Resize in x8

[brucet]

Quick question - In x7 resize has a Resolution option. In x8 Resolution is missing. Why? I often use Resize to resize by changing Pixels per inch from 300 to 150. Now how do I do a resize by changing pixels?

What am I missing?

regards

[JoeB]

Because resolution (PPI) is only a factor of printing the image (i.e., instructions to be sent to the printer), you'll find the Resolution option when you click the By Print Size radio button.

[brucet]

I've done hundreds of resizes in x7 by going to Resize and changing the PPI. Now that option is not there in x8.

Could someone point me to how to change the PPI in an image.

regards

[JoeB]

Sorry JoeB that's simply not the case. DPI is for the printer. PPI is for the image.

I wish you would first look at the comparison between x7 and x8 before making up an irrelevant answer.

I've done hundreds of resizes in x7 by going to Resize and changing the PPI. Now that option is not there in x8.

Could someone point me to how to change the PPI in an image.

regards

Sorry back, brucet, but PPI is for instructions for the printer. It tells the printer how many pixels of an image you want to have it print for each inch of print. DPI (Dots Per Inch) is simply how many splots of ink the printer is rated to lay down per inch - fewer dots/splots for Draft, more for Standard and even more for higher quality prints. If you truly don't know that, then you should start with this primer on the difference between PPI and DPi:

https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/ppi-vs-d ... ifference/

And I already told you where to find the Resolution (PPI) setting in X8 - i.e., under the By Print Size dialogue in the Resize Dialogue. And it's there for the reason I said and for the reasons described in the above link provide. Here's an attachment showing you where to find it.

So please don't accuse me of providing inaccurate OR irrelevant information on this matter until you have educated yourself on the concept. I spent many years as a marketing consultant working with commercial print shops to have images printed for sale and I do have some knowledge of the terminology and concepts involved.

[brucet]

JoeB be I take my comments back. I had my wires crossed and posted before I realized what you had said. I did a re-post but you beat me to it.

I hadn't explored the new radio buttons. Actually to tell the truth I hadn't even seen them. (I use QImage for printing so I'm not familiar with PSP printing features).

Sorry.

Regadrds

[Belle]

Brucet - great question, as I've wondered the same thing,

JoeB - even greater answer! Thank you.

I love this forum. I learn new things all the time.

[JoeB]

I probably should have addressed something important in @brucet's post that might be confusing to those who also read the PPI/DPI link I posted. He correctly stated that he has changed the PPI setting in X7 and it can change the image pixel size in his workspace. There is a reason for this, but not because this is the correct or optimal way to change image pixel size.

When you open the Resize dialogue in X7 you will find that it has retained the pixel dimensions in those boxes in the middle of the dialogue that were used the previous time it was opened, regardless of the size of the new image you are now working with. However, the Resolution box will show the resolution of this new image. So then PSP automatically calculates what the print size of the image would be if you left the pixel size boxes and resolution boxes alone and it enters that print size in the above Print Size boxes. And furthermore (at least in my X7) PSP assumes that unless you tell it differently then you want it to keep the print size dimensions in those boxes as they are.

So now if you were to do what @brucet stated in his example (that is, change the resolution setting by, for example, making it half of what it presently is (say change 300 to 150 ppi), the numbers in the print size boxes won't change (in other words, if printed with those settings the image would come out the same size as it would have if you had left the resolution at 300 and left everything else alone, except with a somewhat lower print resolution (i.e., not quite as sharp).

BUT what will change are the numbers in the Pixel Dimension boxes. If you change the resolution from 300 printed pixels per inch to 150 printed pixels per inch and keep the printed image the same size in total inches, then the image needs only half the pixels it would have needed if printed needing 300 pixels per printed inch. So the pixel sizes will change in those boxes to match the calculation between the requested printed image size and the resolution you wish to print it at. When you press OK the image on screen will resize to those new pixel sizes. Conversely, if you double the resolution you'll see that the size of the image in pixels also doubles.

But if one is resizing images to (a) simply make them fit better on the screen, or (b) to fit in a specific space on another image - a collage, for example, then using the PPI dialoge to do this is not the best, most precise or recommended method. To fit your screen better just zoom out or in. If you need an image of a specific pixel size to fit on a page or another image then just enter those sizes in the Pixel Dimensions box. In these cases, don't worry at all about what's in the Resolution box.

