Source: https://restorebunny.com/guides/check-photo-scan-crop-completeness/ # Check Whether a Photo Scan Has Cut Off Useful Information Audit scan boundaries for missing faces, borders and inscriptions using a four-edge comparison before accepting automatic crops. Scanning & preservation4 min readUpdated 11 October 2026 ## Try it on your own photo Have your scan ready? Repair a copy, then compare faces and details with the original. [Restore my photo]()1 credit per successful photo · Account required[See credit packs]() Quick answer ## The short version Compare every scan edge with the original or a full capture, including borders and inscriptions. Keep a complete master before making presentation crops. Automatic edge detection can produce a neat rectangle while excluding evidence or part of a person. ## Completeness is different from attractive framing A tight crop can look cleaner and still omit a date, photographer's imprint or someone's hand. Decide whether the file is a capture master or a delivery image before trimming. For a master, preserve the image's complete visible extent and record object context separately where needed. A slideshow crop can have a different boundary while remaining linked to that complete record. Epson's documented scan software allows automatic marquees and target-size crops; these are choices to inspect, not proof of complete coverage. A fixed paper-size target can impose proportions that differ from the original. Other scanners may use different controls. Examine the final file as well as the preview and consult your software's actual crop and trimming documentation. ## Audit the four edges and then the back association Compare top, bottom, left and right individually. At each edge, ask whether the source contains image, border, writing or a physical feature that the scan omitted. An uneven old border may be intentional or part of the object's history. Record it in the master rather than straightening and trimming it automatically to match a modern print ratio. Check paired-file relationships too. A complete front with an unlinked back caption can still be incomplete as a family record. Verify the back belongs to the same object and that its orientation is understood. If the original is inaccessible, use an earlier full camera record as a reference and say what cannot be verified. Do not infer a missing border from what similar prints usually look like. ## Worked example: a 4:3 image forced into a 3:2 crop A 2400×1800 source has a 4:3 ratio. To fill a 3:2 frame at 2400 pixels wide, the height becomes 1600, removing 200 rows. That is 11.1% of the original image area if the width remains unchanged. A centred crop removes 100 rows at each end, but the actual software may position it differently. The calculation describes geometry, not an acceptable crop. If a handwritten year lies in the lower 80 rows, a centred presentation crop could remove it. Keep the 2400×1800 master and create the 2400×1600 viewing version separately. For printing, use a fit-with-borders option when that better serves the source. Never count a caption removed by framing as content recovered by later restoration. ## Use a scan-boundary reconciliation sheet - Object ID and capture filename: identify the physical print and the selected master, not only a temporary scanner preview. - Top and bottom: check heads, feet, dates, border irregularities and visible picture extent. Record which omissions were deliberate delivery edits. - Left and right: inspect people at the edges, signage and studio imprints. Do not assume a blank-looking pale edge has no significance. - Full extent reference: name the original, overall camera record or earlier master used for comparison. Mark cases where completeness cannot be verified. - Back and context: link the paired back, envelope or album-page record. A crop is not the only place source information can be lost. - Action: accept complete master, recapture safely, or retain a labelled partial source. Save presentation crops as derivatives with their intended destination. ## Check the final destination without changing the master A website, photo-book layout or screen theme can crop a complete upload again. Inspect the destination preview and exported version. If a face is missing there, adjusting the delivery layout may be the correct action; recapturing the original does not solve an imposed destination crop. Keep source and destination problems separate in your log. The resolution checker helps confirm the dimensions of the file you actually selected, but it cannot prove all source content is present. Use the visual edge audit alongside the number. If a scan was already cropped and the original is unavailable, keep the remaining image honestly labelled. Generating a border or missing hand can create a viewing interpretation, not restore documented coverage that the scan never recorded. ## FAQs Is a neat rectangle evidence of a complete scan? No. Automatic cropping can exclude borders, inscriptions and edge subjects. Compare all four edges with a full source. Should I leave scanner-bed space around every photo? Preserve the complete visible photograph in a master and follow the scanner's capture guidance. Extra bed space is not a substitute for checking edges. Can I crop a complete master for sharing? Yes. Save a separate delivery crop and inspect the destination's own framing so people and useful text remain visible. ## Sources Preservation and technical guidance reviewed for this article. - Epson: [Epson Scan detailed setting instructions for Perfection V600]() ## Related - [Reconcile automatically separated scans]() - [Pair contextual back captures]() - [Compare fit and fill for a print]() ## Ready to restore your photos? Upload an image, choose your settings, and preview results with a before/after slider. [Restore my photo]()[View Pricing]() RestoreBunny Team Photo workflow editors Guides follow our [editorial policy]() for sourcing, product claims, AI limitations, updates, and corrections.