Image size for full screen?

[snapshots photo]

I just presented a show to a customer who says the images are appearing really small on her screen. I re-sized the images before importing them into PTE as instructed....to make the show run. But there must be a size that will keep them fairly large on the exe that the customer gets? Am I missing something?

Thanks,

Terri

[think(box)]

Terri, watch out for ultra-perfectionism here among the other pro photographers, but PTE has a feature in Project options --> Screen --> Fit to screen that together with "Use smoothing" will always make your images full-screen. It works very well to make images the same at all screen settings, except where objects have been placed with the visual object editor. The objects will get smaller at higher screen area settings. I have used this feature extensively and find that as long as one of these two conditions applies, it will work very well:

• You have fairly high res originals, 800x600 or larger in your slideshow
  
• You are looking for only a small amount of enlargement, regardless of original size
  

What this feature allows you to do is present the same fullscreen appearance regardless of a customer's screen area setting at time of presentation. If you are there with the customer you probably don't have to worry about image theft, so putting higher res images on your CD and playing from CD keeps it safe.

See if this fits your needs.

[snapshots photo]

Bill,

Thanks for the help. But did I miss something? You commented on the images being "safe" if I was there with the customer? If I used the disable print screen, etc. option, doesn't that keep the images TOTALLY safe from being copied?? Am I confused, or is there some way around this program that would allow the customer access to these to either print or copy?

Thanks,

Terri

[think(box)]

There is always a way to steal your photography, regardless of the very many protective features, even watermarks. Your only true protection is to give out only low-res photos (very small) in slideshows that you distribute for review. You can also modify the photo by placing the studio name on the picture covering less important content, such that theft is not attractive. In this case a higher res picture is better protected.

[alrobin]

I just presented a show to a customer who says the images are appearing really small on her screen. ..... Am I missing something?

Hi, Terry,

The reason for your images appearing small on your client's screen is most likely because the pixel size (resolution) of her screen is set much higher than the size of your images. You have probably reduced the size of the images too much.

At the risk of being included in with Bill's "ultra-perfectionists", my advice is that you should enlarge your images (by either re-scanning, or re-photographing at a higher image size (in pixels) unless, of course, you still have the original un-compressed images and they are larger than the size you have used in your show). To what size did you resize the images? The show should still run with images at up to 1024 x 768 pixels, unless there are other reasons for it not appearing smooth, such as other programs running at the same time, running from a slow CD, trying to run transitions too close together, etc.

Alternatively, you could ask your client to please resize her monitor so she can see your beautiful images in all the clarity and detail that they deserve.

It won't help to use the "fit to screen" feature here, since, as you have already stated, the images on your client's monitor appear "really small".

[snapshots photo]

Al,

Thank you for the response. I'm still trying to figure this program out, although have learned a TON from your tutorial!! What an awesome help! If I'd watched that FIRST, I'm sure I'd have had fewer silly questions and problems in the beginning.

The size issue~ When I was having problems in the beginning, I was told by someone in the group to resize them to about 800 x 600, but that appears to make them too tiny. I shoot a Fuji S2, which cranks out a file about 4000 x 3500, so some resizing is necessary, but just how small to make it run smoothly, allow for adequate viewing, and still not allow good resloution for copying or reproduction?

I am a little dissapointed in the fact that these images are not copyright protected. I have been turning out these CD shows for digital proofing for weddings and senior portraits, thinking they were safe. What is the glitch? And how can people get around it? I guess I'll have to go through and add some copyright indication on each slide? Perhaps to a batch thing in Photoshop?

This forum is the greatest thing since sliced bread!!

Thanks again,

Terri Shaver

[alrobin]

Terri,

The "glitch" is that there are so many ways to get around the PTE protection that it is hardly worth using it. The only advantage is as a small deterrent to some people who may not know about these other ways. (namely various screen-capture techniques). When it comes right down to it, one can still photograph the screen with a digital camera and have a fairly respectable image, although the resolution and contrast suffer somewhat.

As Bill says, if you must use high-res images, a watermark is the best protection, but even this can be circumvented. A large watermark across the entire image is best, but not so appealing to your clients. There are watermark techniques which look transparent, but can still be seen. However, we can't "have our cake and eat it too" in this case, as the saying goes.

There are various techniques for embedding a code in your digital image so that even if it is cropped, the code can still be detected. This adds a bit of noise to your image, and is really only good as proof that someone has "stolen" your image if you catch them later. It might act as a deterrent, though, depending on what your clients are doing with the images they take. (see Digimarc - it is a plug-in filter in Photoshop now. )

A last resort might be to place a note at the bottom of each photo saying "This photo is protected against theft by the new Robinson auto-internet-notification system. If you attempt to copy it, a message to the website of the photographer will be automatically initiated."

[think(box)]

Terri,

A last resort might be to place a note at the bottom of each photo saying "This photo is protected against theft by the new Robinson auto-internet-notification system.   If you attempt to copy it, a message to the website of the photographer will be automatically initiated."    

I like that last creative solution Al !

The sad truth is that it will indeed discourage some fraction of the population. Just be sure the warning looks legit.

[Guest guru]

Bill, do you like better this message?

"These photos are protected against theft by a new auto-running virus. If you attempt to copy any of them, the virus will be activated and all your data will be deleted"

[ronwil]

Great solutions. They remind me of my local authority's solution to a rat-run they had created in my road by closing an adjoining road where one of their cronies lived. They painted "SLOW" on the road just outside my home. How the regular abusers took notice. And How!

Enjoy yourselves with some more novel ideas. Fortunately I have no such problems. I don't consider my images worth copying. See my website.

Ron [uK]

[think(box)]

A virus threat ... That will deter many potential thieves thanks to the cakewalk that Microsoft has set up for virus writers today and the resultant public paranoia!

And Ron, not that any of us would agree that your photography isn't worth copying, that is one good solution!

It's amusing how much this topic thread has morphed from the original Image size for full screen?