The Cover Project

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: travistouchdown on August 31, 2018, 07:41:53 AM

Title: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: travistouchdown on August 31, 2018, 07:41:53 AM
I've noticed lateley it's pretty easy to get carts, or good repro carts.

Boxes or repro boxes a little harder, and thankfully the TCP exists for those of us that prefer nice hardshell cases (how could you not! :)

Manuals however are still out in the desert....Some people are making repro's with very limited availability.  Originals can be found here and there but i've often spent years waiting to find manuals i'm missing. There are a lot of scans of manuals online but they are often not to scale or of printable quality, they are really only meant as digital copies (for now.)

How cool would a sister site be, or part of TCP, called "The Manual Project."  With print ready files of manuals, where you could print, cut, and staple them yourself or at the print shop.  Wouldn't this be a great resource?

I feel that anyone who can appreciate a good cover can appreciate a good manual, and maybe it would be just as valuable a resource.   Thoughts?
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Arseen on August 31, 2018, 08:40:32 AM
Wouldn't this be a great resource?
... for some sleezy person to sell the manuals that others have spend time making/scanning, cleaning and editing.

This happens to everything we publish here.

We do have some manuals here well hidden, like:
Printable NES Final Fantasy 3 English manual, or printable NES Mr. Gimmick color manual in English, or almost print ready emptied (as in all text removed so one can add their own text) SNES Super Bomberman 3.

Also 600dpi high quality scans for many others exsist.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: TDIRunner on August 31, 2018, 09:28:05 AM
I think the biggest issue with manuals is the time requirement.  Assuming we are talking about making manuals at the same quality levels as our covers, then you take the time spent on making a cover and multiply it over many pages.  A lot more time gets put into making something for one only one game, while the time could be spent making many more covers.  I'm certainly not saying it shouldn't be done, but I understand why fewer people are willing to do it.

The other issue is getting scans.  I have no problem scanning my games, but unfortunately, the only good way to get high quality scans of manuals is to take them apart and scan each piece of paper separately.  That's something that I'm not really comfortable doing.  Yeah, it's possible to scan manuals while leaving them intact, but it will be near impossible to get completely flat scans. 
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Tech13 on August 31, 2018, 10:13:34 AM
I would like to see Sega saturn and Sega CD manuals converted to fit into a DVD case.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Arseen on August 31, 2018, 10:35:56 AM
I would like to see Sega saturn and Sega CD manuals converted to fit into a DVD case.
All one would need for that are editing program, high quality scans, lots of time and some skill... hint, hint, nudge... ;)
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: TDIRunner on August 31, 2018, 10:49:03 AM
Luckily, all of the Sega CD and Saturn manuals have already been scanned.  Unfortunately, by today's standards, the quality isn't the best (scanned a long time ago), but at least they are out there. 
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Tech13 on August 31, 2018, 12:35:05 PM
I would like to see Sega saturn and Sega CD manuals converted to fit into a DVD case.
All one would need for that are editing program, high quality scans, lots of time and some skill... hint, hint, nudge... ;)

Skill... hmmm skill....... skill.... nope I am fresh out of that. 
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: shenske on September 01, 2018, 07:59:12 PM
We actually host manuals on TheCoverProject. Few know this as there aren't that many to host. Manual restoration and creation are far more time consuming than covers. We probably have less than 10 manuals hosted as no one is working on them.

Before we consider the prospect of a sister site there needs to be content created.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Arseen on September 02, 2018, 05:54:36 AM
We actually host manuals on TheCoverProject. Few know this as there aren't that many to host. Manual restoration and creation are far more time consuming than covers. We probably have less than 10 manuals hosted as no one is working on them.

Before we consider the prospect of a sister site there needs to be content created.
True on legit manuals but question here was of repro manuals which I assume fall under the repro cover decision of not to be hosted?
Oh I read wrong.
Legit manuals we could host.
I have good/great raws scanned with staple removed so print ready with minor cleaning (maybe even without?).
Here is one from SNES Yogi:

(https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a9cb/40gop7kgac0x0s54g.jpg) (http://www.mediafire.com/view/40gop7kgac0x0s5/Adventures_of_Yogi_Bear_US_Manual_Pages_01and08.jpg/file)
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: wiggy on September 02, 2018, 03:24:52 PM
Manuals are a pain in the butt. I’ve restored/translated/created from scratch many manuals. 

