Skip to main content
S
SFL46
Known Participant
May 17, 2012
Question

Scanner support in Photoshop CS6 Windows 64bit

  • May 17, 2012
  • 4 replies
  • 36782 views

Does CS6 restore the twain scanner function on Windows machines that was lost in CS5, or do I have to continue to keep CS4 on my desktop?

Thanks

      4 replies

      PDFerguson
      Adobe Employee
      PDFerguson
      Adobe Employee
      May 17, 2012

      The TWAIN support in Photoshop CS6 for Windows is exactly the same as it was in CS5 and earlier. You can download the TWAIN plugin from adobe.com, and install it in the 32-bit version of Photoshop. You will also need to install TWAIN drivers for your scanner by getting the appropriate software from the manufacturer's web site or installation disk. You will need to run the 32-bit version of Photoshop to use your scanner.

      There is no 64-bit TWAIN support in Photoshop on Windows primarily because the TWAIN data source manager (DSM) that Microsoft ships with Windows is 32-bit only.

      While it is possible for more technically experienced users to download and install a 64-bit compatible DSM to replace the Microsoft version (see twain.org), there are two problems: first, the Photoshop TWAIN plugin is 32-bit only, and will not work in the 64-bit version of Photoshop regardless. But even if it did, and you installed a 64-bit DSM, the second problem is that there are virtually no 64-bit compatible TWAIN scanner drivers (data sources) available from scanner manufacturers (it's a classic chicken & egg problem--there's litte demand for 64-bit data sources, so there are very few 64-bit data sources.)

      Dedicated scanning applications like VueScan are popular among people who have more demanding needs for controlling the scanning process, or do a large volume of scanning. The WIA and TWAIN plugins for Photoshop are intended for more casual use, and may be preferable to the expense and overhead of a separate application.

      Hope this helps,

      Paul Ferguson

      Adobe Systems Incorporated

      MikeKPhoto
      MikeKPhoto
      Known Participant
      May 17, 2012

      I still shoot a great deal of film, both medium format and large format up to 8x10, and my scanner gets a great deal of use. I still keep CS3 running on an XP machine and use that as a scanning workstation and file server.

      I got caught up in the contest between Adobe and Epson with each blaming one another for the problem. Funny thing is it works great in my older versions of Photoshop and I still use Photoshop 7 and ImageReady 7 - why, they all work with my scanners. While I did get Epson Scan to work in CS5 after a number of scans I would get out of memory errors and had to live without Batch Processing working .  That never happened in CS3 even when scanning 8x10 negatives.

      PS Image Ready 7 is still cool

      MK

      station_two
      station_two
      Inspiring
      May 17, 2012

      VueScan automatically puts a "Scan with VueScan" menu item in Photoshop, which automatically calls up VueScan, and automatically opens the scan in Photoshop.

      Photoshop never had any scanning capabilities of its own, as I'm sure you're are aware of./  The TWAIN plug-in merely called your scanner's software, and in the meantime you tied up Photoshop with a menial chore.  Scanning outside of Photoshop is much more efficient, as you can continnue to work on something else in Photoshop while you scan.

      G
      Greg_Bohn
      Participating Frequently
      May 17, 2012

      > you tied up Photoshop with a menial chore.

        In my case my scanners are fast enough for my purposes that I don't consider this an issue (I use Windows 7, in case that's relevant).  After years of using 'import' to scan from within Photoshop, this is the way I prefer to work. (Rather than launching a separate app. from outside Photoshop)

        The TWAIN scan apps that came with my scanners (Epson and Cannon) have better features than the comparatively lacking 'WIA' flavors I have as an alternative (not that they're natures most perfect software either :-) ).

        Having to pay to buy another application, like 'VueScan' doesn't make me happy either.

        At any rate, I just wanted to chime in that like the O.P., I was happy enough with the 'free' TWAIN environment launched from within Photoshop...

        I haven't upgraded yet (from CS4), but my impression is that at least under Windows, you can still run TWAIN scans from the 32-Bit version of Photoshop if you download the right plug-in from Adobe.

      station_two
      station_two
      Inspiring
      May 17, 2012

      Your choice, of course.

      There was a very good reason why the TWAIN plug-in was no longer a part of the default Photoshop installation.  A lot of of scanner drivers were very poorly written and caused major problems, including crashes and even crashes at startup, rendering Photoshop unusable.

      You're deluding yourself if you think you're not launching a separate application when scanning through the Import menu.  You are in fact launching the scanner's software in the background.  You can still do that now, except you won't be tying up Photoshop while you scan.

      It's quite possible that the TWAIN plug-in can be installed even in CS6, and you're free to try it.  It's just not officially supported.  It certainly can be done in CS5, in which version the TWAIN plug-in is also not part of the default Photoshop installation any longer. No one is forcing you not to work the way you prefer.

      A
      Anonymous
      May 17, 2012

      From what I have read the software companies agreed their will be no 64 bit TWAIN.

      The suggested workflow is the use the scanner software for scan and save to a folder.  Then bring photos into photoshoop from there.

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices