RESOLUTION AND PSP X4 / EXPLOSION EFFECT?

[garjobo]

I have PSP X4 - is there an 'explosion' effect somewhere in X4 i can use?

And could you tell me, resolution...when i start a new image...i have choice of..size, height, width ( making a dvd cover ) and it says resolution..i think naturally set to ..around 700 or so...could be wrong..but it goes up to a million? whats all that about....

I obviously want best quality..but will be bringing in several photos from a folder on my pc...and cutting out / pasting / resizing etc to make a dvd cover.

Any thoughts on how i set it for best possible quality please? particularly when inporting photos into on document.

Do i check my original photo..for resolution? and copy the measurements into Paint Shop? Novice here..advice more than welcome please.

[teknisyan]

I replied to the same issue that you posted on PhotoImpact thread

http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php ... 94#p258594

[garjobo]

Aaar but that was PI this is PS - also i didnt think you mentioned about explosion effect and basically didnt really give me a proper answer..just throwing the question back to me!!

It's really rather straightforward - I click on NEW IMAGE - the program then gives me options, height, width and RESOLUTION...in pixels/cm or pixels/inch.

I have a photo..eg, dimentions 3872cm x 2592cm size 4.5mb ( all greek to me! ) clicking on properties of many of my photos the dpi says 300.

So...sliding the RESOLUTION BAR in X4 ..it can go up too 1000.100 ...great..what does that tell me??

All i want to do is bring in a photo, crop it, mess about with it - same applies to a number of other photos and stick them together to make a natty dvd cover for myself. Ideally wanting the best output quality possible.

My printer ( as you asked in the other thread ) is a EPSON PX730WD. It can produce decent enough photos - havent really tried printing via X4..however, obviously i dont want to waste time creating a dvd cover and then find that the images arent as good as they could be.

Thoughts more than welcome. As I say, in a nutshell - what does that NEW IMAGE > RESOLUTION bar do / mean?

..and does X4 have an explosion effect somewhere.

THANKS for your reply however and hopefully I will get some advice.

[LeviFiction]

I don't know what you mean by explosion effect. Do you have example?

As for resolution, I make no promises that this will be well explained but should be generally accurate.

For print you never need a resolution higher than 300 for something like that. In fact depending on the image a resolution of 150(at the very lowest and probably not recommended) to 300 is perfect.

Resolution tells you how many pixels fit within a certain size range. So for example let's say I have an image that is 4 inches high by 6 inches wide. (4x6)

A resolution of 200 will put 200 of my image's pixels into 1 physical inch on the printed material. A resolution of 300 Pixels per inch will place 300 pixels of my image into 1 physical inch.

What this means is that if I have an image (4x6) set at a resolution of 200. Then my image is 800 pixels by 1200 pixels height and width.

The resolution you need for a good quality image in something that small is 300 for the best 150 for decent.

Resolution simply means "how many pixels from my image are being squeezed into a physical area of measurement." Though, PSPX4 has a 10,000 pixel limit on either side. So I have a hard time believing your image is actually 3872cmx2592cm with a dpi of 300. The math doesn't work out PaintShop Pro can't handle that size.

Just a good rule of thumb, since this is just a DVD cover, 300 dpi(ppi) should be more than enough for a decent quality image.

[garjobo]

Thank you for your reply and explination. I shall now give it a go. So..assuming..all i have to do is set that ruler - when i first start a new project - to 300 then. And bobs your uncle? And photos i bring into my 'new project' whether i crop them, downsize them and i will be extracting them as well..whatever i do will all give me the best image i can get when it comes to printing.

Assuming thats correct yes? So..i just set the slider to 300 / per inch?

As for explosion..well...

Eg, that Alien moment in Alien bursting out of the stomach...the burst stomach ( aka the images on the dvd cover will be all crumpled wont they...so..how do i get that effect...putting the alien ( bloke ) there surround by a bit of blurring/explosion is easy enough..but its really the surrounding area ( the gaping hole in the tummy and open stomach ) which i would want to get. Talking about say, a flat image of some houses...and a bloke crashing out of the centre of the picture..What happens to the houses..they will be bent upwards/sideways etc..how do i get that 'force'.

