Morning Mist

[Thorniest Whisper]

Hi Nanna! Now I get to enjoy your work in two places!

Very Nice shot.

Thorni

 

[nannabug]

Well howdy, Thorni! I didn't realize you were a member here! I shall have to seek out some of your work here.

 

[bogleric]

What program are you using to "downsize" your files?

 

[nannabug]

What program are you using to "downsize" your files?

Currently, Paint Shop Pro 8.1
Prior to that, I was using PictureIt 2001 that came with my 'puter.

 

[Harpper]

Thanks for the tip, bogleric. You're probably correct. My scanner is not that great. But I think the greatest loss of quality I have is from downsizing my files. Any suggestions on how to maintain quality without have a HUGE picture to download?

Hi nannabug. The main reason I'm bringing this thread up again is to try and help you get less grainy pictures. I've seen your other pictures and they are great like this one. It's just a shame that you don't do them justice because your pictures come out grainy on the forum. I'm going to give it a shot and see if I can fix your problem.

Bogleric is right. If you reduce your picture size in measurement(not talking about file size) then you'll get less grainy or pixelated pictures. On the other hand if that's the actual measurements of the pictures and all you did was compress it more to reduce the file size then it'll become more grainy.

My guess would be it's your scanner. What dpi are you scanning at? Try scanning at 600 dpi or above. Although I must warn you that the higher you set the dpi the longer it might take depending on your scanner. Set it at the highest dpi you have patience for, but the higher the better. Although if you have a crappy scanner then it may still be somewhat grainy.

Don't be alarmed if the pictures are HUGE! You'll need all those pixels in order to get a good picture when you reduce the measurements. After you finish scanning the picture then try reducing them in your Paint Shop program. I'm not familar with it so I don't know if it's causing your problem. You can also try using Microsoft Paint to compare. I believe it comes free with all versions of Windows...I think. It's usually located in your start menu under "program" > "acessories" > "paint".

In Paint just open the file you want to reduce and then go to the "image" menu. Then select "strech/skew" and use the stretch percentage. Type in something like 25% for both horizontal and vertical and then save it. For example I reduced a 4.41 MB picture with measurements of 3072x2048 pixels to a 89.3 KB picture with measurements of 768x512 pixels. That's a huge reduction and the picture is still very clear. And the best thing is that Paint is free so everyone on this forum can use it. Some of the pictures on this forum are very large measurement wise. I have broadband so I don't care about file size.

Anyway, let me know if I've help you at all.

 

[Harpper]

Here is an example of what I'm talking about. I've reduced the picture making it look a little less grainy. Although it won't completely disappear because the original on this forum is very grainy. I've posted both pictures below so you can compare the two...

 

[nannabug]

Why thank you so much, Harpper! I appreciate your taking the time to offer assistance. I've copied and saved your advice to try out next time I downsize. Very kind of you.

 

[Harpper]

No problem. There's a lot of helpful and friendly people on this forum. I've already learned quit a bit of photography with my short stay here, so I just wanted to return the favor with something I know a little about. Anyway let me know if it worked. You can always PM me if you are having problems. I can't gurantee I'll solve it but I'll try.

 

[altyfc]

Lovely shot. Forgive my ignorance, but what's alfalfa?

Aaron

 

[nannabug]

Aaron, alfalfa is a forage crop that can be cut and baled into hay for feeding to livestock. Very high in protein, and it is actually is a soil enricher by fixing nitrogen in the soil. Have you ever had those little sprouts on your tossed salad? They were, more than likely, alfalfa sprouts. For maximum nutritional value in hay, the alfalfa should be cut right before the buds open to full bloom. Sometimes, due to weather conditions, it can't be cut until it is in full flower. What is lost in quality is repaid by the glorious fragrance that lingers in the air! Very delightful and sweet, like sweet clover or lavender in bloom. Now... that is probably is more than you ever wanted or needed to know about alfalfa.