However, if you intend to print those images (on your own printer, a photo print store or commercial printer) then the PPI setting is vital. For your own printer or a photo store then 200 pixels per inch is sufficient (it can even be less for images meant to be viewed at a distance but that's another subject and 200ppi is a good place to stay). A commercial print shop will tell you if they want 300ppi.

This is probably old hat for most of you but I wanted to clear up any confusion that might have been caused by reading the article that says that PPI has no bearing on the size of an image on the screen. That statement is correct. If you change the PPI in PSP AND keep the original pixel dimensions, then the fact that the PPI has increased or decreased won't have any effect on the size of the image on the screen. If you open a 1000pixel square image with a 100ppi setting and a 1000 pixels square image with a 600ppi setting they will both be the same size on your monitor. It's just that, in PSP, when you change the PPI it DOES change the pixel size of the image because it is trying to maintain the Print Size dimensions that are in the Print Size boxes. PSP does so because it knows PPI is meant to be instructions for printing so assumes you want the print size maintained as you change the resolution at which you want the image printed. If you want it printed at a different size than shown in the boxes, change those numbers also (which will also automatically calculate the pixel size required for the resultant resized image).

[brucet]

JoeB the confusion comes for all quarters of the internet. PPI and DPI are often mixed up. (I've been involved in printing for years as well. My question maybe confused my purpose for the question!!!!).

As I stated I use QIamge to size everything and only ever use 300DPI and PPI. What I was using Resize for was to reduce an image to suit sites such as 500px. So by taking a 6000x3974 300PPI image and resizing it by changing the Resolution to 150 and Pixel Dimensions to 1400*927 I get a nice sized image to post to the net. (I'm talking tiff here and then a save as to a jpeg).

So is it the right way to reduce an image size. Arguable. But it works for me. So my question, rightly or wrongly, had nothing to actually do with printing, DPI or PPI. A simple search for a fix for my old habit in x8.

So another question - is there a way in x7 or x8 to simply chance the resolution of an image simply by changing the pixel count?

regards

[JoeB]

JoeB the confusion comes for all quarters of the internet. PPI and DPI are often mixed up. (I've been involved in printing for years as well. My question maybe confused my purpose for the question!!!!).

I couldn't agree more! The link I provided is one of the better ones to try to clarify the confusion in a logically presented manner. It all started with computer monitors advertising their Dot Pitch (DP) which was an indication of how small and densely packed (or close together) the phosphor dots on the monitor were clustered, the smaller and closer the better. Printer manufacturers, on the other hand, used DPI (Dots Per Inch) to indicate how many dots of ink they could pack onto one inch of paper, the more the better. And then scanner manufacturers really screwed things up by using DPI in their interface for Resolution when they really were referring to the concept of PPI (the term properly used by PSP and other reliable image editing software). It's been a holy, confusing mess ever since!

So another question - is there a way in x7 or x8 to simply chance the resolution of an image simply by changing the pixel count?.

I'm going to answer your last question first, because if that's all you want or need then you can ignore the rest of the post. On the other hand, the rest of the post is there because I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding something you're trying to achieve correctly or if perhaps there are still a few points you (and maybe others??) might like to have clarified about the relationship between PPI, pixel size, and particularly what makes "a nice sized image to post on the net", because there are different factors involved, particularly involving the latter point.

Yes, there is one way to change the resolution setting in PSP by simply entering the pixel sizes you want to have in the Pixel Dimension boxes. Just put a check mark in the box near the bottom for Maintain Original Print Size. In X7, where all of the changes are on one page of the dialogue box, that greys out the numbers already in the Print Size boxes, and when you change the numbers in the Pixel Dimension boxes the Resolution box will change because it will have calculated the print resolution (PPI) needed to maintain the print size shown based on the pixel dimensions you have chosen and changed to that resolution accordingly. In X8, where different options are on different pages selected by the radio buttons, you have to use the By Pixel Size button and change the pixel dimensions. There is no Resolution box on that page but if you have checked the Maintain Original Print Size button and changed the pixel size you can then click on the By Print Size button and see that the resolution has changed. In both cases, you aren't choosing a particular resolution, PSP is doing it. AND, if your ONLY aim is to have an image that has a certain pixel size for viewing on your monitor, then you shouldn't really care what the print resolution (PPI) is anyway so there's really no reason to use the Maintain Original Print Size option at all unless you're looking to print images. The image will always be displayed on monitors based on pixel size regardless of the print resolution (PPI) of the image. But see more below about how others might see your image!

