SharpEye Music Scanning Software

SharpEye is highly accurate music scanning software that converts a scanned image of printed music into a MIDI file or a MusicXML file which can then be imported into Finale, with page layout data intact. It allows direct scanning from TWAIN compatible scanners, or accepts BMP and TIFF files as input. (Most scanners are TWAIN compatible.)

Simply scan a piece of music, click a button and wait for the conversion to take place. The output is shown in conventional music notation in another window. Click on another button to save the result as a MIDI file which can be imported into Sibelius notation software or other MIDI software, or select "Export as MusicXML" to send it to Finale. Click here to take a more in-depth look at the process of using SharpEye with Finale.

The input image window automatically scrolls to the right place in the image as you edit. SharpEye also shows warnings for each measure which doesn't make musical sense. This acts a bit like a spellchecker and directs your attention to likely errors. SharpEye, like all other scanning software, will not scan handwritten music. SharpEye does not have facilities for transposing or printing the music – for these functions, use Finale or Sibelius.

Sample Screenshot — scan was from an actual hymnal — here is SharpEye's interpretation

Why is SharpEye better than the scanning software that is built into Finale?
SharpEye brings in text such as lyrics and titling, hairpins, slurs and phrases and articulations, which the "lite" scanning software built into Finale will not do. SharpEye is also very good at handling multiple voices on one staff (stems up/down) which is problematic on some versions of the "lite" scanning product built into Finale.

What will music scanning software do for me?
Here's an example...scan a hymn from a hymnal into SharpEye. Save it as MusicXML and import into Finale. Use Finale's transpose feature to transpose to a new key. Now print it out in the new key. Or, save your scan in SharpEye as a MIDI file and save it to a disk. Place the disk in your General MIDI-compatible keyboard or sequencer's disk drive and push 'Play'. You can playback what you just scanned!

How does SharpEye compare with the PhotoScore and SmartScore music scanning software?
In March 2001 The German magazine C'T reviewed the music scanning and music notation programs Finale/MIDIScan, Sibelius/Photoscore, SmartScore, Capella-Scan, SharpEye 1.0 and MIDI Connections Scan. Here is their reported accuracy for all the music scanning programs on three scores of increasing difficulty.

* SharpEye is now shipping version 2.28
** Finale now ships with SmartScore Lite, not reviewed here

Pricing

SharpEye Music Scanning Software with MusicXML plug-in for Finale.

Price: $159

Requires Windows 98 or higher with a minimum of 32MB RAM. You will also need a scanner.

NOTE: If you are going to use Finale with SharpEye, you must have Finale 2000 or later.

SharpEye 1.22*	100%	92%	88%
PhotoScore	100%	95%	87%
SmartScore	99%	94%	82%
Photoscore Lite (ships as part of Sibelius)	98%	79%	68%
MIDIScan 3.0	98%	89%	71%
MIDIScan Light (shipped as part of Finale 2001/2002)**	85%	50%	33%
Capella 2000	76%	<30%	<30%
MIDI Connections Scan	<30%	61%	60%