Can anyone answer me this, tried printing a video cover yesterday via PI12, the images are few a top notch ( in price at least ) camera..and have had nop problems printing them out on other programms etc....but came to making my little cover, copy and pasting various pics onto one sheet...and the quality once printed was awful.
What am i doing wrong, checked the properties, originally say 90 or something, moved that up to 600..still no change?
Could someone tell me, starting afresh with a blank page and wanting to put in various photos....how do i get the best resultion?
Resolving revoluting resolution
i do the folloing for printing
first choose new image - in the new image window choose printer not screen you can find it under the word "preview "on the right
well ,, then choose user defined put the size and choose the highest number for resolution that is all
but sometimes you insert a bad resolution image so you have to go to adjust menu then resolution and do the same
good luck
first choose new image - in the new image window choose printer not screen you can find it under the word "preview "on the right
well ,, then choose user defined put the size and choose the highest number for resolution that is all
but sometimes you insert a bad resolution image so you have to go to adjust menu then resolution and do the same
good luck
thanks for the quick replies...
On the, New image screen, under Resolution seems the max is 2909 !! pixal/inch User defined Aside from that theres the option for Display and Printer.
Bringing in a photo, File info says:
RGB TRUE COLOUR 500 X 333 PIXALS
487KB
NO COMPRESSION
(96, 96) PIXELS/INCH
Makes sense to you?
Looks ok on the screen, but not at all when printed. Have printed other things in the past and the images are ok/good...but these are awful.
On a side issue, labels..or rather CD/ dvd Labels ( print directly to the disk ) well, i obviously want to bring in some photos, put them on a cd shaped label and print it.
Now, i have seen the , Share button and up pops a load of templates for these cd round labels..all well and good..but although you can insert a photo or two you seem restricted by the pre-determined template....any thoughts on how to get basically a blank one and play around/fade images etc to your hearts content with it?
On the, New image screen, under Resolution seems the max is 2909 !! pixal/inch User defined Aside from that theres the option for Display and Printer.
Bringing in a photo, File info says:
RGB TRUE COLOUR 500 X 333 PIXALS
487KB
NO COMPRESSION
(96, 96) PIXELS/INCH
Makes sense to you?
Looks ok on the screen, but not at all when printed. Have printed other things in the past and the images are ok/good...but these are awful.
On a side issue, labels..or rather CD/ dvd Labels ( print directly to the disk ) well, i obviously want to bring in some photos, put them on a cd shaped label and print it.
Now, i have seen the , Share button and up pops a load of templates for these cd round labels..all well and good..but although you can insert a photo or two you seem restricted by the pre-determined template....any thoughts on how to get basically a blank one and play around/fade images etc to your hearts content with it?
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heinz-oz
You are very ill informed, sorry. Whether or not your image prints properly entirely depends on the size of the image in pixels, ie. 1200 x 900 pixels, and the print resolution. Of course, the quality of the source image plays a big role also.mohman27 wrote:i do the folloing for printing
first choose new image - in the new image window choose printer not screen you can find it under the word "preview "on the right
well ,, then choose user defined put the size and choose the highest number for resolution that is all
but sometimes you insert a bad resolution image so you have to go to adjust menu then resolution and do the same
good luck
A given image will print at a size which is determined by the print resolution (dpi or dots per inch). What that does is this: the printer will place 4 dots of ink max. (CMYK) for each of your pixels in your image. The smaller the dpi, the larger the image will print, the larger the dpi the smaller the image will be when printed.
When you open a new blank canvas in PI and set the resolution there to 300 ppi (pixel per inch) and chose 6 x 4" as the image size, your canvas will be 1800 x 1200 pixels. That's all. If you set the resolution to screen (72ppi or 96 ppi, depending on your monitor type) the resultant canvas will be either 432 x 288px or 576 x 384px. It has absolutely nothing to do with the image resolution or the quality of a photo which you now place onto that canvas. It only determines the size of the canvas.
As long as images are in electronic form, they do not have a physical size in inches or centimeters, neither do they have a resolution in print. They simply measure a number of pixels (picture elements) wide by a number of pixels high.