As I stated I use QIamge to size everything and only ever use 300DPI and PPI. What I was using Resize for was to reduce an image to suit sites such as 500px. So by taking a 6000x3974 300PPI image and resizing it by changing the Resolution to 150 and Pixel Dimensions to 1400*927 I get a nice sized image to post to the net. (I'm talking tiff here and then a save as to a jpeg).

So is it the right way to reduce an image size. Arguable. But it works for me. So my question, rightly or wrongly, had nothing to actually do with printing, DPI or PPI. A simple search for a fix for my old habit in x8.

While it works, it places an unnecessary step into the process, particularly if - AND IF I understand correctly (and correct me if wrong) - you want to have an image that (using your specific example) is 1400 x 927 pixels in size. And I'm answering on the basis that you said this gives you a nice sized image to post to the net.

The thing that is causing me a bit of confusion is that while you seem to be saying your main concern under these circumstances that caused you to post has nothing to do with printing but simply creating an image that has a certain pixel size that you feel looks good for display when posted on the internet (and perhaps viewed in PSP, etc., on your monitor). If I have understood that correctly, then please see the following:

First, you don't need the two step process to resize (i.e., no need to change both Resolution and Pixel Dimensions). Simply change the pixel dimensions. That's because the PPI resolution (whether you change it, or PSP changes it when you check Maintain Original Print Size and then set your preferred pixel dimensions) has absolutely no effect on how the size of the image displays on any monitor or screen. None whatsoever.

HOWEVER, what many people fail to realize is that the image they see on their own monitor, whether an image viewed as displayed by their image programs or as displayed on a website, is not going to look the same size to every viewer on every monitor. That's because monitors have the ability to allow you to change their display resolution. Display resolution, as opposed to Print resolution, is how many pixels the monitor will display full screen. So if I view an image that has a pixel size of 800x600 pixels, and an old monitor with a display resolution set at 800x600, then that image will display full screen on that monitor. But if I have a secondary monitor with resolution set to 1600x1200, that image will display taking approximately only half of the screen area, because it only has to display the 800x600 pixels. It would take an image of 1600x1200 pixels to fill up the screen of that secondary monitor.

THAT SAID, some websites are coded such that web pages and the images they contain, viewed with compatible browsers, DO resize to fit screens by detecting the resolution of the monitor on which they are being displayed. That just adds another wrinkle to the whole thing.

AND ONE FINAL CAVEAT: I said above that if your ONLY consideration was the size of the image being displayed when posted (keeping in mind that the size you see might not be quite the same size others see) then the only thing you have to worry about is changing the pixel dimensions in both X7 and X8 (or any other editor). HOWEVER, the one time PPI matters along with pixel size of posted images is if you have concerns about people downloading those images and being able to print them at high quality and perhaps at large sizes with high quality. If you were to post a 1400x927 image with a PPI of 150 (your example of resizing) that can be downloaded by others, then the downloader would be able to print a reasonably decent 9 x 6 inch picture from it and a photo quality 7 x 4 inch photo from it.

I don't use your 500px site but checked it out briefly. It appears to be a site where people can post images that others can view prieviews of (low quality or at least watermarked) with a view to being able to purchasing a high quality image if they wish. If the image example I used above is properly watermarked then the fact that the print resolution (PPI) is pretty good or even if it was very good shouldn't matter because few would want to print the watermarked image anyway. So if that's not a concern, then don't concern yourself with PPI when resizing your image because I imagine the watermarking is taken care of at the 500px end of things anyway - I just don't know enough about how that site works.

Sorry if this has been boring or exploring already known stuff. Nobody ever accused me of being too brief! Probably comes from having both a law and marketing background - we never know when to shut up!