Confused myself...and really its the resolution im really after..so if you could just confirm thats all i would do..the 300 /per inch setting and can then bring in as many photos as possible ( not needing to adjust anything else and just print once done? )

THANKS AGAIN for replying.

[hartpaul]

Resolution : Best quality as mentioned is 300 pixels per inch.
Measure the dimensions of your DVD cover in inches. (just measured the front of one and got 5 x 7 inches. That would equate to 5 x 300 and 7 x 300 = 1500 x 2100 pixels).
That will give you the number of pixels you need to give a photo quality image.
As for your explosion effect what I could suggest is to print out a cover (possibly a few) with the background that suits. Then hold each couver in turn and stamp it down on different size spikes , dowel rods or a broomstick so it tears through your cover and gives the torn edges suitable for your project. Re photograph those covers and then use them as your starting point .

[garjobo]

Thanks Hartpaul for explaining that..but why then can you in theory move that slider up to a whopping 1000 000...when only 300 is needed for best picture quality possible?

You kindly measured a dvd cover..and said about ideally having 1500 x 2100 pixals thats all well and good..but HOW does that translate into what Im about to do..to start a new project...where can i tell X4 the 1500 pixals?

All i was going to do was import a few photos...which seem to be 300 ( on the properties of the photo ) , bring them into x4 and mess about and edit them...and HOPE that x4 WILL KNOW I obviously want the best poss. quality.

Basically...Where can I tell / input into X4 ( and the photos i am bringing in ) these highest pixals etc?

[LindaSue]

Go to File > New and you'll get this dialog box where you can start a new image in which to insert your photos:

Note that the Units are set to pixels but you could also insert the dimensions of your CD label inches instead.

[LeviFiction]

You're over thinking the allowed resolution value. PSP X4 can only have an image that is 10,000 pixels wide by 10,000 pixels high at the maximum. Resolution is only useful when measuring something other than pixels because then you're measuring for the physical size when it's printed out. The available resolution values are the result of simple math.

The maximum resolution available is = to the maximum number of inches, centimeters, or millimeters that 10,000 pixels can be squeezed into comfortably. That's why you can go so high, but it's rarely if ever needed. Of course if Corel limited this value to only what they thought was common, users would get upset. So it's in Corel's best interest to leave that maximum value alone even if no one ever uses it.

Here is information on the "New Image" dialog to help you understand where we are coming from here:

http://product.corel.com/help/PhotoPro/ ... 7F&single=

Here you can see the top of the "New Image" dialog. You will notice it has settings for: Width, Height, Units, and Resolution.

NewImage1.jpg (24.78 KiB) Viewed 4309 times

Resolution, again, only matters with physical media. It tells you how many of the image's pixels will fit within a physical area of measurement. You have the option of using Pixels/Inch or Pixels/Cm.

Currently, in this image, you can see I have the resolution set to 200 Pixels/inch. This means that from my image every 200 pixels will be squeezed into a physical inch when I print it out.

Next to Width and Height you can see I have my units set to Pixels. Units can be set to Pixels, Inches, Centimeters, and Millimeters. Which ever measurement you are comfortable with using. Pixels lets you define the exact number of pixels you want to use. However, if you know the physical measurements you don't have to worry about knowing the pixels.

So let's go with HartPaul's measurements. I can either set a pixel size of 1500 x 2100 pixels by setting the Width and Height and changing the Units to Pixels.

NewImage2.jpg (24.76 KiB) Viewed 4309 times

Or I can set the units to inches and use that measurement instead.

NewImage3.jpg (24.2 KiB) Viewed 4309 times

They are exactly the same, the only difference is what units of measurement you're using.

PSP attempts to make this easy on you by doing all of the hard-work for you. You just have to know what you're after.

[garjobo]

thank you for taking the time and trouble to show me exactly what to do..i will give it a go.

thanks again