resolution in cm??? Help I need dpi

[SigsCreations]

I can find no way to make the stupid program give me inches. Sure I can turn the rulers to inches, I can set up a new document in inches. But when I go to info on an image it is giving me 118.110 per cm? What does that mean?
I need 300 dpi. Is that the same?
why is info showing me the size in mm and the resolution in only cm????
I used to love PSP when JASC had it. But since Corel took over, I have only used it off and on and only a few versions. Since none of my old ones would run on Windows 10 I finally bought the new 2018 and while it is ok, it isn't near as good as it used to be and I only use it some times. But if it can't give me the info I need, I may be using it even less in the future.

[LeviFiction]

Yes 118.110 ppcm is the same as 300 ppi. There are 2.54 centimeters in 1 inch. So there are 2.54 times more pixels in an inch than there are in a centimeter. 118.110 * 2.54 = 299.996 round up to 300.

Some formats do not store meta sizes in Inches. They only use the metric system. PNGs for example do not store inches by default.

It's easy enough to do the conversion, though in an unexpected way. And it's just a few clicks. But converting between inches and centimeters can be scripted to make this method a one click method. Here are the steps

1) Go to Image -> Resize
2) Click on the "By print size" radio button
3) Change the resolution units
4) Hit OK

No sizes should change it should simply change the resolution

[JoeB]

It's easy enough to do the conversion, though in an unexpected way. And it's just a few clicks. But converting between inches and centimeters can be scripted to make this method a one click method. Here are the steps

1) Go to Image -> Resize
2) Click on the "By print size" radio button
3) Change the resolution units
4) Hit OK

No sizes should change it should simply change the resolution

If the idea is to simply change what you see when using Image Information for an open image so that Image Information displays everything in inches rather than the centimeters embedded in the image, I think - and stand to be corrected - that one step might be missing if you want to script this to have a one-click solution.

When I open the Resize dialogue and go to the By Print Size option, the Original Size information does show the size of the image I have just opened. However, the New size boxes show the size of the last image I had previously resized IF Resample Using had also been checked in my previous resize. So if I simply change only the Resolution box from CM to Inches and click OK, the image will be resized to retain the print size of the previous image that was resized. So if you want to use the script so that, when now checking Image Information, you'll see the values in inches but without changing any sizes, don't you have to make sure that Resample Using is not checked before clicking OK? Doing so will then make the info in the New boxes the same as in the Original field.



EDIT: I'm leaving the information below this Edit line and between the dotted lines but - as I have now posted in a later post - I think I see an issue with thinking that this script, as recorded, could then be used on another image and run silently. Further tests so far indicate that this is not the case - or at least not so with my limited scripting knowledge. And if it can't be run silently, then it only saves one click at best in the procedure. I will post tomorrow (Sunday) about the issue and perhaps @LeviFiction will have a solution. But I'm leaving the below info in case it is relevant to understanding stuff said in following posts.

The info below the second set of dotted lines is, to my knowledge, accurate.

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And, a further tweak, if you want the script to run silently regardless of the state of the Execution Mode toggle - i.e., you don't want to have to click OK on the resize dialogue - then the script should be edited to run this step as Silent rather than Default after it is recorded.

And an even further tweak if you want to immediately see the Image Information - which has now changed to Inches as the units - once the script is run. While recording the script and after hitting OK in the resize dialogue, go to Image>Image Information (which now shows the new imperial units), then click OK to close that dialogue. Then save the script. When you are editing the previous step (as per my previous paragraph), you can also edit the last command (which opens the Image Info dialogue) changing Default to Interactive. So now when you run the script it will automatically change the resolution to Inches without you seeing that resize dialogue at all, AND will automatically open Image information so that you can see the image info in inches immediately. To close the Image Info dialogue just click OK and continue with editing your image.

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Also, I'm not sure if the OP is having this issue only with images that already have ppcm rather than ppi embedded in the image, or if it's with images that don't have that info, or also with new images he/she has created. If the last, then make sure to choose PPI rather than PPCM in the dialogue when creating the image. If it is with images that don't already have an embedded resolution value, then make sure that File>Preferences>General Program Preferences>Units has the Pixels/Inch selected.

And lastly, addressing this to SigCreations, it is not DPI you should be referring to, because that's Dots Per Inch and is a printer specification only. Therefore graphic editors cannot change DPI, only change PPI (Pixels Per Inch) as you'll see it is lebelled in the Resize dialogue as well as the Image Information dialogue.

