There are a LOT of apps out there that convert your iOS device into a “scanner” using the device camera. Admittedly, I haven’t tried all of them…or even most of them…or even some of them, really. That’s because the one that I have used with any regularity is so good, I haven’t felt the need to go elsewhere.
TurboScan for iOS - my favorite mobile scanner app
TurboScan for iOS ($1.99 in the App Store) has performed admirably for me as a performing musician. As with most other posts on this blog, I speak from the perspective of an artist / teacher in the Arts, not as a general user. I am currently using this app to get music into forScore, essentially replacing my flatbed scanner.
Here’s how it’s used:
- Snap a picture of the document you want to “scan”
- Adjust the frame of the document – this is a great feature that allows you to eliminate skewed images, which can occur if you don’t take a perfectly straight picture
- Choose the brightness level of the scan (also nice)
- Add more pages (if desired)
- Name the file
- Export to a number of different places in JPG or PDF formats, including e-mail, camera roll, and the Open With… app list (you can guess where I go with this).
The other virtue of this application is its SureScan mode, where you take 3 pictures of the same document, and the app performs its magic to make the best possible image out of the three snaps. You don’t *have* to do this, which is nice if you’re in a hurry because it takes quite a bit longer to do.
The results have been great – but if I have the time, I add a few extra steps:
- After completing my scan, I’ll open in Dropbox.
- I’ll open Acrobat Pro, and perform a Batch Processing action I created that simply runs the Optimize Scanned PDF command on whatever documents I choose.
- I’ll tag the documents using forScore for Mac, as I always do
- I’ll then open the documents in forScore, using forScore’s ability to Import from Dropbox.
These extra steps are entirely optional, but that’s my typical workflow with TurboScan. Ultimately, the best-quality scans I have are still from the flatbed scanner, but TurboScan is more-than-acceptable, especially if I’m on the go.
File size is also managed well. At the “medium” setting, my full-page PDF was 773 KB. At the “small” setting, my full-page PDF was 461 KB. In my opinion, both are readable just fine on the iPad, so you can safely use the “small” setting for your sheet music.
However, neither of these file sizes can hold a candle to Acrobat’s “Optimize” function. While .5 MB isn’t large at all (~2,000 pages per GB), optimizing the PDF with Acrobat shrunk it down to 77 KB, which would give you ~13,000 pages per GB. You can see why I take the extra time to optimize all of my PDFs. Even besides file size, optimizing will straighten, despeckle, and performs background removal on the document, making a squeaky-clean PDF. Worth my extra time and energy, IMO.
The other great thing about this app is that, though it’s not universal, it works very well on the new iPad (yes, I’ve got one now, and it’s amazing), now that it’s got a “real” camera in it. So, if I’m scanning into forScore on the go, I will typically use my iPad and go straight to forScore, bypassing the optimization and tagging it in the forScore app.
The one thing I don’t know of is a way to optimize a PDF on the iPad. I have searched intermittently for something that will do this, similar to how Acrobat does it, and have come up empty. If anyone out there knows of something that’ll accomplish this, please let me know!
Hope this helps. For $2, TurboScan is one of the best sheet music scanners you can buy. Haven’t tested it with color, or with other types of documents, but other people have, and love it.
My advice – don’t waste your time with other scanning apps out there. Unless you have serious OCR or encryption needs (which you don’t for sheet music), go get it now!
Hey there,
Thanks a lot for this fine recommendation! I have been
looking for especially this kind of app for quite some time.
do you use it on ipad 2 or 3?
Best regards from another player/teacher!
Chris from germany
Hey Chris,
Glad to be of assistance! I would not recommend using TurboScan on the iPad 2, because its camera is…well…crappy. Their app store page specifically recommends against using iPod Touch and iPad 2 cameras. I have used it on my iPhone 4 and new iPad (3) with great success. If you don’t have a 3rd-gen iPad, but have an iPhone, you can snap on your phone, upload straight to Dropbox, and download from Dropbox to your iPad…or at worst, e-mail yourself the file.
Good luck – let me know if you find other good uses for this app, or if you “shop around” and find one you think is better! I’m always open to suggestions.
– Matt
Hi Matt –
I’ve been enjoying reading your posts. I teach over in Durham, and have been using forScore and AirTurn for two years now when playing with my auditioned jazz/rock group — been flawless!
I’ll definitely be picking up TurboScan for the times I need to import PDFs into forScore for performance purposes, but let me ask you a different question:
I also have been working on scanning in pages from the workbook I use with my Music Theory class, which I then import into GoodReader. With the iPad plugged into my LCD projector, I can then project the workbook pages onto a screen, and annotate using a Pogo Sketch. Basically I’ve replaced what used to be the overhead projector with the iPad and Sketch, and it eliminates the time it takes in class to copy workbook examples up onto the whiteboard.
It works well, but the scanner I use is rather clunky. My question for you is: the PDFs you’ve made with TurboScan have good readability in forScore, but in your opinion would they be clean and clear enough to use the way I describe above? Or would they still need significant cleanup?
I believe I’ve got Acrobat Pro on my school laptop, so I can probably clean up the images the way you describe in your post. But if I didn’t have to do that, so much the better!
Again, thanks for your posts. If you’re over in the Durham area sometime, let me know!
– Mike Meyer
Durham Academy
Hi Mike,
Great to hear from another local colleague, especially one who enjoys forScore and the AirTurn as much as I do! Glad I was able to spread the word on TurboScan as well.
That sounds like a great use for TurboScan, and to answer your question, I personally think it would work great. Here’s a link to a file I scanned with TurboScan – perhaps you want to try it out? http://performingarts.uncg.edu/patech/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Rose-5.pdf
I guess it’s really a matter of what you value more. If you’ve got a large enough iPad, and/or usually delete the files after you’re done, the time saved by just using TurboScan is probably worth it. But, if you really want to squeeze every last KB of storage out of your device, I think Acrobat is worth the extra time, especially if you can just “Open In” Dropbox, and run a batch processing script to optimize your PDFs.
I’ll let you know the next time I’m out Durham way – you do the same here for Greensboro. Thanks for writing!
– Matt
Hi,
I bought the app on the strength of your post here. I cannot say I am disappointed!1! Gr8 app…
One thing though, I find HAVING to get the files out via only email or dropbox a bit of a pain…I would rather have a third option to get them via iTunes…
I will be using the pdf’s with Unrealbook and again the Airturn Bluetooth page turner..
Greetings from Oz..
Dennis
Hi Dennis,
First off, I’m glad that my information was helpful for you – and I’m also glad that you’re as thrilled with the app as I am!
Your suggestion for being able to download files from the app via iTunes makes perfect sense, and I think it’d be worth an e-mail to the TurboScan folks.
Thanks for writing in,
– Matt