Scanner software recommendations?

[dvandom]

Well, my CanoScan N650U's operating software requires Classic, which is no longer supported under OSX.5, so I need to find another way to operate it. When I first went to OSX, I tried ScanExpert on someone's recommendation, but I didn't really like it. I have pretty simple needs: scan either color or grayscale, tweak brightness and contrast, crop and resize, save as JPG. In other words, something any program should be able to do, so the key is not having them buried among a bazillion other options (which was one of ScanExpert's problems). Canon itself stopped making its own CanoScan Toolbox available, instead giving a plugin to Photoshop.

Anyone got recommendations? And if I do end up having to buy Photoshop, what's the cheapest version that will let me operate the scanner? (And will GIMP run a scanner?)

Comments

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

Aha, so I wasn't the only idiot involved in not even getting the drivers to work (scavgraphics was trying to walk me through some diagnostics last night, but the scanner wouldn't even show up on Image Capture).

ETA: Checking SANE's site suggests they're only up to pre-Intel Macs, but I'll give it a try tonight or tomorrow. I may simply end up forking over for a new scanner, though...the 650U's been my scanner since 2001. If I can even find the box, maybe I can sell it to someone who owns a PC. :)

[sweh.livejournal.com]

Hmm

http://www.sane-project.org/man/sane-plustek.5.html supports "CanoScan N650/656U LM9832 600x1200dpi 42bit 512Kb 0x2206"

http://www.ellert.se/twain-sane/ has Leopard binaries, but these may be PPC only. However the source bundles are also there, so you may be able to recompile yourself... maybe!

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

The SANE backend worked. Open Office will let me try to scan, although the quality is crappy (might be able to improve it, but I think I'll look through the SANE front-end options first).

ETA: Graphic Converter can scan too, huh.