[LeviFiction]

I didn't go into the details on what would need to be done to make the script, just that it was possible to make one. Some basic edits would need to be made. If they all needed to be 300PPI then a simple recorded script would be enough.

To do a recorded script where the print resolution would always be the same 300PPI, without changing the size of the image, these are the steps

1) Hit Record on the script toolbar
2) Open Image -> Resize
3) Under "By Print Size" set the resolution value and unit type In this case 300 an Pixels/Inch
4) Under "By Percent" enter 100 percent in the width
5) Hit OK
6) Save Script with a name you'll recognize easily (Change To 300PPI)

Now anytime you run it it'll use 100% width of the current image and change the print resolution to 300 PPI

If you want to keep the same resolution but simply change it to Inches. Then you need to make the script smarter and do the conversion from the current units to the new units. Which takes more effort. An example of what it takes is seen in that one script I posted a while back that would change the resolution and units of any image to match what you have set in General Preferences.

[JoeB]

I didn't go into the details on what would need to be done to make the script, just that it was possible to make one.

It's possible I misunderstood what the OP was asking for and your original reply. I thought he simply wanted the Image Information to show the image sizes in inches rather than cm when he looks at that information about any image he has opened, and then be able to manually make any other resize changes necessary for his purposes if necessary.

My assumption was based on my own experience. That is, when I open a PNG image that I might want to print at a certain size, or that I might want to copy as a new layer on another open image I first look at the Image Information to see if it is already in my preferred print resolution or, alternatively, is the same resolution as the image I'm going to layer it on. If not, then I will change it with Resize for whatever purpose I'm going to use it. But because I work in inches I want that initial info in inches, but with PNG it's always in cm so I don't know if it's already the resolution I'm happy to print with, which means I have to convert it to inches first. So that's all I was doing with my suggestion.

In other words, I used your original suggested steps as being steps to simply create an automatic calculator - i.e., to automatically convert the information I see in the Image Information dialogue from cm to inches in one easy step and immediately show me that Image Info dialogue with my preferred units. I thought that was what you meant the steps to do because of how your post said "It's easy enough to do the conversion, though in an unexpected way. And it's just a few clicks. But converting between inches and centimeters can be scripted to make this method a one click method.... no sizes should change it should simply change the resolution."

So I assumed it was meant to be a simple calculator, not a resizer, and my point was that to do that it would need to have Resample Using unchecked to ensure that no resizing was done.

So of course, if he is looking for a way to actually resize an image to specific resolution and print size and then see that info in inches then my points would not fit the bill and a different procedure would be necessary. Apples and oranges??

[LeviFiction]

I think your assumption is correct. But I'm too tired to parse it all out. I also don't care anymore. xD It's such an unnecessary thing anyway. If they want to know how CM convert to inches just multiply by 2.54 or open resize and change the units it'll show the result for you automatically. And while you're in there you can resize if you feel the need to. Using scripts is just overkill unless you're bound and determined to force all images to be saved as inches.

[JoeB]

I think your assumption is correct. But I'm too tired to parse it all out. I also don't care anymore. xD It's such an unnecessary thing anyway. If they want to know how CM convert to inches just multiply by 2.54 or open resize and change the units it'll show the result for you automatically.

While correct, the script, bound to a button (which I have already done), is a one click calculator. Neither multiplying by 2.54 nor opening resize and changing the units is a one click solution. So I do appreciate your providing the basic steps to do that, because it has always irritated me that my PNG image info is always in metric and I had to manually convert.

Using scripts is just overkill unless you're bound and determined to force all images to be saved as inches.

I know it's a matter of opinion, but mine is that using scripts, when they save steps, is never overkill. It's simplification. And, given that I am one who actually does want all my image information for all images regardless of format to display that information in imperial rather than metric units, and that the vast majority of the images I open are already in imperial units, I truly do want the minority of images that are in metric to display the same type of info as everything else. But that could just be me.

EDIT: Deleted info that I believe was inaccurate.

And, for those who prefer metric and wish most of the images they open displayed in metric rather than imperial, the same script can do the same for them, except converting image info that's in imperial to metric.

[LeviFiction]

If you want a script that will change the resolution to a set unit and resolution size that you can change the size without having to record a new script I can recommend this one - viewtopic.php?f=104&t=60496&p=334045&hi ... on#p334045

Simply set your preferred Resolution and Units in General Preferences, then anytime you run this script it'll change the resolution and units to match your preferences. This lets you change the resolution without having to record a new script to handle other preferred resolutions.

