Resize a sequence

[denis]

With the various size formats now required by the new generation of digital projectors can an option be included to provide the resizing of a sequence without the necessity to create a new file, copy and paste the images to it to allow their resizing to the required size followed by the necessity to reprogramme and create a new sequence to meet the new projector specifications? For example ones own projector may well require 1024x768 whereas some competions now require sequences with a digital image sizes 1620x1080 or 1400x1050.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I've just re-sized 20+ of my old shows, IMO there is no easy way. You need to go back to your original raw files (you have saved them haven't you?)& re-size them to (in my instance 1920x1080. ). However I did find that re-cropping the originals was a challenge to not lose any of the detail used in the original crop, as they were composed for the squarer format. On the plus side, my editing skills had improved since I did the originals so I think the new versions are an improvement.

Yachtsman1.

[fh1805]

I now build all my new sequences to 1920x1080 because that is the way the world is going. TVs and computer monitors are now nearly all 1920x1080 native resolution. Digital projectors are moving in that direction, driven by the demands of "home cinema". As for cameras: they cannot make up their mind what aspect ratio and image size they want us to use so they give us every conceivable option. Result? Total confusion!

My general advice would be to build for the largest you think you will need and let the other computer/projector combinations downsize "on the fly". I find that most hardware/software can do a reasonable job of downsizing and still retain the quality.

There is one "however" however: you mentioned competitions. Presumably you want to give your sequence the very best chance of winning? Therefore you have no option but to do a complete redesign and rebuild to meet the precise demands of each competition. Or do you? Are those sizes, in fact, telling you what the spec of the projector is going to be rather than an insistence on those exact sizes. Although I do not enter competitions, I firmly believe that some of the "rules" they set, such as image size, are actually unenforceable. Once the images are locked away in the EXE file, the competition organisers have no way of knowing how big each image really is.

Peter

[davegee]

...... Digital projectors are moving in that direction........

Peter

They arrived here in camera clubs etc around two or more years ago - 1920x1080 is standard.

DG

[fh1805]

Dave,

When I wrote that I was thinking more of the individual consumer rather than a club. Organisations in the UK, certainly here in my part, tend to seek grant-aided funding for major investments such as new computers and new projectors.

Peter

[davegee]

I agree Peter,

But the point is that we now have to cater for the highest resolution that things are going to be shown on - and not the lowest (or even our own projectors).

It's been that way for some time.

DG

[Barry Beckham]

Peter

Exactly what I have said time and time again, they are rules for rules sake. I have entered a few AV competitions in the past three years and all sequences were submitted at 1920*1200. When I went to a screening, my show was around 30MB, but a similer length one that came next was160MB, so image size is meaningless, but it doesn't stop the rulemakers.

One rule I saw here said that images must be saved at jpeg level 12 for any entered slide shows. What a load of nonsense, like you said, they have no way of knowing once its made so why make the rules. We have to forgive these numbnuts for they know not what they do.

I suppose It all rather depends on what type/style of Audio Visual that you like to create, but there is a case to say, make your slide show 16:9, but make it even higher resolution than 1920*1080. So you build in some protection for when resolutions increase further. ( I already have a Dell monitor running 2560 x 1440 ). Then our older shows will not look quite so puny as the 1024 pixels ones did when we saw them on large flat screens. Having said that we all move on usually and gradually increase size over time.

[neilj]

I gave up re-sizing images for slide shows some time ago and now simply add the full size image to the timeline. Why?, because I discovered that with a little care to select the correct level of sharpening for the full size image there is barely any difference in the final show if PTE is allowed to resize for the final output.

The downside is large exe files, but our computers are powerful enough to cope with that. The upside is less work and the ability to produce a show for any screen size, or for multiple screen sizes, in the project options/screen tab without having to remake the original show. Even the animation is perfectly re-sized too.

It's worth remembering that your next monitor/projector will inevitably have a higher resolution than the one you bought just yesterday so upsizing shows will potentially be a never ending task if each show has to be re-made from scratch..

Neil

[Ken Cox]

Neil

right on

take the pictures properly in the first place and let PTE do the rest

ken

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I gave up re-sizing images for slide shows some time ago and now simply add the full size image to the timeline. Why?, because I discovered that with a little care to select the correct level of sharpening for the full size image there is barely any difference in the final show if PTE is allowed to resize for the final output.

The downside is large exe files, but our computers are powerful enough to cope with that. The upside is less work and the ability to produce a show for any screen size, or for multiple screen sizes, in the project options/screen tab without having to remake the original show. Even the animation is perfectly re-sized too.

It's worth remembering that your next monitor/projector will inevitably have a higher resolution than the one you bought just yesterday so upsizing shows will potentially be a never ending task if each show has to be re-made from scratch..

