The digital images available in the Florida Museum of Natural History / University of Florida Herbarium Collections Catalog and Type Specimens web sites were prepared using several types of scanners and digital cameras.

This work is facilitated by our collaboration with and funding from many organizations and individuals. Our earliest efforts were supported by the University of Florida Libraries Digital Library Center and the Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA). We are dearly indebted to the personnel at the Digital Library Center and FCLA for the ground-breaking efforts. Specific personnel involved with the imaging are listed in the contacts and credits sections of these web sites.

Summary lists and a search form for available specimen images are linked on the Digital Imaging Projects web page. Complete listings include those arranged by species, family/species, Englerian phylogeny and herbarium specimen accession number. Project listings highlight a few selected categories of plants. These are: Introduced Florida Plant Species, Potentially Poisonous Florida Plant Species, UF Herbarium Type Specimens, Insectivorous Florida Plant Species, John Bartram’s Botany: St. Augustine to Picolata and Floristic Inventory of Kanapaha Botanical Gardens project specimens.

Image file names are based on the accession number of the herbarium specimen. Image files are served on our site via the Zoomify® viewer utilizing XML and Java script, or an alternate Zoomify® Adobe Flash viewer. Jpeg files are available, upon request, for non-commercial use. Original images may also be available, for a fee, for commercial use.

The majority of our new images are prepared with a TTI-Repro-Graphic Workstation 3040 with a Digiflex 67ei Sinar 75H camera back and a Sinar Evolution 75H Multi Shots Digital Back System (33MP). These images are distinguished by the ruler and color charts present on the left side of the sheets. We estimate the image resolution to be ca. 440 ppi. Detailed specifications are as follows:

Sinar Evolution System with Sinar CaptureFlow Software and TTI-Repro Graphic Workstation (discontinued)

This complex system that produced excellent quality images.

Camera: Sinar Evolution 75H multi shots 33MP digital back.

Lighting-table-camera mount: TTI-Repro-Graphic Workstation 3040 and Digiflex 67ei.

Capture Software: Sinar CaptureShop.

Image Resolution: ca. 400 ppi / Acquistion Throughput: around 1 minute per specimen.

Workflow and Use Instructions: PDF Required a Mac cpu with an OS around ca. 2010 (OS 10.6.4).

Cost: See this study

The following video, produced by iDigBio, features our Sinar System:
Herbarium digitization video by iDigBio

The earliest images on our site (circa 2000-2006) were prepared by the staff of the George A. Smathers Libraries Digital Library Center. Despite being created in the early 2000’s, these images are among the highest resolution on our site. They also took an average of 20 minutes each to acquire with the “top-of-the-line” hardware. They may be recognized by the presence of a small white 5 cm. ruler and no color chart. They were acquired using a ZBE Satellite large format stationary camera equipped with a PowerPhase ARI cameraback, 135mm Rodenstock lens and daylight filter. A Macintosh (PowerMac G4) computer system with 17 gigabytes of storage and ~ 800 megabytes of active memory was used for processing. The camera images were matched with a 1.8 gamma monitor, relative colorimetrics and the “BEST” quality for rendering profiles. Colorimetrics were calibrated using a Kodak Q-60R1 target per ANSI IT8.7/2-1993(1999:04). Intermediate processing was achieved with Adobe Photoshop 5.0. The final archives were recorded on CD’s with accessible images made available on the Internet via the Lizardtech viewing source Mr. SID. from the Florida Center for Library Automation web server. All of those original images have subsequently been moved to the FLMNH server. Here are specifications as provided by the DLC:

Staff and volunteers in the University of Florida Herbarium also acquired images of selected specimens on a flatbed scanner, Microtek Scanmaker 9600XL. Those specimens were scanned at 400 ppi and saved in tif format (.tif). These images may be recognized by the presence of a small white 6 in./15 cm. ruler and no color chart. Most of the specimens available in the Floristic Inventory of Kanapaha Botanical Gardens project are prepared by this method.

Digital images of plant materials taken with consumer model digital cameras prior to pressing are being added to compliment the specimens. Most of these images are prepared and posted in jpeg (.jpg) format.

HerbScan / Epson Scanner System

This system is an Epson Scanner mounted upside down. This equipment is used to scan very high resolution images for JSTOR Global Plants (plants.jstor.org).