Any print resolution less than about 180dpi will begin to look blocky, anything above that will increase your file size without giving you a noticeable improvement because the human eye can only discern color variations up to around 180 to 200 dpi. Depending on the distance at which you are likely to view this image, the dpi may be considerably less and still look exceptionally good as long as you view the image from a far enough distance. An image which looks good to your eye at normal viewing distance will still look blocky if you magnify it.
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heinz-oz
An image 500 x 333 pixels is too small to be printed on a CD cover and still look good. To have a good looking print, provided the original image is good, you need to print at around 180 dpi, certainly not much less than 150 dpi. I would say, don't print that image larger than 2 inches high or you will see quality deteriorate.lakewud wrote:thanks for the quick replies...
On the, New image screen, under Resolution seems the max is 2909 !! pixal/inch User defined Aside from that theres the option for Display and Printer.
Bringing in a photo, File info says:
RGB TRUE COLOUR 500 X 333 PIXALS
487KB
NO COMPRESSION
(96, 96) PIXELS/INCH
Makes sense to you?
...
In your OP you stated that your images were from a top notch camera. What is the original image size when taking off the camera? What are the quality settings of the camera? Did you set it to use the lowest resolution to fit the maximum number of photos on the memory card?
I use PI 12 exclusively and I do print directly on CD as well as to A4 size glossy photo photo paper. All my prints are exceptionally good. I have to size my images down to use for a TV slide show, yours would have to be sized up because they are too small.
You cannot get a good quality print from an image that is too small for the target size. In order to improve quality you have to make your source images bigger by re sampling. Unless you have top notch gear and know what you are doing, that will be less than satisfactorily. It's better to have a large image and size it down.
Thanks Heinz et al for the replies...will see what i can do with the res.
The top notch camera is a nikon d80, and from some programes ie, my canon programme, the quality seems fine...but not from PI? Is there a checklist i can do which could tell me the best setup settings for my printer/ quality res. from PI12?
That aside, some of the photos im using are from other peoples cameras and even the video itself....could you please tell me what i need to look out for, basically what setting i need to make sure PI is setup too.
Finally,
CD blank template? Is there one on PI12? If so please direct me too it.
I used a cd template that came with my canon printer and brought in a few photos...printed onto a dvd...quality seemed fine..much better than when printed via PI? But, on my canon template you cant really juggle about with blurring images etc....to make anything really impressive...so hence was wanting to construct in PI my cd cover and save and bring into my canon template.
Any thoughts on how to make this happen?
The top notch camera is a nikon d80, and from some programes ie, my canon programme, the quality seems fine...but not from PI? Is there a checklist i can do which could tell me the best setup settings for my printer/ quality res. from PI12?
That aside, some of the photos im using are from other peoples cameras and even the video itself....could you please tell me what i need to look out for, basically what setting i need to make sure PI is setup too.
Finally,
CD blank template? Is there one on PI12? If so please direct me too it.
I used a cd template that came with my canon printer and brought in a few photos...printed onto a dvd...quality seemed fine..much better than when printed via PI? But, on my canon template you cant really juggle about with blurring images etc....to make anything really impressive...so hence was wanting to construct in PI my cd cover and save and bring into my canon template.
Any thoughts on how to make this happen?
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heinz-oz
As a matter of fact, I use a Canon printer also, the iP5000, and have been printing onto CD's with it ever since I got it.
To come back to PI settings for good quality, I'm stumped really. Unless you modify the images, which you should only do for good reasons, and save the image again, nothing is going to impact on the image quality.
The worst culprit, IMHO, is the repeated saving of jpeg images. Every time you save the image, the jpeg compression is applied again. Jpeg is a very lossy compression algorithm but is very good at retaining original quality in the first generation, usually done in the camera unless it allows you to save to other formats (RAW).
Every subsequent save of the image will drop data from the code in order to reduce file size. Hence, saving to jpeg should ideally only be done once, in the camera if that is the only format it allows. Of course, this is impractical if you need to modify your image.
I suggest to do any saving of the image, while you are working on it, in the PI native UFO format. It is lossless and will retain your image quality regardless of the number of times it is saved. Only when you are done with the modifications, in order to print, should you save to a format that the printer accepts. It is good practice to keep an unmodified original of your image and only work on a copy. It's easy enough to do. Open your image in PI and press Ctrl+D. This will duplicate the image. Close the original without saving and you haven't lost anything.
