TCG Actana identifies cards from scans and photo files. You can add a few images by hand or let the desktop app pick up new scanner files from a folder. This article explains the available import routes, what makes a useful image, and what happens before a card enters your collection.
Our comparison of document scanners, flatbeds, and phone photos can help you choose a capture device. This article focuses on getting the finished files into Actana.
Three ways to add your images
Before you begin, choose the game for the batch: Magic, Pokémon, One Piece, or Riftbound. Then add your images in whichever way fits the job.
Choose image files. Open the file picker and select one or more scans or photos. This suits a specific group of images already on your computer.
Drag and drop. Move image files from your file manager straight into the scan area.
Watch a folder. Many document scanners save each scan to the same output folder. Actana can watch that folder and add new files to the batch as they appear. The guide to scanning Magic cards in bulk follows this workflow from start to finish.
Phone photos need to be transferred to your computer before you import them. Actana also has an experimental multi-card workflow for images with several clearly separated cards, including binder photos. Keep the original image and check every separated result; angles, sleeves, glare, and cropped edges can all make these images less predictable.
What makes a good input image
Clear images give Actana more useful information. Three simple habits help, regardless of whether the image came from a scanner or a camera:
- Keep the whole card in frame. Important details sit close to the edges, so avoid cutting off the border.
- Use even lighting. Hard shadows and glare on shiny cards can hide text. Soft, indirect light is usually easier to work with than direct flash.
- Choose a simple background. A plain surface gives the card a clear outline.
You set foil and other finishes yourself later. A complete, readable image matters more than trying to capture the shine.
What happens in the review step
Once an image is in the batch, Actana tries to identify the card, printing, and language. Similar editions can be difficult to separate, especially when a symbol or small line of text is hard to read.
Uncertain results go to review instead of entering your collection unnoticed. You compare the suggested printings with the card in your hand and choose the right one. This remains especially important for very similar editions.
When the stack looks right, check the details on the physical copies before adding it to your collection:
- Printing: set and collector number
- Condition: your assessment on the Cardmarket scale
- Language: the language of the edition
- Finish: non-foil or foil for Magic, and supported variants such as Reverse Holo for Pokémon
- Quantity: the number of matching copies
You set condition and finish deliberately yourself. Check printing and finish before adding the batch to your collection. Condition, language, and quantity can still be changed there later. For more on why the exact Magic edition matters, see how MTG scanners identify a printing.
Once the cards are saved, they join your shared collection. From there you can organise and search a large collection and use available market values and price history as reference points.
Continue with your game
The details differ between TCGs. Choose the guide that matches your next batch: