The clean up process is accomplished through the use of image enhancement or paintbrush software. If you are willing to help with this process, contact Larry Everett, Frank Wollenhaupt or Dave Rankin for further details that may not be answered below. This is not a difficult process and does not require specialized talents but is time consuming because of the number of images to be processed.

Photo #1	The clean up process entails erasing the background along the item's edge 5 to 15 pixels wide. All current image cleaners are using software called Paint Shop Pro. Other image processing software may have similar capabilities. The eraser tool is set to 5 pixels or wider and an initial mouse click is done at a starting point on the edge of the item (see photo #1).
Photo #2	The eraser tool is then moved to a new location along the edge and, while holding down the shift key, another mouse click results in a straight line erasure from the previous click point (see photo #2). A scroll mouse can improve efficiency as you move along the edge. The scroll wheel is used to zoom in and zoom out. The position of the mouse point affects the position while zooming. There are times when the edge is not obvious while zoomed in close and it becomes necessary to zoom out to gain perspective.
Photo #3	While very few items have straight edges, a series of straight-line erasures works just fine to outline the item. The key is the distance between clicks. The sharper the curve of the area being traced, the shorter the distance between clicks. This process continues until the item is completely outlined (see photo #3). This method results in a smoother edge than can be done freehand by the most experienced cleaner. Sometimes the size of the eraser tool must be reduced to erase areas that are too small for a 5-pixel wide eraser (rare). Small areas inside the piece must also be erased such as the hole in keyhole stems or open handles.
Photo #4	The outlining process is only the first step in the cleaning process but is the most time-consuming step and the only step for which we are asking for your help. The albums administrators as described following will do the remaining clean up. After the outlined image is transmitted back to us, touchup of some items is done to repair flaws such a stray marks or scratches. Not all items have such flaws but a few do. We then apply a smoothing filter designed to reduce the visibility of the coarse half toning dots created in the catalog printing process. These dots can be annoying when viewing full size images on a computer monitor. After the repair processing and filter application, the balance of the background is removed with one click of a flood-fill tool. The flood-fill tool is only effective with the 5-pixel wide outline providing a barrier to protect the desired item. The final process of filter application and remaining background removal takes just a few seconds. See photo #4 for the completed sample.