RESIZING PICTURES FOR DISPLAY IN THE PI (projected image) COMP

This article was kindly written by Pete Davies and I hope it helps with the resizing of images etc.

RESIZING PICTURES FOR DISPLAY IN THE PI (projected image) COMP

If you want to enter some pictures in the digital comp at Waverley CC then here is what you do.
These instructions are for Photoshop, I apologise if you dont have PS but the theory is the same and the actual instructions should be similar whatever program you use.

First select the photo you want to enter and do all the work in Photoshop that you would normally do to it, such as cropping, straightening etc…

NOW SAVE YOUR WORK.

This is very important. Up til now you have been working on an image that is roughly 8 x 12 inches (depending on your camera) and if you continue on with the steps we are about to do without saving you will end up with an image that is too small to print should you decide you ever want to do so.

Have you saved your image? Good. Don’t close the file because we are about to resize it so that it conforms to the PI rules.

For this example lets say that the image you have just saved is 8 x 12 inches in size at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch. That would be perfect to print out and frame but it’s too large a file for the PI comp.

At 300 pixels/inch an image which is 8 inches high is 2400 pixels high. (8 x 300 = 2400)And so an image which is 12 inches wide is 3600 pixels wide. (12 x 300 = 3600)So in terms of pixels your image is 2400 x 3600.

The digital projector we use can only output 1024 pixels across and 768 pixels from top to bottom. This 1024 x 768 resolution is known as xga resolution and is based on the same number of pixels found in the old crt monitors. As technology improves and becomes more affordable we will probably move to High Definition which is 1920 x 1080 pixels but for the foreseeable future 1024 and 768 are the numbers you need to know.

To resize your large image go to the IMAGE menu in the tool bar and scroll down to IMAGE SIZE. If you are using a newer version of PS the short cut is Alt+Ctrl+I. A new dialogue box will open up and it’s in here that we make the necessary changes.
For the example I am using an image which is 8 inches high x 12 inches wide and 300 pixels/inch.

Make sure that the constrain proportions box and the resample image boxes are ticked. You will find these boxes at the bottom left of the dialogue box. Having these boxes checked will ensure that when the picture is resized both dimensions will be resized proportionally thus maintaining the picture’s aspect ratio.

To make this file smaller go to the top part of the dialogue box marked pixel dimensions and change the width figure of 3600 to 1024. Doing this will automatically change the height figure to 683 pixels.

Once you have changed the width to 1024 pixels go to the drop down box at the very bottom of the dialogue box. It probably says Bicubic. If you are using a newer version of PS you will have the option of Bicubic Smoother and Bicubic Sharper. If you do then choose Bicubic Sharper. If Bicubic is the only choice you have then that’s fine.

You will notice that the image is now 3.413 inches wide and 2.276 inches high and if you look at the top of the dialogue box you will see that the file size is now 2.00M. Before the resizing it was 24.7M so it is a significantly smaller file.Why is the image now 3.413 inches wide I hear you ask? Well the image is now 1024 pixels wide still with 300 pixels per inch. 1024 divided by 300 equals 3.413. Too small to be printed but perfect for what we want.

Click OK to make the change. The dialogue box will disappear and the file on screen will appear to shrink in size. Hit Ctrl+0 (zero) to maximise the file on screen. Have a good look at the picture and make sure you are happy with it. When you are SAVE AS.

DO NOT USE SAVE.

SAVE and SAVE AS operate slightly differently. Choosing SAVE AS will create a new file which is what we want because we do not want to lose the large 8 x 12 file which we may want to print someday.

A new dialogue box will appear when you choose SAVE AS. Select the location where you want this new file to be kept.

Name the file like this:WCCxxyy-MM-Title.jpeg where xx is the month of the competition, yy is the year and MM is the members two digit membership number.

For example Pete (who is member number 14) wants to enter the June comp in 2009 with a picture called ”Stunner” and another picture called ”Awesome”.He would name his files like this:

WCC0609-14A-Stunner.jpeg
WCC0609-14B-Awesome.jpeg

The A after the member number is simply the first of his two allowed images and B is the second.

Under the FORMAT drop down box select jpeg.

Hit OK to save.When you do this another dialogue box will appear asking you how much compression you want to apply to the file. Choose a number from 10 to 12 in the quality box and hit OK.

That’s it! You’re done.

All you have to do now is email your pictures to comp@waverleycameraclub.org by the deadline.

