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Frequently Asked Questions about capella-scan
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This list of FAQ's refers to capella-scan 6.0 / 6.1
with some references to version 5.0
Before you search this list for a solution to your problem . . .
- . . . please confirm, that you are using the latest version of capella-scan: Load capella-scan and open menu The version number will be displayed. Compare your version number with the version in our Download section. If necessary, download the current version and install it on your PC. This might already solve your problem.
This list of FAQ's does not cover any problems, that have been resolved through step-ups or service releases.
- This list of FAQ's cannot replace the manual. You should also have acquired a fair knowledge of capella-scan and be familiar with the workings of Microsoft Windows as well as your scanner and you should have an understanding of music terminology (voice, staff, system, chord, etc.).
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| When I download a stepup or a maintenance release, does it include all previously released stepups? |
Yes, you only need to install the most recent update.
You can find it here. |
| What about this product activation? |
Detailed information on this issue is available here . |
| The license doesn't work. In spite of correctly entering the license data (no typos), capella-scan remains in demo-mode. |
There could be several reasons for this to happen. Please call us at the office while you are at your PC with all relevant documentation at hand. |
| Is the license data incomplete? There is only one long serial number. |
That is correct. Only this serial number is required to license capella-scan. You'll see it immediately, when the licensing dialog opens. |
| Should I re-install capella-scan, when a problem arises? |
No! Re-installation is often seen as a cure-all, which is rarely the case. This list of FAQ's or our hot-line will tell you, whether re-installation would solve your specific problem. |
| Can I remove individual icons from the toolbars to save space? |
No, only entire toolbars can be de-selected from view.
All toolbars can be placed anywhere on your screen. |
| Why do I have to re-activate capella-scan 6.0 after installing the latest stepup? |
We have standardized the activation across all our products after the release of version 6.0. You therefore have to re-activate your version. We apologize for this inconvenience. After re-activation capella-scan might start up with the German language activated. In that case please open the "Hilfe" (Help) menu and select your preferred language. |
| Do I need to have the previous version installed, when I upgrade to capella-scan 6.1 ? |
No, technically speaking, all our updates are complete new releases, that do not patch into any existing installations. You are therefore free to decide, when you want to uninstall the previous version, allowing you any amount of time to familiarize yourself with the new release. |
| Why does the program display strange characters and symbols instead of the green notes? The error message “True type font capella3 not found” is displayed. |
As a user of capella-scan, you probably also use capella (If not, download the demo version here!). Follow the instructions in capella help to permanently install the required capella font.
Alternatively you can download and install the free capella reader here. Its installation will also install the required font permanently. |
| After upgrading the operating system, capella-scan starts with the German language menus and dialogs. |
Please open the "Hilfe" (Help) menu and select your preferred language. |
| Which scanner do you recommend? |
We do not endorse any specific scanner. Since scanning of notes does not necessarily require very high resolution nor does it require color, you can use a more affordable or even an older scanner. |
| capella-scan does not properly co-operate with my scanner! |
Try the different settings in menu In case your scanner has various scan modi, like "automatic" and "manual", try them both. It might also help to download and install the latest version of your scanner driver from the manufacturer’s web site. |
| capella-scan does not at all work with my scanner! |
You can still make full use of the program: Scan the notes with another program, i.e. the scanning software that came with your scanner. Use the recommended settings from the capella-scan manual. Save the file i.e. as Windows-Bitmap-File (*.bmp). You can then open this file in capella-scan and proceed with the recognition and editing. |
| Can I use capella-scan without any scanner? |
Yes! Since version 5.0, capella-scan can read PDF-files directly. To use this feature you need the free extension "Ghostscript", which you can download here. The latest version of capella-scan can even read and recognize pictures taken with a digital camera. |
| Why should I not use high resolution? Wouldn't’t the result be better, the higher the resolution? |
No! This rule does not apply here. The best recognition results are achieved, when the height of a scanned staff is 40-60 pixel. With normal print-size score sheets, this is equivalent to 200-300 dpi. |
| Can I scan the notes at a friend’s place or at work and then take the files home for recognition and editing? |
Yes, but this is far from the optimal solution. Especially at the beginning, as you learn how to use the program, you may find afterwards, that it might have been better to scan the document with a lighter or darker setting. With your own scanner you can immediately re-scan with a modified setting.
NB: If you have to depend on somebody else’s scanner, you should always scan in grayscale mode. This way you can later adjust the brightness of the scan on your own PC from within capella-scan. |
| Lots of scores are offered on the internet in PDF-format. Can capella-scan process these files? |
Yes! Since version 5.0, capella-scan can directly read PDF-files. To use this feature you need the free extension "Ghostscript", which you can download here. |
| Preview does not work with Agfa Snapscan 1212U. |
After installing capella-scan, re-install your scanner software and completely deactivate the limitations on color format under menu . |
| Which file format can capella-scan process? |
capella-scan can read: bmp, jpg, jpeg, pdf, tif, tiff, ps, png, tga, vst, agi, pcx, pcc, dcx, wmf, emf.