To ascertain this for yourself, do a simple test. First duplicate your image for save keeping and note down its file size in MB, a good quality image will have a file size in MB rather than KB. Now, in Win Explorer, simply rotate the image. You might often have to do that because you use the camera in portrait orientation. This means your image is laying on its side when you view it. Notice the file size changing? That is because the image is rotated and saved again, you don't even get asked if you want to save. Do that a few times and your image will be of such mediocre quality that you don't even want to look at it again.
Incidentally, the only photo viewing program, I use it exclusively, which does not alter the file size when rotating the thumb nail, is Ulead's own PhotoExplorer which comes with PI.
As you can see, there are a lot more aspects to image quality than meet the eye.
I compose my images for the CD label in PI on a square canvas of 11.7 cm x 11.7 cm at a resolution of 300ppi or 1382 x 1382 pixels. I also save the completed label in bmp format since my Canon printer accepts that format for its label printing module. They come out just fine
To come back to PI settings for good quality, I'm stumped really. Unless you modify the images, which you should only do for good reasons, and save the image again, nothing is going to impact on the image quality.
The worst culprit, IMHO, is the repeated saving of jpeg images. Every time you save the image, the jpeg compression is applied again. Jpeg is a very lossy compression algorithm but is very good at retaining original quality in the first generation, usually done in the camera unless it allows you to save to other formats (RAW).
Every subsequent save of the image will drop data from the code in order to reduce file size. Hence, saving to jpeg should ideally only be done once, in the camera if that is the only format it allows. Of course, this is impractical if you need to modify your image.
I suggest to do any saving of the image, while you are working on it, in the PI native UFO format. It is lossless and will retain your image quality regardless of the number of times it is saved. Only when you are done with the modifications, in order to print, should you save to a format that the printer accepts. It is good practice to keep an unmodified original of your image and only work on a copy. It's easy enough to do. Open your image in PI and press Ctrl+D. This will duplicate the image. Close the original without saving and you haven't lost anything.
To ascertain this for yourself, do a simple test. First duplicate your image for save keeping and note down its file size in MB, a good quality image will have a file size in MB rather than KB. Now, in Win Explorer, simply rotate the image. You might often have to do that because you use the camera in portrait orientation. This means your image is laying on its side when you view it. Notice the file size changing? That is because the image is rotated and saved again, you don't even get asked if you want to save. Do that a few times and your image will be of such mediocre quality that you don't even want to look at it again.
Incidentally, the only photo viewing program, I use it exclusively, which does not alter the file size when rotating the thumb nail, is Ulead's own PhotoExplorer which comes with PI.
As you can see, there are a lot more aspects to image quality than meet the eye.
I compose my images for the CD label in PI on a square canvas of 11.7 cm x 11.7 cm at a resolution of 300ppi or 1382 x 1382 pixels. I also save the completed label in bmp format since my Canon printer accepts that format for its label printing module. They come out just fine
Having now printed my dvds im very happy with the results...sharp..and this was bringing / fading /blurring effects etc from PI into my canon printer 9 a programme you get with it ). So happy with that.
But, now im onto a dvd cover...and there is no option to bring in or create an actual page...so having to use PI.
The images just arnt as clear?
I have read what you and others on here have written..i just dont get it...ive tried making my page the size in cm of a dvd cover..and at same time altering the pixals...( seems like the pixals move the different size of page you start with? )...Wanting to get the 1000 + mark for the pixals.
Tried to bring in a photo, and then resized it etc...bring in another one..says insufficent memory...now what am i doing wrong? I can easily bring in a dozen pics ... but when im messing about with these pixals etc...problems..
And seeing as the same pics seem to work fine printed...the size of a cd ( which is really all im after for a dvd cover...images not much bigger often smaller ) so why cant i get the quality from PI?
Can SOMEONE please help me, set up my dvd cover? from the start..and bring in about 3 photos?
But, now im onto a dvd cover...and there is no option to bring in or create an actual page...so having to use PI.
The images just arnt as clear?
I have read what you and others on here have written..i just dont get it...ive tried making my page the size in cm of a dvd cover..and at same time altering the pixals...( seems like the pixals move the different size of page you start with? )...Wanting to get the 1000 + mark for the pixals.
