Image Resizing tool

Joseph DiPerla · Tue 13/05/2008 18:20:52

I have several images at 250x187 resolution in pixels and I wanted to convert it to 800x640. Is there any free utility that can do that and leave the quality to look great??? Everytime I resize an image it looks like crap...

Nacho · Tue 13/05/2008 18:25:14

I guess your best bet is to resize them chaning the size of the pixels and then use some kind of anti aliasing system, otherwise than that, I don' t think you are going to get some program that "magically refills that gaps between pixels" with new, "sensible placed" ones...

Even with that, I still think that the result will be quite crappy. Pixels are pixels, and if you make them bigger, you are not going to discover a new world of information, like happens in CSI when they zoom a shitty security cam image.

Becky · Tue 13/05/2008 18:29:31

You're asking it to invent information that isn't there. That's not going to work.

GarageGothic · Tue 13/05/2008 18:54:37

You will not gain any image quality by scaling up an image. As Nacho and Becky have noted it's impossible to recreate "lost" pixel data, and most times you will just end up with a blurry, larger version of the image.

However, if you absolutely need to use an higher resolution image (for example for print) and only have a lo-res source file, there are interpolation methods which can sharpen the final image to create the illusion of more pixel data. The commercial products GenuineFractals and Alienskin Blowup claim to do this much better than Photoshop's built-in resizing and sharpening functions. But their example images should definitely be taken with a grain of salt.

Also, 250x187 is a tiny format. Depending on the motive of course, but I doubt you can retrieve enough pixels for proper interpolation.

Pumaman · Tue 13/05/2008 19:50:03

Quote from: GarageGothic on Tue 13/05/2008 18:54:37
You will not gain any image quality by scaling up an image. As Nacho and Becky have noted it's impossible to recreate "lost" pixel data, and most times you will just end up with a blurry, larger version of the image.

No, you can then zoom in and reconstruct the missing data. Any good movie or CTU agent can tell you that.

Nacho is simply an unbeliever.

LimpingFish · Tue 13/05/2008 19:52:35

What about that thing somebody linked to a while back? SteveMcCrea?

It was an online tool to convert bitmap images into vector ones, or something. Might be worth trying out.

EDIT: This.

SSH · Tue 13/05/2008 20:05:19

Just pay the pron site's subscription, Joseph, and then you'll get full-size images and not just thumbnails

Joseph DiPerla · Tue 13/05/2008 21:08:12

Quote from: SSH on Tue 13/05/2008 20:05:19
Just pay the pron site's subscription, Joseph, and then you'll get full-size images and not just thumbnails

Funny.

Thanks guys for the replies. I will check out those links above and let you all know if they worked well enough... Thanks!

skuttleman · Tue 13/05/2008 21:09:03

Quote from: SSH on Tue 13/05/2008 20:05:19
Just pay the pron site's subscription, Joseph, and then you'll get full-size images and not just thumbnails

People who pay for porn (or pron) are suckers.

InCreator · Wed 14/05/2008 02:19:42

I think can see how Blowup and Genuinefractals work -- posterizing edges of different colors heavily and blurring contrast groups, adding grain... But none replaces data that isn't there in first place.

Whenever possible, still have your photos bigger than needed, and never smaller than needed. Plugin magic or not, scaling up is never good and rarely has any quality.

QuotePeople who pay for porn (or pron) are suckers.

True too.