Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The problem is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the scanner resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
Are your picture files bmp or tif files - if so open them in a graphics application - such as Microsoft Photo Editor and then save them as jpg files. This will usually reduce the file size to less than one tenth of the equivalent bitmap.
Graham
"John NoSpam" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
> Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The problem > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the scanner > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
> Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The problem > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the scanner > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
I scan (slides rather than prints) with high resolution (giving me lots of pixels), and do my main manipulation while I still have lots of pixels. Then I reduce to the required number of pixels, sharpen with unsharp mask carefully, then compress to JPEG carefully.
Typical example: original scan (4000 ppi) - about 20 megapixels, 60 MB. Reduced size (web-size) uncompressed image: perhaps 700 x 500 pixels, about 1 MB. Compressed JPEG: about 75 KB.
See my web site, click on (say) the Kenya gallery, click on "info", and it gives you the numbers (including Photoshop unsharp mask parameters).
You need to resize your pictures in your photo editing program. Set the resolution to 72dpi and turn on resample. You should get an image 4x6" on the screen which will display properly. In addition the file size will be much smaller (about 10%). Save as jpeg. You can also adjust the size at the same time if you don't want 4x6. The only thing that matters online is the size in pixels. Computers display at 72dpi so too see how big an image will appear divide the pixel size by 72. (Most image editing software does this calculation for you in the resize box). Printing requires about 200-300 dpi. So if you want reprints of your prints scan at 300dpi and save a copy. Then reszie to 72 and save as jpeg for the web. You will get *much* better results if you can scan your negative instead of your prints. You will need a scanner that does negatives. That's another topic..
John NoSpam wrote: > Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The problem > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the scanner > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
-- Robert D Feinman robertdfein...@netscape.net Landscapes, Cityscapes, Panoramic Photographs: http://robertdfeinman.com
> You need to resize your pictures in your photo editing program. Set the > resolution to 72dpi and turn on resample. You should get an image 4x6" on the > screen which will display properly. In addition the file size will be much > smaller (about 10%). Save as jpeg. You can also adjust the size at the same time > if you don't want 4x6. The only thing that matters online is the size in pixels. > Computers display at 72dpi so too see how big an image will appear divide the > pixel size by 72. (Most image editing software does this calculation for you in > the resize box). Printing requires about 200-300 dpi. So if you want reprints of > your prints scan at 300dpi and save a copy. Then reszie to 72 and save as jpeg > for the web.
[snip]
You are correct when you say "The only thing that matters online is the size in pixels". That is why it is best if possible to ignore anything per inch throughout the whole process if possible.
First: computer displays rarely display at 72 ppi. {Historically that was probably more common, especially with Macs). For example my laptop displays at 117 ppi, and my external monitor is currently set to about 90 ppi, both displaying the same content of course. It is perhaps best either to look at images already on the web that are the required size, and see what their size in pixels is (with IE, right click and check the properties), or decide what screens to go for (nearly half of web use is by 800 x 600 screens, and nearly all the rest are larger). Fitting it in a box 700 x 500 gives quite a generous image, which nearly everyone can see (if necessary using "full screen mode") - most on the web are probably smaller.
Second, the better photo-editing software won't talk about dpi, of course. Neither will some scanning software (such as the software I use). That is because what matters is pixels, not dots. (Dots is historical usage by some scanning experts and some scanning software, and has at least 2 very different meanings when printing, neither of which is really useful here).
My recommendation is:
- Scan at a high resolution to provide contingency for horizon-levelling, cropping and other manipulation. (If these really are not needed, then use just the right resolution).
- Edit as much as possible without resampling. Keep this edited version with for later use. When printing, the ideal software (certainly Photoshop, and Paint Shop Pro if you take some diversions) will allow inches or centimetres to be specified, and ppi can be ignored.
- Reduce to a specific size in pixels, not to a specific ppi, for web use. (After editing, there won't be a simple relationship such as a standard 72 ppi between the original ppi and the ppi that the editing software talks about - it tends to be best to resample from whatever it is after editing to whatever the target size is as pixels. Photoshop's File > Automate > Fit Image is good for this). I keep this version as a separate file (because it is here I apply sharpening). This may be about 1 MB per layer.
- Then convert to JPEG, preferably with a preview package to enable the best compression to be judged. This may be about 75 KB - good compression can often achieve at least a factor of 10.