Equipment: Epson Expression 10000 XL flatbed scanner with HerbScan stand.

Capture Software: Epson Scan with post processing in Adobe Photoshop.

Image Resolution: 600 ppi (1200 ppi) / Acquistion Throughput: around 3 minutes per specimen.

Workflow and Use Instructions: PDF

Microtek ScanMaker 9600XL/9800XL

In the early 2000s this scanner was used to scan some specimen images.

Nikon System

Configuration of the camera and software is detailed in the Camera Configuration page.

Useful Resources

Camera Configuration (via Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 Software)

Camera: Nikon D810 with Sigma 50 2.8 EX DG MAC F/Nikon AF-D USA lens.

Positioning the Camera and Photo e-Box

The bottom of the light stand camera holder is set at “82”. This places the camera lens ca. 25 1/4″ from the light box platform. This camera height and Photo e-Box position is situated so that the herbarium sheet, ruler and color chart fill the field of view with as little blank space as possible.

Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 Software

Out-of-the-box, the Camera Control 2 software did not support the Nikon D810. We had to get the latest version from the Nikon web site.

Useful Resource

Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 screens and settings

Camera Control Pro Exposure 1 settingsExposure 1

Camera Control Pro Tab Storage settingsStorage

Camera Control Pro Tab Mechanical settingsMechanical

Camera Control Pro Tab Image Processing settingsImage Processing

Picture Control: Standard

Color Space: sRGB

Active D-Lighting: Off

HDR Mode: Off

Long exposure noise reduction: Off

High ISO NR: On (Normal)

Vignette Control: On (High)

Auto distortion control Unchecked

Image File Naming Conventions

FLAS Accession Number + Image Designation + photo number

E.g.: P555a1, 112555g1, 112555g2

FLAS Accesssion Number – an optional capital letter, from 1 to 6 numbers, an optional capital letter. E.g., 112555, 3, P444, B0444, 175995A

Image Designations – a single lower case letter based as follows:

Letter Image of
a sheet (entire specimen)
b fragment packet contents
c plant close-up (formerly, bottom of plant, may include rootstock). This may be leaves, roots or sections of plant.
d – [top of plant (may include inflorescence / infructescence): deprecated, use c]
e – [leaves: deprecated, use c]
f – [leaf upper side: deprecated, use c]
g sheet prepared for Global Plant Initiative, plants.jstor.org [leaf lower side: deprecated, use c]
h – [stem: deprecated, use c]
i inflorescence
j flower
k infructescence
m fruit
n seed (if large)
p pollen or spore(s)
s sheet for SERNEC project with Photo e-box
v seed vial contents
w – [plant close-up (e.g., if small plants or region of sheet), deprecated, use c]
x photo of fresh plant or plant in the field, typically, field photos by collectors names by collector image tag and collection number
z photo on sheet or of textual material accompanying the specimen

Number – the image number for an image designation category for the sheet starting with one.

Credits

Project and Web Page Design, Direction and Oversight

Priscilla Caplan, Florida Center for Library Automation
Stephanie Haas, Digital Library Center, University of Florida Libraries
Erich Kesse, Digital Library Center, University of Florida Libraries
Kent Perkins, University of Florida Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History

Digital Imagery of Specimens

Michael Bond, Digital Library Center, University of Florida Libraries
Erich Kesse, Digital Library Center, University of Florida Libraries

Herbarium Type Specimen Database

Kent Perkins, University of Florida Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History
Wendy Zomlefer, University of Florida Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History
–now, Curator, University of Georgia Herbarium

Computer Technical Support and Server Maintenance

Nicholas Bazin, Florida Museum of Natural History
Sarah Fazenbaker, Florida Museum of Natural History
Chris Cuevas, Florida Center for Library Automation
William Paine, Florida Museum of Natural History

Web Page Text

Kent Perkins, University of Florida Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History
Stephanie Hass, Digital Library Center, University of Florida Libraries
Priscilla Caplan, Florida Center for Library Automation
Erich Kesse, Digital Library Center, University of Florida Libraries
Michael Bond, Digital Library Center, University of Florida Libraries (Digital Imaging section)
Astrid Terman, Florida Center for Library Automation (Help section)