[JoeB]

Sounds good.

[JoeB]

Going back to the original discussion - and particularly the original post and your (LeviFiction's) original reply, I suddenly don't see how that can actually be scripted as originally planned - ie., just to use as a calculator and so as to be able to use it on various different images. Now it's me who's pretty tired from trying some stuff, but it seems to me that the script, at least as recorded, will not always return the expected information when run on a diferent image than that which was used to record it. So perhaps I'm missing something else, but too tired - and/or confused! - to experiment further today. But tomorrow is another day.... Maybe then I'll be able to figure out better what the problem I seem to be seeing is, and explain it better.

But, as always with these types of discussions, I'm seeing it as a learning experience, so perhaps by tomorrow I will have learned something!

[JoeB]

OK. Maybe I'm missing something but while of course you can script the original steps as pointed out before, that script as recorded can't then be run in a non-interactive, silent manner (which is what I had hoped) on other PNG images which also show units in cm instead of inches. That's because when you open another such image and run the script the script Resize dialogue, while showing the correct PPCM resolution, will show the units as Pixels/Inch in the dropdown.

Of course the script can be edited to open the way it should - i.e., showing the correct PPCM resolution for new open images AND showing it as Pixels/Centimeter in the dropdown, but that means the script would have to interactive so that the user can then change it to Pixels/Inch resolution and also then have to click the OK button. So recording the script doesn't help in any way because it doesn't save any clicks whatsoever compared to simply manually selecting the Resize button on the menu bar.

The only way a script could make the whole operation silent - including opening the Image Information dialogue once the conversion from metric to imperial units was completed silently would be if there was a way for the script to not only open the Resize dialogue in its default state (i.e., showing all of the correct information about the image in focus) but also be able to then change the resolution units in the dropdown from metric to imperial without user interaction. And while LeviFiction would know if this was possible I certainly wouldn't know how, and I suspect it really can't be done unless it was with some complicated coding. I would certainly love to be corrected on that point!

[LeviFiction]

You're gonna have to explain that better. I am seeing no problems. Can you provide visuals of what you believe the problem is? Interaction with the dialog is unimportant. The dialog provides demo calculations, but the hard work is done by the command itself with the information passed to it by the dialog. So long as the appropriate values are set in the command interaction with the dialog is unnecessary. And the script, as indicated in my second post, forces all images to be the exact same resolution and units. It doesn't convert the current PPCM into equivalent Inches. It simply changes the resolution to whatever you want. If it's currently at 72PPI it'll become 300PPI. If it's currently 78PPCM it'll become 300PPI. As I indicated from the beginning.

[JoeB]

You're gonna have to explain that better. I am seeing no problems. Can you provide visuals of what you believe the problem is?

I'm on my way out to a Father's Day BBQ, but I am getting more certain now that we are actually talking apples and oranges.

I was making an assumption - based on the two statements you made in your first post that I referenced above - that the steps would allow a simple "conversion" of the metric to imperial units WITHOUT any resizing (either pixel size OR print size). I am now starting to think that you meant that statement to apply ONLY to the specific image specifications that the OP had cited in his original post. And, if I'm now understanding that post correctly, you weren't meaning for that statement (no resizes at all) to apply to running the script on other images where the resolution was not equal to 300ppi/118ppcm.

If I am correct with this interpretation, then my original assumption (that the script could be used simply as a unit converter as I stated earlier) would be incorrect. I was assuming it was going to be a script that I could run on png images of different sizes and resolutions that would keep whatever the existing resolution was - as well as pixel size and print size - and just save that resize in imperial units, which I believed I had basically said in my earlier post. I.E., simply a units converter to show the existing image info in imperial units instead of metric.

And that latter assumption (i.e., that the script could be used simply as a converter only with no resizing of any kind) was based on your statement that said: "But converting between inches and centimeters can be scripted to make this method a one click method" along with the later statement about no resizing. I'm now thinking that you meant both to be the case only when the image had the specs cited by the OP. Which, if my new assumptions are correct, wouldn't require a script because once you know that 118ppcm is equal to 300ppi then you don't need to calculate it in future so no need for a script unless I'm missing something.

It doesn't convert the current PPCM into equivalent Inches. It simply changes the resolution to whatever you want. If it's currently at 72PPI it'll become 300PPI. If it's currently 78PPCM it'll become 300PPI.