Up to 2 images can be submitted per comp and they can be either colour, monochrome or creative/experimental. There is only one digital comp which means that all styles will be competing against each other.

In the example above the final image size turns out to be 1024 x 683 pixels. It’s not 1024 x 768 but that’s absolutely fine. If we were to make the image 768 pixels high it would scale the side to side measurement to 1151 pixels across which is too big and will be rejected.

If you have a picture that is portrait format then the process is exactly the same except when you change the pixel dimensions. Instead of changing the width as we did in the example above we have to change the height.

As a rule of thumb you should always change the longest dimension. If the longest dimension is the width that means the picture is in the landscape format and you should change the pixel dimension to 1024.If the height is the longest dimension then you need to change it to 768 pixels high. If you follow the steps outlined above then a 2400 pixel (8 inch wide) x 3600 pixel (12 inch high) image will be scaled down to 768 high x 512 wide.Where it gets a little tricky is when you have an image which is square or nearly square. If your image is square then you will need to resize it to 768 pixels high. This will result in an image which is 768 x 768. If you resize it to 1024 x 1024 it will be rejected for being too large.

The maximum size for any image is 1024 wide x 768 high.

Workshop for July

The workshop tonight (Tue) will no longer have 4 club selection as scheduled. We now have all the entries as digital files and we will be putting together a selection panel who will simply go through the images online and make the selections from there.
The geo tagging will still take place and we will be going through naming and resizing of digital files as well.


To fill in the rest of the time I thought we should do some more still life photography. Not the sound triggered flash stuff we did upstairs but the cameras that were posed in the back room downstairs. Those of you who were there at the last still life workshop will know what sort of things to bring.


BRING YOUR CAMERA AND TRIPOD.
BRING SOMETHING TO SHOOT – BE IT A BUNCH OF FLOWERS OR A PAIR OF SOCKS,
WHATEVER TAKES YOUR FANCY.
BRING SOME LIGHTS IN THE FORM OF DESK LAMPS, TORCHES ETC…
IF YOU CAN BRING SOMETHING TO USE AS A BACKDROP.


Last time we did this only two people turned up with any of the above items (apart from cameras).


If the same two people are the only ones to do so again we will have to take it as a sign that you are not interested in this sort of activity and will not be programming these kinds of shoots again.
See you there,
Pete

Warragul National

A few members ventured out to Warragul on Sunday to see the Warragul CC National Exhibition, here’s Pete’s account of it.

A few members ventured on over to Warragul to have a look at the Warragul Camera Club’s 37th National Photographic Competition last Sunday and enjoyed viewing the acceptances on display.

Congratulations to Tuck and Leif who both had acceptances being exhibited.
The mystery that seems to surround these “Nationals” was explained to those who were there and the next National in Pakenham should see some more members of Waverley entering into competition. For a gold coin donation you can’t get much more of a photography exhibition, the standard was generally excellent and there were plenty of images to look at.


After the exhibition Dave, Philip, Beth, Leif and I hit the road (in glorious sunshine) and headed for Noojee. By the time we got there it had been raining for 15 minutes (Noojee is only 30 mins from Warragul) but when we stopped at the trestle bridge the sun was almost peeking out again. A few shots of the bridge and into town to the Latrobe river and then on home. The light was poor so it was an opportunity to concentrate on composition and see how much could be rescued in Photoshop. On the way home I stopped to do a panorama using Peter Myers pistol grip tripod – an interesting experience! I stitched eight pics together in this shot. Once again a most enjoyable afternoon.

Pete.

Click on images to view larger versions

Member of the Month – Warren Knower

This is a new idea that I had for the BLOG, a member of the month. At one of the club judging nights, someone said to me who is Warren Knower and it got me thinking about whether we all actually know each other well enough. This article is for those of us who can’t attend every meeting, it is difficult enough with our ever changing membership to keep up with who is who so if we have a member of the month article it will help identify these elusive people and tell us more about who they are, what they do and where they are going. I hope you enjoy the new article and I would ask that you will provide feedback regarding this either by comments at the bottom of the post or an email to me at the editors address.

As you may have already guessed, this month it is Warren Knower as the featured member. I think you’ll agree when you’ve read this that Warren has done a fantastic job of his article.