Tried to bring in a photo, and then resized it etc...bring in another one..says insufficent memory...now what am i doing wrong? I can easily bring in a dozen pics ... but when im messing about with these pixals etc...problems..
And seeing as the same pics seem to work fine printed...the size of a cd ( which is really all im after for a dvd cover...images not much bigger often smaller ) so why cant i get the quality from PI?
Can SOMEONE please help me, set up my dvd cover? from the start..and bring in about 3 photos?
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heinz-oz
Well, if you re-read my previous post, I do just that, I use PI to set up the image to be printed on the CD. The cover is no different.
The "secret" is in the process used and it's not, in any way, connected to black magic
When you look at your cover, get the measurements and open PI to start on the design, do the following:
Open a new canvas, set the resolution to 200 or 300ppi and then enter the measurements in cm or inches into the boxes provided.
That will give you a canvas of the size you want with ample pixels per inch to print nice and sharp (provided the photos you add are that to start with)
You can make the background white or any color you fancy. I find it easier to work on a white canvas. If I need color, I can always add it later.
Now bring in your pictures and, if needed, downsize them to the size you want them on this chosen canvas. Don't up size the images or you will create quality problems. If the images are too small, get bigger ones.
If you use the "Adjust" feature from the menu bar to resize, make sure that you select only the selected object to resize, not the base image which is your canvas. I generally use the resize tool from the tool bar.
This should get you going. I haven't got PI 12 working on this machine or I would have posted some screen shots to help. Hope you can work it out in any case. Should you have further problems, just ask.
The "secret" is in the process used and it's not, in any way, connected to black magic
When you look at your cover, get the measurements and open PI to start on the design, do the following:
Open a new canvas, set the resolution to 200 or 300ppi and then enter the measurements in cm or inches into the boxes provided.
That will give you a canvas of the size you want with ample pixels per inch to print nice and sharp (provided the photos you add are that to start with)
You can make the background white or any color you fancy. I find it easier to work on a white canvas. If I need color, I can always add it later.
Now bring in your pictures and, if needed, downsize them to the size you want them on this chosen canvas. Don't up size the images or you will create quality problems. If the images are too small, get bigger ones.
If you use the "Adjust" feature from the menu bar to resize, make sure that you select only the selected object to resize, not the base image which is your canvas. I generally use the resize tool from the tool bar.
This should get you going. I haven't got PI 12 working on this machine or I would have posted some screen shots to help. Hope you can work it out in any case. Should you have further problems, just ask.
Thanks for the reply - once again - and sorry to be a pain, but seems one hurdle after another ... what gets me is for eg, the cd the quality of the image ( using Canon prog ) is great..perfect pic..whereas using PI is awful, jaggy. I have used images from same camera, and dispite some saying 1200 etc pixals and others saying 300 the 300 occassionaly looks better!! Obviously theres a load of other wording, compression and the like, i cant make sense of which may alter that.
Essentially, im after a few coloured pics overlaying a handful of smaller black n white...a few seem great a lot seem usless!
I did take on board your earlier post, in another thread..and inputted the pixals...what do you mean 200 TO 300....can i put in 250? whats the difference. A lot of my images seem to be smaller which i must re-size which i appreciate is a no no according to your post..Why then, these same images look great once placed in say Canon package to print a cd cover..the same size, even bigger?
PPI..Pixals per inch?
The way im bringing in photos is copy n paste and then resize onto the canvas.
If you could answer me those few questions, thanks, will call it a day with all the questions after that..and just have to make do..some of the pics look ok - good enough for a quick dvd cover anyrate. I just cant get my head around why in one program ( canons freebie with the printer ) the images look brilliant ( some mind, not all ) whereas smaller images even via PI look this jaggy effect...makes me think im missing something out and its not the images.
Essentially, im after a few coloured pics overlaying a handful of smaller black n white...a few seem great a lot seem usless!
I did take on board your earlier post, in another thread..and inputted the pixals...what do you mean 200 TO 300....can i put in 250? whats the difference. A lot of my images seem to be smaller which i must re-size which i appreciate is a no no according to your post..Why then, these same images look great once placed in say Canon package to print a cd cover..the same size, even bigger?
PPI..Pixals per inch?
The way im bringing in photos is copy n paste and then resize onto the canvas.