That's exactly what caused my confusion. I took this statement - "No sizes should change it should simply change the resolution" in conjunction with the statement that said "But converting between inches and centimeters can be scripted to make this method a one click method" to mean that the script could convert image information of ANY image between cm and inches with no resizing regardless of the present resolution of the image AND would simply change the resolution units from metric to imperial. I hadn't realized that you weren't actually talking about just doing conversions but actually talking about actually converting images to a specific resolution which, as far as I know, has to result in resizing either print size or pixel size.

But I would appreciate if you'd let me know which assumptions I made are incorrect. As I said, I suspect we're talking apples and oranges after all, which is causing the confusion.

[LeviFiction]

Yeah, people often get the wrong idea when I say things. xD I never manage to explain myself clearly. I do apologize.

In my second post I attempted to clarify what I meant by pointing out that there are two different ways to make the script.

1) Simply record the script - this is a simple dumb script. It only changes the resolution but keeps the PIXEL dimensions the same. It does this by using percentages as the resize method. If everything is always 100% then it'll never get bigger or smaller. Since Print size is base on the resolution and the pixel dimensions naturally that would change as you're not just changing the units you're changing everything about the resolution. This is the easiest option.

2) A smarter script - this script would do the calculations to convert from CM to IN and send that to the resize command. The end result is no pixel dimension changes. It means some manual programming. Here's how it would work.

1) Grab Image Info
2) Grab Pixels Per Unit and Units of current image as well as the new units you want to use
3) If Units match, do nothing just silently exit (so you can ignore images that are already in Inches.
4) If Units don't match, either multiply or divide by 2.54 depending on direction of conversion
5) Send to Resize Command with percentage, 100% h x 100% w, new calculated value and new units

It would loosely look something like this

Code: Select all

from JascApp import *

def ScriptProperties():
    return {
        'Author': u'LeviFiction',
        'Copyright': u'6-7-2018',
        'Description': u'Changes resolution units of image without resizing pixel or print dimensions',
        'Host': u'PaintShop Pro',
        'Host Version': u'9.00'
        }

def Do(Environment):
    runSilent = {
                'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Silent, 
                'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.Match, 
                'Version': ((9,0,0),1)
                } #I do this to save a few lines of code.
                
    # EnableOptimizedScriptUndo
    App.Do( Environment, 'EnableOptimizedScriptUndo', {
            'GeneralSettings': runSilent
            })
    
    #Uncomment the unit you want to keep
    #NUnit = App.Constants.ResolutionUnits.PixelsPerCM #New Unit is CM
    NUnit = App.Constants.ResolutionUnits.PixelsPerIn #New Unit is Inches
    
    info = App.Do( Environment, 'ReturnImageInfo', {'GeneralSettings':runSilent})
    PPU = info['PixelsPerUnit'] * 1.0  #Make sure to allow for decimals
    CUnit = 1 if info['Unit'] == "Inches" else 2  #Change unit to either 1 for Inches or 2 for CM
    
    if CUnit != NUnit:  #If current unit does not match new unit
        if CUnit == 1: #if current unit is inches
            PPU = round(PPU / 2.54,2)  #new resolution is divided by 2.54 to become CM   e.g.  300 IN / 2.54 = 118.110 CM
        else:
            PPU = round(PPU * 2.54,2) #new resolution is multiplied by 2.45 to become IN    e.g.   118.11 * 2.54 = 300

    # Resize
    App.Do( Environment, 'Resize', {
            'AspectRatio': None, 
            'CurrentDimensionUnits': App.Constants.UnitsOfMeasure.Percent, 
            'CurrentResolutionUnits': App.Constants.ResolutionUnits.PixelsPerIn, 
            'Height': 100, 
            'MaintainAspectRatio': True, 
            'Resolution': PPU, 
            'Width': 100, 
            'GeneralSettings': runSilent
            })

[JoeB]

Thanks for getting back with this, and the script. It seems we were talking apples and oranges, which is often what happens in conversations that aren't person to person, like forums, emails and text messages.

I'll definitely be looking at the script info you provided and appreciate your taking the time to provide it. Don't be surprised if I have some questions because, as you know, while I'm very much a script enthusiast I'm also not nearly as knowledgeable about actual python scripting as I'd like to be!

By the way, it's only some forum posts where I sometimes find I'm not getting the gist of the info being provided. Your videos are very easy to follow!