Neil

Hi Neilj

You are making a lot of assumptions & assertions there, and I assume take perfect photographs every time? IMO one of the joys of digital photography is manipulating the image out of the camera & ending up with something you have created. One of the stages of this manipulation is cropping & re-sizing. As the size of the majority of DSLR camera images are 3-2 & the modern range of TV's & Computers are 16-9, cropping & re-sizing is the way to achieve a reasonably sized end product that can be stored easily & fits the medium it is to be shown on. I can't find anything on here that you have published, so I am unable to assess what you have produced. Most serious photographers use Raw when taking their images, if you are using Jpeg of a low image quality, you may well be able to acheive a reasonably sized show, or maybe you just make shows for your own consumption? I don't know. Maybe if you posted one of your efforts on here, it may better illustrate your point. I didn't reply to your post immediately it appeared as I was editing a large number of images for the latest show I've re-sized from 4-3 to 16-9. It's finished now so I've spent a little time assessing your method. Frankly it's not for me, it would bore me to death. I've produced a few images to illustrate both our methods using the various PTE size formats. Finally, your broad statement that "but our computers are powerful enough to cope with that" is a nonesense, not everyone who uses PTE wants to or can afford to keep up with the technology race.

Yachtsman1

[neilj]

Eric

Of course I take perfect photographs every time - don't you?

Perhaps it would help if I describe more fully. From the original raw file I create a full size jpeg, quality 12. Using a Nikon D7000 at 16 megapixels this creates a file which is 8.5mb compressed and 46mb when opened. I place the full size file 3:2 format into the timeline. I'm making 16:9 1920x1080 shows so I need to crop the image, I do that in the objects and animations tab. It has the advantage that I can crop and animate both at the same time. Having done that with every slide I have a show that I can output at any size just by going to the project options/screen tab and changing the size. Useful for changing shows for odd various sized club projectors or entering competitions on those 1400x1050 machines.

The resulting exe files can be hundreds of megabytes. Yes, the size is part of the reason you have not seen any of my work posted here, but I read your other posts about dowload sizes so I guess you wouldn't wait to download one of my shows even if I did post one.

On the technology side the animation has always needed more resources than the absolute file size. I've not yet had a problem running large file sizes on any machine that was capable of running the animation.

Since photography became digital we have been overwhelmed by rules and workflows. Though some are essential others are inefficient and can be greatly simplified by thinking outside the box. Simplification does not automatically equate to loss of quality.

Neil

[davegee]

Neil,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your argument.

I took a long look at some of my shows and assessed the size necessary to create shows at the limits of what I had done before.

This told me that, apart from rare occasions, I was using no more than 200% zoom into an image.

Couple this with the size of existing projectors (and TV screens) and you come up with a figure of 3840x2560 for my 3:2 images.

That can easily be acheived by batching and the resulting images can, as you say, be inserted into a PTE show and still fit my requirement for 200% zooming.

In my case it means a saving of, on average, 2 Mb per image over a full size 100% quality Jpeg from the same original (25% saving).

In your case it would be more like 33%.

Go one step further and reduce the quality to something like 80% (which my images SEEM to cope well with) and the savings (in my case) become more like 75%. A 100Mb show becomes 25Mb (based on all JPEGS - no video).

What I am suggesting takes no time to accomplish - a simple batch process which re-sizes and saves at 80% quality reduces the overall file size (images) to 25% of the full size 100% quality figure. It should take no longer than about 10 minutes.

You have to ask yourself how quickly you see projectors and TV screens increasing in resolution - my guess is that it won't be next year and that 2560x1440 projectors are going to be beyond the reach of all but Lottery winners for a year or two more.

But, once again, there is nothing wrong with your philosophy.

DG

[neilj]

Dave,

It's worth thinking about. Images at 80% quality would certainly reduce file sizes, but as you say 'go one more step', that's just what I'm trying not to do. And do I really want a folder of 80% images on my hard drive alongside a folder of 100% versions of the same images. I already fill drives very quickly.

Each generation of technology emerges faster and cheaper than the last. 4k displays and projectors are almost ready to launch and you may not need to be a lottery winner to own one sooner than you think.

Neil

[davegee]

Why have both 100% and 80% versions?

I'm refering to Batch Processing from RAW to re-sized 80% JPEGs.

In my case the RAW is 25Mb and the JPEGs are around 2.5 Mb.

DG

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Yes, the size is part of the reason you have not seen any of my work posted here, but I read your other posts about dowload sizes so I guess you wouldn't wait to download one of my shows even if I did post one.

Is a cop out, come on knock something up 50MB or under & I promise I'll download it, make sure it has full size images & animation & we'll run a poll to check how many members can view it without any distorsion.

Yachtsman1

[Lmoreels]

Hi Folks,

For file size: I work with Lightroom now. When my pictures are ready ( in RAW), make a group with the pictures you need and export them in the jpg size you want.

Save also your export in your presets. Save the jpg's with your pte file. No need to save more, all is present in Lightroom.

If you need an other size make a new export, it is done in a few click's.

Luc M

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