[digiKam-users] managing old documents

[jdd at dodin.org]

Hello :-)

What I will ask is not about digikam, but showfoto or may be GIMP.

work in progress:

http://dodin.org/luciendodin/index.php?n=Biographie.LucienDodinPereCahier

(sorry, only in french)

It's a document from 1883 (yes, no error :-) by my gran father.

Given the nature of the document: very fragile old paper, too large for 
a scanner (I couldn't find an A3 scanner at reasonable price), I use 
photos. Now from a smartphone moto G4+, very good image wise.

But. I get results like this one:

https://www.cjoint.com/doc/20_05/JEgivUDTH5k_IMG-20200505-144724.jpg

pretty hard to read :-(

On a photo forum, a friend said he could have a pretty good result with 
an application I don't know "color fx pro", obviously not on Linux :-(, 
that is already much better than the original (for my purpose: better 
readability)

https://www.cjoint.com/doc/20_05/JEgiMLo0vzP_Untitled.JPG

the setup is:

https://www.cjoint.com/doc/20_05/JEgiMk8lNnP_Capture-d%E2%80%99e%CC%81cran-2020-05-06-a%CC%80-10.37.48.png

obviously it's a tone control that makes clear tones lighters and medium 
one (text) darker

is there a way to have a similar (or better result with showfoto? 
eventually with GIMP (I'm much more familiar with showfoto than from gimp)?

thanks
jdd
-- 
http://dodin.org