Capella-scan can save as: bmp, jpg, jpeg, tif, tiff, png, tga, vst, agi, pcx, pcc. |
| Does capella-scan recognize handwriting? |
No, we do not recommend the program for processing handwritten scores. |
| Does capella-scan recognize lyrics? |
Yes, since version 5.0. |
| Note recognition is poor. I have tried all reasonably meaningful settings for scanning, so the scanning itself should not be the problem. |
Not all originals are equally suitable for scanning. Far more than the human brain, capella-scan depends on consistent forms and shapes. It spite of very advanced recognition techniques, its latitude is limited. What you as an experienced musician might still accept as a very readable score sheet, might overstep the capacity of capella-scan. Regardless, capella-scan is still recognized worldwide as the leader in its field. |
| What can negatively influence the recognition? |
Any recognition engine will struggle with a faint photo copy as original. Especially faint and broken staff lines, partially filled note heads and broken note stems present a problem. Also handwritten notes and dirt marks will interfere with the recognition. |
| Note recognition is good, but capella-scan did not recognize a any of the quarter rests. |
The shape of the quarter rest obviously does not comply with any of the common standards. We invite you to send us the relevant *.bmp file to help us improve the next version of capella-scan. |
| Error message: "No staves found". |
You have probably scanned in grayscale and still need to adjust the gray threshold. See help and manual. |
| My "Realbook-notes" are printed in good quality. Yet, the recognition by capella-scan is rather poor. |
These notes deviate from all common notation standards to such a degree, that all current recognition engines encounter serious problems with these originals. Proper recognition of these notes is currently not possible. |
| Error message: "Insufficient memory" |
Please select a resolution of 100 to maximum 200 dpi and set scan modus to "Black and White". Your Windows XP computer should be fitted with at least 256 MB, preferably 512 MB RAM. |
| How can I determine, whether a tie has been identified correctly? |
capella-scan will recognize from the individual context, whether it is dealing with a tie, a slur or a beam. You can tell the current identification from the displayed anchor, when you click and mark the beam: A slur will show a ships’ anchor, while ties will show tiny note heads with beam. In case a slur has mistakenly been recognized as a tie, you can rectify this. Such errors can occur for example when a slur has been broken at the end of a staff and thereby the context got lost. In case a tie was not recognized as such, you need to drag the ends of the tie closer to the note heads. If in doubt, you may need to control the musical context: Both note heads must have the same pitch, must be part of the same voice and no other note of the same voice may be positioned between them. |
| capella-scan only recognizes note stems but not note heads. |
The required font "capella3.ttf" has not been installed. This could happen, if capella is running while capella-scan is being installed. If not, download the demo version here!. Follow the instructions in capella help to permanently install the required capella font.
Alternatively you can download and install the free capella reader here. Its installation will also install the required font permanently. |
| Lyrics are not recognized. |
Select menu and set the options "recognize text" and "recognize lyrics". |
| I require additional languages for the recognition. |
You can download the complete language pack as a selfextracting file here. Copy the extracted files into the "FineReader" folder of your capella-scan installation. |
| I cannot open any PDF-files. |
To use this feature you need the free extension "Ghostscript", which you can download here. |
| Why should I revise the finished recognition result? |
Recognition very seldom achieves a 100% perfect result. And small errors can lead to major problems: If just one note has not been recognized, or one too many has been identified, then all subsequent measures will shift accordingly and the result is unusable. |
| Can I correct errors later in capella? |
Of course you can! In capella you can edit any capella-scan file. But beware: If the recognition process has caused errors to affect the key or accidentals, it will be much easier to correct these in capella-scan than in capella. |
| Score sheets from America often show the accidentals in the first system only. |
This habit does not comply with common rules and guidelines of music notation and subsequently leads to major problems when scanned. Please add the accidentals by hand throughout the system before you save the file to capella. |
| Some of the eighth notes were not recognized. It gets rather awkward to set the correct beam for each note either, left, right or both sides … |
Select menu and deactivate “Save beam settings”. Now you can easily complete all eighth notes with flags. Once saved to capella, capella will automatically apply its rules to set the beams correctly. |
| I cannot edit the scan at all! When clicking any object with the mouse, I get an error message or the system crashes. |
This problem is usually caused by the graphics card or on-board graphics of your computer. (You can test this situation by starting Windows in “Safe Mode”. The problem will not show in safe mode.) Please contact the manufacturer of your graphics hardware to obtain a new driver or replace your current graphics hardware. |
| Some staves have been transposed by itself and are now using a different key. |
Please check the transposition in staff properties. When you mark a staff, the property toolbar should indicate "0 in C". If this is not the case, then please check whether there is a text object like "in A" or "en La" or similar in front of the staff, which would trigger the transposition. |
| The recognized scan was saved as a capella file, but I cannot find it. Into which folder did you save the file? |
From within capella you must find this folder and select the file there. capella-scan indicates the folder in its file save dialog. Remember that folder’s name or change the target folder to your requirements. |
| I am using capella 2.1 or 2.2. When I open a scanned file exported from capella-scan, I get the error message "Incompatible file format". |
To save files in capella-scan that are compatible with older versions of capella, you need to select menu and click the button for capella 1000. |
| When I save a file, I get the error message "Cannot open file …\capscan2.cap". |
Extract the two missing files"capscan1.cap" and "capscan2.cap" from your downloaded installation file or reinstall capella-scan. |
| I encounter problems with exporting to CapXML or MusicXML. |
Please check the web site of the script author Bernd Jungmann here. |
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