I'm getting better at it, although not an expert by any means. In most cases with a good cover and no issues I can scan, clean it and have it ready to use in 3-5 minutes.

I use GIMP to clean and edit the scan.

Here is my process:

1) Remove artwork from case.
2) Wipe down any debris, lint, etc. from artwork.  Use damp towel to wipe down if necessary.
3) Clean scanner glass
4) Flatten artwork, trying to get the crease flat from where it bent at the spine.
5) Lay in scanner, try and align it to the sides of the scanner, but leave a 1/4" gap or so.
6) Close lid, place heavy object on lid to get the artwork as flat as possible, preventing any bad 'grooves' or 'alleys' from where the cover was bent.
7) Scan at 600 DPI
8) Open scanned image in GIMP
9) Rotate if needed.
10) Crop, leaving small gap around image. (SHIFT+C)
11) (SHIFT+R) to bring up Rotate function.  I extend the sides and bottom to align it to the image, make rotation as needed.
12) (SHIFT+C) Crop the edges perfectly now.
13) Goto menu, Colors --> Auto --> White Balance.  This does a great job fixing the contrast.
14) (SHIFT+T) Bring up the Scale tool, set the Height at 800.  That is a bit more than the 500 allowed by Invelos, but I prefer it.
15) Save the entire cover as UPC in my DVDProfiler Scans folder.
16) Then crop the front and back and use the various tools listed below to fix any blemishes or inconsistencies.
17) Clone (C) - This is a great tool to fix blemishes, as well as the edges if they are a bit off.
18) Heal (H) - This is good to blend in two areas, or to fix small blemishes.  Ctrl+Click on an area close to the spot, then click on the spot.
19) Bucket Fill (SHIFT+B) -  A great tool to use on for areas that are supposed to be a solid color, especially black or white.  I try not to use it for other solid colors as it's hard to get the exact color.  Be careful of using in black areas where there are shades of grey, as it may remove detail that you aren't intending.
20) Color Picker (O) - to pick a color from the image
21) Pencil (N) to be able to draw on image.  Another useful trick is using the Ctrl and Shift buttons.  If you click on the image and draw a dot you, and then hold Shift it will draw a line from the spot you just made to the next spot you click.  If you hold Ctrl it will constrain Gimp to draw the line in a perfect direction, which I normal use if I need a true horizontal or vertical line.
22) Once I'm satisfied with Image, I save it as a jpeg. (use UPC and F or R to signify the Front or Rear)

My biggest problem seems to be is that I lose detail in some of the text, especially smaller text on rear covers.  I've started playing around with a the Sharpen tool in GIMP, but not sure how much I like the results.

I find the biggest problem with most cover scans is the contrast.  Many are too washed out, the colors are missing some vibrancy and don't match the actual covers. 

What process do you follow when doing cover scans?  Any hints or suggestions you do to make them better?

Put box on scanner (front), scan it.  Turn box over, scan it.  I'm happy to consider it a temporary solution. 

1.  Mail cover to profiler member with scanner.
2.  Wait until it arrives.
3.  Ask them to scan it.
4.  Thank them profusely.

I resize them to 800 pixels for height.  They get resized to 500 when I submit them, but prefer the slightly larger size for my local.

Scanning is the easiest part of the process to get desired cover images. I scan at 600 DPI then I use Photofiltre to modify the image.

I want all my covers as standardized as possible. For example, all my blu-ray have the same frame, so that I immediately see which movies are on DVD or Blu-rays:



I also remove ugly stickers, as age, and use montages from movie posters when the cover is reflective. When there are errors in back cover (image ratio..., spelling mistakes...), I correct them. In fact, I don't care about my cover images match or not the real cover, it must be the best possible depiction of the movie.

Quoting mreeder50:

Quote:
This is not meant to offend anyone, but the width is 500 and the height 700.

You are correct, and not offended.    I said height, but meant width.  Although I do keep the height of all my images at 800 pixels.

Quoting surfeur51:

Quote:
Scanning is the easiest part of the process to get desired cover images. I scan at 600 DPI then I use Photofiltre to modify the image.

I want all my covers as standardized as possible. For example, all my blu-ray have the same frame, so that I immediately see which movies are on DVD or Blu-rays:



I also remove ugly stickers, as age, and use montages from movie posters when the cover is reflective. When there are errors in back cover (image ratio..., spelling mistakes...), I correct them. In fact, I don't care about my cover images match or not the real cover, it must be the best possible depiction of the movie.

Interesting, I'm the opposite.  I prefer the image to reflect exactly what is on the shelf.  I even scan the cover for those that I'm missing the Slipcover.

Quoting scotthm:

Quote:
I take the insert out of the keepcase

Do you mean you remove the shrink wrap before starting the scan process?

Quoting DoubleDownAgain:

Quote:
I think he means taking the artwork out of the case, so you aren't scanning through the clear plastic.

Correct.

And when I scan reflective covers I place a sheet of almost transparent plastic on the glass and manipulate the contrast/brightness/color to try and get a decent image.  Sometimes it works.

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