If you could answer me those few questions, thanks, will call it a day with all the questions after that..and just have to make do..some of the pics look ok - good enough for a quick dvd cover anyrate. I just cant get my head around why in one program ( canons freebie with the printer ) the images look brilliant ( some mind, not all ) whereas smaller images even via PI look this jaggy effect...makes me think im missing something out and its not the images.
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heinz-oz
Don't worry, you are not a pain. If I am unable to explain it to you in a way you understand, it's my problem, not yours. After all, we are not talking rocket science here.
I must admit, I don't print out of PI at all. I use my Canon printer driver for all printing and don't have any problem at all.
Are you telling me that the very same image, nothing changed, looks different when printed from PI vs. the Canon program? Are these printed in the same size or does the size change from print to print?
The pixel dimensions are only one part of the equation. If you repeatedly save the same image in jpeg format or any other compressed format for that matter, the pixel dimensions of your image will not change but quality will be lost every time to re save the image again.
Do you have a publishing program like Microsoft Publisher or Ventura etc.?
For my DVD cases, CD covers and VHS case covers, I use templates I made in MS Publisher. I simply place my images, prepared in PI and saved to bmp format, into the Publisher document and print.
I am at work and have trouble finding the time to really look into this now. We are closing for our summer break at lunch time today and there is a lot of lose ends to be tied up prior.
Don't despair if you hear from me for a while. I'll get back to this when I get home. There I have PI 12 installed and working and will be able to provide you some screen shots to explain.
One of your questions you can work out the answer to yourself.
Incidentally, you can use any resolution setting you like. I just found that, for what I do, a setting of 200 to 300 ppi works best. If you want, you can use 211. It will not make an iota of difference to the way the image looks on your screen. The difference you will only see when you print.
That brings me to another point. When you say your image looks different when printed using the Canon driver or directly from PI, what are the dpi (dots per inch) settings for the printer? Generally speaking, the dpi will affect the print size. The bigger the dpi, the clearer the image print will look but the smaller the printed image will become.
Let me know what you have got and we shall try together to get some process in place which will give you what you are looking for.
Do you use Skype? If you do, we might be able to chat about this rather than taking this Q and A approach.
After all, we are not talking rocket science here.I must admit, I don't print out of PI at all. I use my Canon printer driver for all printing and don't have any problem at all.
Are you telling me that the very same image, nothing changed, looks different when printed from PI vs. the Canon program? Are these printed in the same size or does the size change from print to print?
The pixel dimensions are only one part of the equation. If you repeatedly save the same image in jpeg format or any other compressed format for that matter, the pixel dimensions of your image will not change but quality will be lost every time to re save the image again.
Do you have a publishing program like Microsoft Publisher or Ventura etc.?
For my DVD cases, CD covers and VHS case covers, I use templates I made in MS Publisher. I simply place my images, prepared in PI and saved to bmp format, into the Publisher document and print.
I am at work and have trouble finding the time to really look into this now. We are closing for our summer break at lunch time today and there is a lot of lose ends to be tied up prior.
Don't despair if you hear from me for a while. I'll get back to this when I get home. There I have PI 12 installed and working and will be able to provide you some screen shots to explain.
One of your questions you can work out the answer to yourself.
When you open a new canvas and set the image resolution first and then the size of the canvas in cm or inches, the resultant image size (canvas) will be in relation to your ppi settings. You are right, ppi means pixels per inch. Because you stipulate an image size in cm/inch measurements and tell the program to use an x-amount of pixels per inch, the canvas size is going to be in accordance with these settings. Just try it. Open a new image, 6 x 4" and set the resolution to screen. Note down the image size in pixels. Now open another new image, same size, 6 x 4 but set the resolution to 200. Notice the difference in image size?.and inputted the pixals...what do you mean 200 TO 300....can i put in 250? whats the difference.
Incidentally, you can use any resolution setting you like. I just found that, for what I do, a setting of 200 to 300 ppi works best. If you want, you can use 211. It will not make an iota of difference to the way the image looks on your screen. The difference you will only see when you print.
That brings me to another point. When you say your image looks different when printed using the Canon driver or directly from PI, what are the dpi (dots per inch) settings for the printer? Generally speaking, the dpi will affect the print size. The bigger the dpi, the clearer the image print will look but the smaller the printed image will become.
Let me know what you have got and we shall try together to get some process in place which will give you what you are looking for.