Hi everyone,

When Dave asked me to write something for the blog I was more than happy to agree as I think the blog is a fantastic resource and something we should all support! But before I start telling you about myself I would just like to say how much I enjoyed last Tuesday nights (7/7) club competition. After the stress of finalising and handing in my folio last month (see below) I have had camera fatigue (is that possible?) and have not pressed the shutter for over three weeks. However after being inspired by the work I saw on Tuesday night, especially in the B grade category, I was out and about the next day doing what I love…..taking photos. So thank you!

Q: When did you first take up photography?
I guess you could say I was a very late starter. My first photography memory was as a teenager when I borrowed my dad’s camera and headed out to the zoo to take images of the animals. I remember feeling quite happy with the results and placed the prints in a separate album proudly showing anyone who would bother to view them. Inexplicably, however, I did not pick up another camera for about 20 years (slight exaggeration as occasionally I would take happy snaps with other people’s cameras at parties etc. but you get my drift!).

One day, about two years ago, I was overcome with this urge to take up photography again. I can’t explain it but I think it had to do with the right side of my brain yelling “Let me OUT!” (you see as a day job I work as a nerdy scientist at the CSIRO). So I listened. I bought my first camera, a digital SLR (WOW!!) and enrolled in a 4 year Advanced Diploma of Photography degree at Photography Studies College in the city. It was one of the best things I have ever done. Now I live and breathe photography, constantly reading everything I can get my hands on and scouring the web for inspirational images. The process has also been extremely therapeutic allowing me to finally release all those creative juices that had been suppressed for many years.

The genres of photography I really enjoy are portraiture and photojournalism. My passion is the staged photo. I really enjoy the process of coming up with a concept, finding suitable models, sourcing props and locations, directing the models and controlling the lighting. When I am doing a shoot like this I feel like I am this mini Spielberg in my own fantasy world.

Here are some of images from my first year folio. They are from a series titled “Film Noir”.

These images are part of my latest folio (second year), titled “Twilight Zone”.
I also did a second folio this year, a photojournalistic piece, documenting the lives of commercial fisherman. I had quite an adventure spending many long nights on the ocean coming back after dawn. Here is an image taken at dawn of the crew cleaning themselves after a nights work.

Q: What equipment do you use/prefer?
I use Canon. I can’t stand it when people go on and on about the make of camera they use; that whole Canon vs Nikon saga. We’ve all seen amazing images taken with pinhole cameras and even 2 mega pixel phone cameras. A great image is first seen before it is ever captured.
Q: How has WCC had an effect, if any on your photography?
Also see my introductory comments (above).

I joined WCC in early 2008 because I wanted to meet and learn from like minded people. It has been a great experience. It has allowed me for the first time to submit a photo for judging. I also get to listen to valuable feedback and critiques on images given by some fantastic judges. I really enjoy listening to the invited guest speakers (for instance Jeremy Daadler).

Q: What direction do you think the club should go in the future?
It is fantastic to see the club expanding so rapidly. The proposed move to a larger venue would be welcomed. I think the club is doing a great job in catering for everyone’s need and has to be commended. I remember at the start of the year a lot of changes were invoked and these have been a great success: the blog (all three of them!), beginners classes, more outings, competition format and grading systems etc After such a successful year I think we should not rest on our laurels but try to keep coming up with new ideas to make WCC a great place to be and learn.

Being a lover of all things Adobe (Photoshop, Lightroom and Bridge) it would be great to see all members get a better understanding of these tools to better their photography. I am not sure how much is done in the beginner classes but more tutorials to understand the basics and beyond should be a priority.

(NOTE: If anyone needs help in Photoshop etc please don’t hesitate to send me an email)

Q: Where do you see your photography in 5 years time?
The next 2-3 years will be aimed at finishing off my photography course and trying to absorb as much information as I can. I would then like to go on and do a final year at RMIT to complete a Bachelor of Arts in photography (that all depends if by then they start offering it part time). A scientists doing an arts degree, who would’ve thought!!!

I also have plans of starting up my own blog in the near future tailored at beginners to teach them the basic fundamentals such as composition and image design.

The Knox Photographic Society’s Black & White Competition


Knox B&W comp

We have been invited to be one of six clubs competing in the annual Knox B&W competition.

Our entries are in and the judging night will be on Wednesday the 22nd of July. It will be an excellent opportunity to go and see some monochrome photography and I really do hope that Waverley can muster as many representatives as possible.

The venue is the Boronia West Primary School, Tormore Road, Boronia at 8pm.

