Method for color balancing a computer input scanner incorporating multiple scanning modes

A scanning method incorporating color balance of the scan values generated by sequentially exposing a sensor to respective colors of a fixed color image for a corresponding sequence of initial exposure times, the scan values being input to a computer for display on a screen included therewith, the fixed color image further being positioned on a stage capable of movement in relation to the sensor to situate different parts of the fixed image on the display screen, said scanning method comprising the steps of:

• actuating a prescan mode in which a monochrome image is displayed on the screen of the computer;
• moving the stage until a composed image is displayed on the screen of the computer;
• actuating a sequential input scan mode in which color separation images of the composed image are generated by the sensor and displayed on the screen of the computer;
• establishing a window overlaying an area of the displayed image in which color balance will be calculated;
• executing color balance upon the scan values in the window to generate color balance correction factors;
• utilizing the color balance correction factors to adjust the exposure times to produce corrected exposure times for one or more of the color separations;
• and
• reactivating the sequential input scan mode to generate corrected color separation images from the image sensor by using the corrected exposure times to control the time periods that the sensor is exposed to the fixed color image to create new scan values.