Not to mention that just scanning them properly is a significant task.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: ShoothimNow on September 04, 2018, 01:02:13 PM
Not to mention that just scanning them properly is a significant task.

Taking out 1 to 3 staples is hard!
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: wiggy on September 04, 2018, 04:07:26 PM
Not to mention that just scanning them properly is a significant task.

Taking out 1 to 3 staples is hard!

I never said that disassembling them was hard.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: TDIRunner on September 04, 2018, 04:29:03 PM
Not to mention that just scanning them properly is a significant task.

Taking out 1 to 3 staples is hard!

I never said that disassembling them was hard.

Likewise, my issue with scanning manuals isn't the disassembly or even the reassembly.  It's the fact that they need to be dissembled is the part I don't like.  It's not something I'm willing to do.  If others are ok with it, more power to them. 
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: travistouchdown on September 05, 2018, 07:13:35 AM
I don't think there actually needs to be a sister site.....just host them here!

I best if there was a Manuals section, and awareness of it, people might start working on them more.

I know if you love covers then chances are you appreciate manuals as well, I know i do!
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: ShoothimNow on September 05, 2018, 09:28:22 AM
I'm not ok with taking the staples out  ;D  They are too hard putting back on  >:(
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: retrosherman on September 05, 2018, 01:31:52 PM
I was actually thinking about this the other day. Repo manuals are a great idea but there are still so many covers to be done. And it would require a lot more work, I have no problem ripping the staples out of my manuals to startup a raw scan database at least. I think the best place to start would be PS1 manuals because they are part of the front cover itself, although most people probably use custom DVD covers but I prefer the original look.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Arseen on September 05, 2018, 01:46:16 PM
I'm not ok with taking the staples out  ;D  They are too hard putting back on  >:(
I am.
I have taken apart even my Stadium Events (SCN) and Flintstones 2 manuals.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: sheep2001 on September 05, 2018, 04:09:30 PM
I don’t see the point in taking out the staples for the most part.  Most can be scanned and reorganised into print format pretty easy without messing with them.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: TDIRunner on September 05, 2018, 04:24:20 PM
I don’t see the point in taking out the staples for the most part.  Most can be scanned and reorganised into print format pretty easy without messing with them.

For me, removing the staple isn't so much for the organization as much as it is to keep them as flat as possible. 
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Bear78 on September 05, 2018, 04:58:42 PM
Let's be real guys, it's hard enough getting people to scan and clean up covers around here...  :P
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Arseen on September 05, 2018, 05:30:41 PM
I don’t see the point in taking out the staples for the most part.  Most can be scanned and reorganised into print format pretty easy without messing with them.
For me, removing the staple isn't so much for the organization as much as it is to keep them as flat as possible.
This.
If the manual's images and text are far away from the spine then it's OK to scan without taking the staple off.
But if the manual has nice backgroung right next to the spine fine detail off it is lost if scanned without taking the manual apart.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Arseen on September 05, 2018, 05:32:52 PM
Let's be real guys, it's hard enough getting people to scan and clean up covers around here...  :P
I think it's partly down to the willing people having already scanned all they have (or have found).
Many of them have manuals they still could scan.
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: ShoothimNow on September 06, 2018, 02:45:13 PM
I'm not ok with taking the staples out  ;D  They are too hard putting back on  >:(
I am.
I have taken apart even my Stadium Events (SCN) and Flintstones 2 manuals.

Pshhhh, Finland isn't even a real place, so take apart your fake knockoff manuals all you want!  ;D
Title: Re: Time for "The Manual Project"
Post by: Arseen on September 06, 2018, 02:57:40 PM
I'm not ok with taking the staples out  ;D  They are too hard putting back on  >:(
I am.
I have taken apart even my Stadium Events (SCN) and Flintstones 2 manuals.

Pshhhh, Finland isn't even a real place, so take apart your fake knockoff manuals all you want!  ;D
Sour said fox about Sorbus berries.