[Leica] Scanning tutorials

["Peter A. Klein" <pklein@2alpha.net>]

Can anybody recommend a good book or online tutorial on scanning and the
use of image editors?

Having just made some B&W scans that are noticeably worse than the 4x6
lab prints that they came from, I'd like to improve my technique. 
You'll see what I mean if you look at the pictures at 

	http://www.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/maratango.html

The pictures are dark and difficult, but nothing that #4 paper or double
printing with VC paper, plus a little dodging couldn't cure in a wet
darkroom.  I'm sure there are ways to avoid the digital jaggies in the
cellist's face, but I'm a complete novice at scanning.

At the moment I can only scan prints using equipment at work. 
Eventually I'll probably want ot film/slide scanner, but not quite yet. 
I'm sure there's some trick to scanning prints at a certain number of
dpi, and how one edits the size, brightness, contrast, gamma, etc.  I
have years of experience (though not recent) in a wet B&W darkroom, and
would like to learn how to do the analogous things digitally.

Also, is there a consensus on good alternatives to Adobe Photo$$$hop? 
For what I want to do, Photoshop seems like very expensive overkill. 
How much does one lose using Photoshop's "Lite Edition." If I went with
another program, would I be depriving myself of the vast knowledge pool
regarding Photoshop?  

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA