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newb question: help with using scale tool

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tonyngo401

Technical User
Jul 29, 2004
1
US
is there a way to actually blow up a picture without making it blurry after using the scale tool to make it bigger?
 
>>It needs to increased in Photoshop to keep any sort of resolution.<<

Be careful about advising someone who doesn't understand that Illustrator is a vector program to do this.

tonyngo

Photoshop has the ability to increase the dimensions of a raster image such as a photo, but in the process, decreases the resolution (resolution and size are inversely proportional - as you increase dimensions, the existing pixels are spread further apart i.e. lower resolution). To some extent, you can maintain resolution if you are prepared to let Photoshop 'guess' what colour to make the new pixels (which is what it must do to increase resolution) and the results are not always pretty. It depends somewhat on the complexity of the image and the range of colours, and by how much you are trying to increase dimensions. So unless the photo initially has an very high resolution, then increasing size will lower resolution too much to get a decent clear print of it.

Putting some numbers on this.... say the original image has a resolution of 200 dpi. If you double its size, its resolution will drop to half that - 100 dpi. To get a decent print from a typical desktop laser or inkjet, you need around 200 dpi. To get a decent print from a commercial offset press, you need 300 dpi. But if the original has a resolution of 400 dpi, then doubling its size will reduce resolution to 200 dpi - still perfectly acceptable for home printing. But if your original image has a resolution of just 72 dpi (as most images off the web are), then forget trying to increase its size. It will look terrible (very pixelated) even if printed at original size.
 
Be careful about advising someone who doesn't understand that Illustrator is a vector program to do this. "


>>> Maybe I'm being a bit harsh here, but isn't this forum's slogan "Technical Work Forums for Computer Professionals"?

I think this site is intended for such people, or at least users of a intermediate ability, so as to keep the focus of questions at a higher level. Is this the case?

Perhaps someone who doesn't yet understand the difference between a vector and raster imaging program would probably be better served at a site such as illustratorworld.com or photoshoptechniques.com.

regards,
mc

 
mc

I'm not sure what you are arguing about. It's fairly obvious that the original poster doesn't understand the difference between a vector and raster program if they are asking why the AI scale tool makes an enlarged raster image blurry. I think advising such a person to use Photoshop to do the job is misleading if the person then expects to be able to enlarge without getting a 'blurry' image.

>>I think this site is intended for such people, or at least users of a intermediate ability, so as to keep the focus of questions at a higher level. Is this the case?<<

I don't agree. I think there are many people who come to these forums (not just AI, but many of the other software-specific forums) who are total 'newbies'. And if this is obvious, they need to be pointed in the right direction. I think if you try and get some sort of 'exclusivity' in that posters can only be "at least users of a intermediate ability", then the activity of the forum would slow to a trickle.
 
Eggles:
I agree with you 100%.
But I still think doing this in Photoshop is the best method apart from third party products like Spline etc. It is always a tricky process to enlarge something while keeping the quality in tack.
I was guessing the original post was only going to enlarge by a small amount instead of making a banner out of a postage stamp.
I was also under the impression that the original post didn't want to re scan the image, (which would be the correct procedure).
as for MC's post.
I would suggest this is a great forum for intermediate and beginners, as the people in these forums, check their egos at the door, unlike some forums, and are more than helpful in regards to beginners.
Always remember MC, that you were a beginner once.

Marcus
 
Thanks Marcus in Maryborough from Lyn in Melbourne.

One problem with many forums is that the original posters don't provide enough info to make a fully informed response. Was he trying to enlarge a postage stamp into a poster, or just tweak it by 10%? Who knows? I tend to cover all bases in such a situation - and/or ask a lot of questions first. :)
 
Look, I wasn't trying to put anyone down or anything. You can see that I have provided some links to other sites which may also help this person.

Yes Stringer, I can certainly remember when I was a beginner, and I only wish I knew about such forums then.(sigh!)

When I registered on this forum, I vaguely remember being queried about my profession in the registration form. I got the impression that this was to at least certify that I had some basic understanding of how these programs work.

Sorry if I got the wrong impression.

Cheers,
mc
 
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