden Texts
(53rd Annual Meeting of the PIAC, St. Petersburg 2010)
In many museums and libraries, there are manuscripts that are in poor condition. In some cases they are fading away, not in front of our eyes but hidden away and unseen. Amidst these fading documents could be hidden literary treasures. Modern digitising techniques such as digital photography make it easy to take a snapshot of these documents. Once digitised they are easily distributed. There are several image processing computer programs readily available that offer a wide range of facilities, which can be used to make these manuscripts more readable. This paper will demonstrate how imaging software was used to clean up manuscripts and give a measure of success achieved. The software used in this paper is not a hidden treasure but it could be the light to enable texts never read before reach the eyes of a wider audience. In conclusion, the paper comments on the implications of new technology and the study of old manuscripts.