Seeking an alternative to Canon's MP Navigator Software

[Sawday]

Having upgraded to a 2020 iMac running Ventura I have found that MP Navigator EX scanning sofware from Canon no longer runs on my Canon 9000F scanner. Can anyone suggest an alternative for (easily) scanning multiple photos/slides, automatically separating images, re-aligning them and that has the ability to make corrections due to fading, scratches etc?

 

[pm-r]

Can anyone suggest an alternative for (easily) scanning multiple photos/slides, automatically separating images, re-aligning them and that has the ability to make corrections due to fading, scratches etc?

Just an alternative suggestion, and I'm not sure if VewScan will do what you want, but it should work and supports your scanner according to their list:

CanoScan 9000F Scanner Driver & Software | VueScan Scanner Software

Want to keep using your Canon 9000F on macOS Sonoma, Windows 10, and more? VueScan has a built in Canon Scanner Driver - so it works even without a driver.

www.hamrick.com

VueScan 9.7.99. March 5, 2023. macOS 10.10-13 says it will work with macOS 13: Ventura.

VueScan Downloads - Alternate Versions of VueScan Scanner Software

Software and drivers for film scanners, document scanners and flatbed scanners, including HP, Canon, Epson, Nikon and Brother scanner drivers.

www.hamrick.com

- Patrick
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[Sawday]

Thanks Patrick. I've had Vuescan for a while but found it not as comprehensive for separating multiple images/slides as MP Navigator although it's acknowledged as a leading prodcut. Maybe I should check it out again.

 

[pm-r]

Thanks Patrick. I've had Vuescan for a while but found it not as comprehensive for separating multiple images/slides as MP Navigator

I wasn't suggesting you use Vuescan.app for working on your scanned images, and there are lots of alternative Mac compatible applications for doing that, but mainly to be able to use your existing Canon 9000F scanner and get the scanned image onto your computer.

Once the scanned image is on your computer, you should be able to use any Graphics Applications that are compatible with your Mac Operating System.

BTW: I see mention in the 2019 era that the Canon Navigator EX software has been replaced by My Image Garden.

Maybe Canon support has an updated version of the replacement application that will work for you with your new macOS.
I have no idea if it has the same features as the old software or not. But another possibility for you to check out.




- Patrick
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[Randy B. Singer]

Having upgraded to a 2020 iMac running Ventura I have found that MP Navigator EX scanning sofware from Canon no longer runs on my Canon 9000F scanner. Can anyone suggest an alternative ...

You can try using Apple's own Image Capture application to run your scanner:

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?page=content&id=ART131253

If that doesn't work, your scanner supports the SANE standard, so you can use a free open source SANE driver:

http://www.sane-project.org/man/sane-pixma.5.html

There are also commercial drivers available:

Vue-Scan
https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/canon_9000f.html#technical-information

Silverfast
https://www.silverfast.com/models/canoscan-9000f/

Exactscan Pro
http://www.exactscan.com/

 

[pm-r]

You can try using Apple's own Image Capture application to run your scanner:

And if that doesn't appear to work, have a look here:
If your device doesn’t work with Image Capture on Mac

If your device doesn’t work with Image Capture on Mac

If a device doesn’t work with Image Capture on your Mac, install the device’s software or use a camera’s SD card to transfer images.

support.apple.com

And then carry on to here if needed:

macOS Ventura: How to Scan Images and Documents

Follow these steps on how to scan images and documents using a scanner and your Mac, running on macOS Ventura.

www.macobserver.com

Or finally here maybe:

Google Search

- Patrick
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[Sawday]

I particularly wanted to scan, auto-detect and de-skew multiple images. MP Navigator made an excellent job of this and was simple and fast in use and had additional function to remove the dark central gutter when scanning book pages - rarely used but amazing when it was. Not sure that any of the alternatives offer these functions, or if they do they do a good job of hiding it.

I did use Silverfast in the past (I think it came with the scanner) and though it produced great scans it did not have the functions that I wanted (and now of course my version won't run!).

ExactScan does not support my scanner and in any case is more geared to documents than photos.

