Scaling Screen Shots

[skootodd webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

I am reworking the documentation for our business application, and need to re-do screenshots. Last time I had difficulty re-sizing the captures. The application's forms (windows) are heavy on labels and entry fields and don't scale well in GIF or JPG. They average about 600 x 400px; and I'd like to get them readable at 50-75% of that. Typical output is laser from pdf via Word, but the same shots are used in a Help file (complied HTML pages). Full size images are bad enough in print, but for a help file they are a real problem. Scaling with FW (and other apps and settings I've tried) typically tears the text and ghosts the fields and borders.

Anyone with publishing experience have any tips on capture resolution and re-sizing? I've tried about every approach, but with a 350+ page manual and generally at least one shot per page, I'd like better control on re-sizing while keeping the readability.

Suggestions?

Todd



Referring URLs
[url]http://www.enterpriselogix.com/mrp.htm[/url]

[TG]

I am reworking the documentation for our business application, and need to
re-do screenshots. Last time I had difficulty re-sizing the captures. The
application's forms (windows) are heavy on labels and entry fields and don't
scale well in GIF or JPG. They average about 600 x 400px; and I'd like to
get them readable at 50-75% of that. Typical output is laser from pdf via
Word, but the same shots are used in a Help file (complied HTML pages). Full
size images are bad enough in print, but for a help file they are a real
problem. Scaling in the apps and settings I've tried typically tears the
text and ghosts the fields and borders.

Sample shots at: [url]www.enterpriselogix.com/mrp.htm[/url] .

Anyone with publishing experience have any tips on capture resolution and
re-sizing? I've tried about every approach, but with a 350+ page manual and
generally at least one shot per page, I'd like better control on re-sizing
while keeping the readability.

Suggestions?

Todd

[Ilya Razmanov]

"skootodd" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:bl4bns$ino$1@forums.macromedia.com...

> I am reworking the documentation for our business application, and need to

re-do screenshots. Last time I had difficulty re-sizing the captures. The
application's forms (windows) are heavy on labels and entry fields and don't
scale well in GIF or JPG. They average about 600 x 400px; and I'd like to
get them readable at 50-75% of that. Typical output is laser from pdf via
Word, but the same shots are used in a Help file (complied HTML pages). Full
size images are bad enough in print, but for a help file they are a real
problem. Scaling with FW (and other apps and settings I've tried) typically
tears the text and ghosts the fields and borders.

>
> Anyone with publishing experience have any tips on capture resolution and

re-sizing? I've tried about every approach, but with a 350+ page manual and
generally at least one shot per page, I'd like better control on re-sizing
while keeping the readability.

>
> Suggestions?
>
> Todd

For print, do not resample at all. Take the screenshot of highest possible
size, in pixels, and reassign resolution to higher value so they fit into
particular size, in inches (yet the pixel count does not change).

For screen output, if you need 50% size EXACTLY, try using "Neares
neighbour" interpolation. For others, try "Bilinear instead of "Bicubic".
Try sharpening images after resampling. You may also try sharpening before
resampling. In the end, you may use stair interpolation - that is, resample
in several small steps rather than one big one, with some sharpening in
between.

Ilyich.
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[url]http://photoshop.msk.ru/[/url] - Photoshop plug-in filters
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