Do you use Skype? If you do, we might be able to chat about this rather than taking this Q and A approach.
Thanks again for the time spent dont want you to go to any trouble really but would be intrested in these examples your quoting.
At work, loose ends too, so cant get into PI, but yes same images, from same camera ( for the most part ) and from the canon some work a treat.
Havent got the programs you mentioned, just lining up my dvd cover as best i can...as ill be using mostly small b/w images for the cover i could! get away with some of the images not being crystal clear.
But please feel free to pass on your knowledge to me...
At work, loose ends too, so cant get into PI, but yes same images, from same camera ( for the most part ) and from the canon some work a treat.
Havent got the programs you mentioned, just lining up my dvd cover as best i can...as ill be using mostly small b/w images for the cover i could! get away with some of the images not being crystal clear.
But please feel free to pass on your knowledge to me...
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heinz-oz
Let's go step by step. Please answer the following questions to the best of your knowledge.
1. What is the size, in px by px, of your originals taken from the camera?
2. What are their typical sizes now?
3. What did you do to bring them down to that size?
As a rule, I never work on an original image. Typically, what I do after a lengthy shoot, is to take the images from my camera into the PC and burn these to CD right away, before I do anything else with it. I also have an external HDD to which I copy my originals until I have enough to fill a CD. These images are never touched except for duplicating them in order to work on them.
At the same time I have all these images stored on an internal HDD and uncatalogued by shooting date. Again, these images I do not work on but I work with.
Generally, I open an image in PI and, before I do anything else, I press Ctrl+D which duplicates the open image. Immediately after that, I close the original and save the duplicate with a different name to a different location. I do not save in jpeg at all, I keep these "working" files in the native Ulead UFO format with no compression.
One example of what I do with my images is an image I entered into a Ulead competition some time ago. I use this example because I have a resized version of it, small enough to be opened by someone with a dial up internet connection in a reasonable time frame. The original photos are all from my EOS 350D digital SLR. Their sizes were 3456 x 2304 pixels. There are extracts from 10 photos plus a background combined into this collage.
The collage is printed on A4 size glossy photo paper and is part of an Album I keep for my wife. The collage is 2339 x 1654 pixels and the file size is 4.2 MB. Printed out it looks perfect.
In order to show it here, it has been greatly reduced in size and printed on A4 paper from that size would look absolute crap I'm sure. Just click on the thumb nail above to see a slightly larger version of it.
This is meant to give you an idea about what can be done with PI.
To combine a few photos on a suitable canvas to make a CD cover is easy. The printing of it directly from PI and in an accurate size I will have to work out for myself first.
1. What is the size, in px by px, of your originals taken from the camera?
2. What are their typical sizes now?
3. What did you do to bring them down to that size?
As a rule, I never work on an original image. Typically, what I do after a lengthy shoot, is to take the images from my camera into the PC and burn these to CD right away, before I do anything else with it. I also have an external HDD to which I copy my originals until I have enough to fill a CD. These images are never touched except for duplicating them in order to work on them.
At the same time I have all these images stored on an internal HDD and uncatalogued by shooting date. Again, these images I do not work on but I work with.
Generally, I open an image in PI and, before I do anything else, I press Ctrl+D which duplicates the open image. Immediately after that, I close the original and save the duplicate with a different name to a different location. I do not save in jpeg at all, I keep these "working" files in the native Ulead UFO format with no compression.
One example of what I do with my images is an image I entered into a Ulead competition some time ago. I use this example because I have a resized version of it, small enough to be opened by someone with a dial up internet connection in a reasonable time frame. The original photos are all from my EOS 350D digital SLR. Their sizes were 3456 x 2304 pixels. There are extracts from 10 photos plus a background combined into this collage.
The collage is printed on A4 size glossy photo paper and is part of an Album I keep for my wife. The collage is 2339 x 1654 pixels and the file size is 4.2 MB. Printed out it looks perfect.
In order to show it here, it has been greatly reduced in size and printed on A4 paper from that size would look absolute crap I'm sure. Just click on the thumb nail above to see a slightly larger version of it.
This is meant to give you an idea about what can be done with PI.
To combine a few photos on a suitable canvas to make a CD cover is easy. The printing of it directly from PI and in an accurate size I will have to work out for myself first.