 

[pm-r]

Not sure that any of the alternatives offer these functions, or if they do they do a good job of hiding it.

That's one of the main reasons I tend to stick to using older Mac OS versions, or at least keep a working version in a bootable partition, all in order to be able to keep using some applications that just plain work and no replacements available.

It doesn't matter if they are not even "supported" anymore as long as they just plain work for the job I want to be able to do.

I guess you could have the option to do the same thing. Just a thought and my opinion... ;-)




- Patrick
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[Sawday]

That's one of the main reasons I tend to stick to using older Mac OS versions, or at least keep a working version in a bootable partition, all in order to be able to keep using some applications that just plain work and no replacements available.

It doesn't matter if they are not even "supported" anymore as long as they just plain work for the job I want to be able to do.

I guess you could have the option to do the same thing. Just a thought and my opinion... ;-)




- Patrick
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That sounds interesting Patrick as there are several other apps that no longer work and have few, if any, suitable replacements. Is it too late for me to set such a partition up now and if not can you point me in the right direction to achieve this.

 

[djdawson]

I've been using the paid version of VueScan for many, many years and initially got it when HP dropped support for an old flatbed scanner I had. The current version, 9.8.02, has options for Auto Cropping and "Multi Crop", which the online manual briefly describes as "If this option is set, multiple crop boxes will be automatically found if a preview contains multiple images." I happen to also have a couple old Canon flatbeds (an 8600 and an 8800), so I could try this feature if others here really thought it would be handy, but you can try the software for free and verify that it works for you (it puts a watermark on scans when in demo mode).

 

[pm-r]

Is it too late for me to set such a partition up now and if not can you point me in the right direction to achieve this.

I would suggest that such a new thread with suggestions should be started separately.

If you happen to still have a bootable clone, I would think setting up a new bootable partition would be a very simple and straightforward thing to do.

For other options, especially without a clone backup, I'm sure some other members would have some good advice for you, and I'm not sure if Migration Assistant would be a benefit of use to you or not.


EDIT:
Here are some suggestions to read over as to how to do such a setup:

Google Search

Basically, it just involves setting up a separate partition and installing or migrating your data to that partition complete with a compatible operating system version you want to use.

Unfortunately, Apple often does not make it easy to go backwards, and doing so will depend on what you have available and/or as backups.


PS: you might even want to consider hiring a Mac Tech or Mac Expert to help you with the setup and migration of your data and Mac OS installation. Just a practical thought if doing so is not your Forte or not something you could normally handle.




- Patrick
=======

 

[Sawday]

I've been using the paid version of VueScan for many, many years and initially got it when HP dropped support for an old flatbed scanner I had. The current version, 9.8.02, has options for Auto Cropping and "Multi Crop", which the online manual briefly describes as "If this option is set, multiple crop boxes will be automatically found if a preview contains multiple images." I happen to also have a couple old Canon flatbeds (an 8600 and an 8800), so I could try this feature if others here really thought it would be handy, but you can try the software for free and verify that it works for you (it puts a watermark on scans when in demo mode).

Thank you Dana, I'll take a look.

 

[Sawday]

I would suggest that such a new thread with suggestions should be started separately.

If you happen to still have a bootable clone, I would think setting up a new bootable partition would be a very simple and straightforward thing to do.

For other options, especially without a clone backup, I'm sure some other members would have some good advice for you, and I'm not sure if Migration Assistant would be a benefit of use to you or not.


EDIT:
Here are some suggestions to read over as to how to do such a setup:

Google Search

Basically, it just involves setting up a separate partition and installing or migrating your data to that partition complete with a compatible operating system version you want to use.

Unfortunately, Apple often does not make it easy to go backwards, and doing so will depend on what you have available and/or as backups.


PS: you might even want to consider hiring a Mac Tech or Mac Expert to help you with the setup and migration of your data and Mac OS installation. Just a practical thought if doing so is not your Forte or not something you could normally handle.




- Patrick
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Patrick, many thanks for the tip about a second partition. Just watched the Youtube link

found from your Google link... what an excellent and clear instructional video. One of the best I have seen!