Editing Scanlation (section)

==Process==
Scanlation is usually done by a group of fans who collaborate through the internet. Many scanlators actively communicate with each other, even with those of other groups, some even belonging to several groups at once; others choose to avoid communication completely. One former scanlator, by the pseudonym Stephen, noted that scanlators often fall into three types of cliques: those who belong to prestigious 'old guard' groups that have been active for several years, to newer groups that established themselves through hard work, or to fringe groups that attempt to undercut other groups attempting to best them via larger download count. Much stigma exists between the old and new. Stephen stated that Old Guard consider newer groups as "trend- or fame-whores" and thus choose to work on series that have more cultural or artistic significance whereas newer groups consider the Old Guard bitter losers who are no longer popular and tend to work on the more popular titles.<ref name=ScanlationNation>{{Cite journal |last=Deppey |first=Dirk |date=13 July 2005 |title=Scanlation Nation: Amateur Manga Translators Tell |journal=[[The Comics Journal]] |volume=269 |url=http://www.tcj.com/269/n_scan.html|access-date=2005-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060505014917/http://www.tcj.com/269/n_scan.html |archive-date=2006-05-05}}</ref> Many groups have their own webpage as well as an [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC channel]] or a [[Discord (software)|Discord server]]. These platforms are an important part of the community aspect, as they allow for real-time interaction between the group staff and the target audience as well as allowing the groups to recruit new staff.

[[File:Wikipe-tan manga page1 - waifu2x - cleaned.webp|thumb|Part of scanlation involves cleaning, including the removal of text, among other processing.]]
Much like their earlier predecessors, the anime [[fansub]] community, scanlators tend to organize into groups and divide the labor amongst themselves. The first step in scanlation is to obtain the "raws" or the original content in print form, then to scan and send the images to the translator and the cleaner. The translator reads original text from the raws and translates into the desired language of release, then sends the translated text to a proof-reader to check for accuracy. The cleaner removes the original text, corrects blemishes that arose from scanning, adjusts brightness and contrast levels so that the finished product looks like officially published volumes, etc.<ref name=ScanlationNation /><ref name=Hollingworth /> The process of cleaning may also include the removal of text directly over artwork and results in blank spots interrupting the artwork. Depending on the scanlation group, these spots may be left as is or the artwork will be redrawn (usually performed by the cleaner as well). The typesetter then takes the translated text and places it into the 'cleaned' raw, making the translated texts fit in the dialogue boxes and selecting appropriate fonts for effect such as emphasis.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.redhawkscans.com/showthread.php?3308-Typesetting-introduction |title=Typesetting Introduction |author=Vaelis |date=25 July 2011 |access-date=24 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819061527/http://www.redhawkscans.com/showthread.php?3308-Typesetting-introduction |archive-date=19 August 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Finally the translated, typeset manga is sent to the scanlation group's quality controller who copyedits the final product before releasing it to the websites that it will be viewed or downloaded from.<ref name=Hollingworth />

Scanlators often use digital photo and illustration [[Photo editing software|editing]] software such as [[Adobe Photoshop]] (or less commonly, [[Clip Studio Paint]]) to clean, redraw, and typeset the scanlations. 

Scanlation groups primarily make their releases available through their own sites or shared sites like [[MangaDex]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} The vast amount of manga released and multitude of scanlation groups – each with their own individual sites and methods of distribution, sometimes even competing scanlations of the same manga – gave rise to sites such as MangaUpdates that specialize in tracking and linking these releases. [[Jake T. Forbes]], a manga editor and columnist, stated at a Comic-Con 2010 panel that scanlation aggregator sites that offer many different titles all in one place have recently become part of the distribution process.<ref name=ComicCon2010>{{cite web |last=Aoki |first=Deb |title=From Manga Scanlations to Comics on the iPad: Online Piracy Panel at Comic-Con |publisher=[[About.com]] |date=11 Aug 2010 |url=http://manga.about.com/b/2010/08/11/from-manga-scanlations-to-comics-on-the-ipad-online-piracy-panel-at-comic-con.htm |access-date=2012-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116172125/http://manga.about.com/b/2010/08/11/from-manga-scanlations-to-comics-on-the-ipad-online-piracy-panel-at-comic-con.htm |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>