If at all possible, use just "pixels" when talking about digital images/photographs and web images, and use just "inches" or "centimetres" when talking about physical media such as slides and prints. It is unfortunate that some packages may try to divert you into talking about ppi, (and scanning is quite likely to need ppi or dpi), but they can be confusing and involve unnecessary mathematics.
> Are your picture files bmp or tif files - if so open them in a graphics > application - such as Microsoft Photo Editor and then save them as jpg > files. This will usually reduce the file size to less than one tenth of the > equivalent bitmap.
> Graham
> "John NoSpam" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message > news:Z36V9.685392$%m4.3397828@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net... > > Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" > > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to > > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The > problem > > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in > > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on > > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the > scanner > > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
> "John NoSpam" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message > news:Z36V9.685392$%m4.3397828@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net... > > Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" > > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to > > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The problem > > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in > > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on > > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the scanner > > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
> I scan (slides rather than prints) with high resolution (giving me lots of > pixels), and do my main manipulation while I still have lots of pixels. Then I > reduce to the required number of pixels, sharpen with unsharp mask carefully, > then compress to JPEG carefully.
> Typical example: original scan (4000 ppi) - about 20 megapixels, 60 MB. Reduced > size (web-size) uncompressed image: perhaps 700 x 500 pixels, about 1 MB. > Compressed JPEG: about 75 KB.
> See my web site, click on (say) the Kenya gallery, click on "info", and it gives > you the numbers (including Photoshop unsharp mask parameters).
> "Barry Pearson" <n...@childsupportanalysis.co.uk> wrote in message > news:Z6aV9.219$Gj1.46143@newsfep1-win.server.ntli.net... > > "John NoSpam" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message > > news:Z36V9.685392$%m4.3397828@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net... > > > Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a > 4"x6" > > > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are > to > > > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The > problem > > > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb > in > > > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions > on > > > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the > scanner > > > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
> > I scan (slides rather than prints) with high resolution (giving me lots of > > pixels), and do my main manipulation while I still have lots of pixels. > Then I > > reduce to the required number of pixels, sharpen with unsharp mask > carefully, > > then compress to JPEG carefully.
> > Typical example: original scan (4000 ppi) - about 20 megapixels, 60 MB. > Reduced > > size (web-size) uncompressed image: perhaps 700 x 500 pixels, about 1 MB. > > Compressed JPEG: about 75 KB.
> > See my web site, click on (say) the Kenya gallery, click on "info", and it > gives > > you the numbers (including Photoshop unsharp mask parameters).
"John NoSpam" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message <news:Z36V9.685392$%m4.3397828@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net>... > Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The problem > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the scanner > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
I was having crappy results scanning 4x6's until I switched to glossy prints. I scan the prints at 300dpi, then resize them to fit my needs.
Sorry Karl- the pictures are high quality pics of Washington's North Cascades (aerial and via land). Using a scanner is easy. It is the process of scanning with a particular setting is my only challange. Next time you plan insult someone, please ask to see their images first hand (not via email either).
"Karl Snyder" <KarlSny...@rockymountainnp.com> wrote in message
> >> "Robert Feinman" <robertdfein...@netscape.net> wrote in message > >> news:3E2570E8.2090609@netscape.net... > >> > You need to resize your pictures .......
> >I think the original poster said he was getting crappy results from > >scanning prints.
> >So first, it might be an idea to scan the original negs (instead of > >using the prints).
> >HTH
> >Jimmie
> It might also be he has a crappy picture to scan or a crappy scanner, > not to mention an operator malfunction.
Karl Synder: The idea of this newsgroup is to help each other NOT insult people. Please remember this. *********************************************************************** ***************************************************************************
The general rule of thumb is to scan as high as your scanner will permit and downsize in software...like Photoshop or even better Adobe Image Ready which will prepare your image for web use.
"John NoSpam" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
> Hey I got a lot of nice outdoor nature pics, but everytime I scan a 4"x6" > print, it comes out like crap. The only way to get nice ones so far are to > set the resolution. These pics will need to go on my Website. The problem > is that these High res (300 dpi) pics are huge in size - at least 250kb in > size. Dial up users will go insane downloading these. Any suggestions on > how to get high quality res pics for my website without setting the scanner > resolution high? Let me know.... Thanks!
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