Submitting Images to WCC’s EDI Competitions

Here is a quick reminder that images submitted to the EDI competitions including the EDI versions of prints need to be resized to 1024 pixels wide x 768 pixels high.

The two dimensions are NOT interchangeable and any image that is above 768 pixels high after it has been resized is too big. The best solution is when resizing the images set the height to 768 first and then check the width dimension. If the width is now below 1024 pixels then you are okay but if the width is still over 1024 pixels then you then need to resize the width to 1024 pixels. As long as you have the ‘constrain proportions’ or ‘maintain aspect ratio’ enabled, then there will be no problem as the image will adjust itself accordingly and the height will be below 768 pixels.

I am creating a document to show you how to do this in Photoshop, Elements 7 and Light-room and this will be available on the Tech Help BLOG ASAP. There will also be a further session at the club meeting to help alleviate any problems that you may be having.

Warragul National & Other National Competitions

A quick message from the President regarding the Warragul National and other national competitions.

Outing this Sunday.

This Sunday (the 12th) I propose we go to Warragul and have a look at the Warragul National.

A National is a photographic competition open to all Australians and here in Victoria we have three – Ballarat, Warragul and Pakenham. There is also an international comp held every two years in Geelong known as Vigex.

A National is broken up into sections. For example the Pakenham National (which is still open if you want to enter) has the following sections: Open, People/Portraiture, Creative/Experimental, Monochrome, Photojournalism/Social Documentary, Rural Aust., Architecture and Landscape/Seascape.

A National will typically receive in excess of a thousand entries and these entries are all judged in their sections and those with high enough scores (acceptances) are displayed. It is a fantastic opportunity to see some great photography and while we’re in the area we could take some shots ourselves.

We can meet at the exhibition which is at St. Pauls Anglican School, 150 Bowen St, Warragul at 1pm and then go from there to somewhere like Noojee to do some photography of our own.

And keep the 6th of September free as well because that is the date of the Pakenham National.

Knox B&W competition

We have been invited to be one of six clubs competing in the annual Knox B&W competition.

Our entries are in and the judging night will be on Wednesday the 22nd of July.

It will be an excellent opportunity to go and see some monochrome photography and I really do hope that Waverley can muster as many representatives as possible.

The venue is the Boronia West Primary School, Tormore Road, Boronia at 8pm.

Mt Macedon Outing

Sunday the 5th of July was scheduled to be the club outing to Mt Macedon no matter what the weather and the weather was such that only five people braved the cold and slightly damp conditions. Stephen was in shorts (as usual) so it couldn’t have been too cold! The temperature gauge in my car said that it was 3 degrees up at the Memorial Cross, but we also had some welcome patches of sunlight.
First stop of the day was a lake in Macedon and I honestly thought I would be the only one there but Natalie soon rolled up and we went for a stroll around the lake. Fish were jumping out of the water but not in slow motion so neither of us got a shot. We did find an abandoned kids bike in amongst the pines which I found to be an interesting subject.

Next port of call was supposed to be the Forest Glade gardens but it was closed so Nat and I went to a waterfall in Mt Macedon where we caught up with Stephen. This was the first time shooting a waterfall for all of us and while it wasn’t the most spectacular fall it was a good learning experience.

The Memorial Cross was the next stop and as is usual for a camera club trip the view was obscured by clouds. There were large patches of sunlight travelling across the landscape teasing us but nothing came of it except for some frosty noses. It was at the Cross that we caught up with Perry and Rachael and the touring party was complete.

After a hot chocolate in the cafe it was off to Woodend for lunch but along the way we stopped to look at some funky cows (which have a proper name – Belted Galloways) but they were off in the far paddock and the light was pretty dull so we continued on our merry way.
The Victoria Hotel is an extremely popular place for lunch and we hadn’t booked so it was off down the road to Keatings Hotel for lunch. Having warmed up with some good food we ventured out once again and headed off to Hanging Rock. We got there about three and headed on up the hill stopping at several places to take some photos. Naturally the sun hid behind some clouds when we got out of the cars and didn’t come out again until we had descended but we were rewarded with a very nice rainbow at the end of the day.

Driving back back to Mt Macedon we had to pull over to try and take advantage of some of the most intense late afternoon light I’ve ever seen. We had about three minutes before it was gone but it was good to see. We drove back past the paddocks where the funky cows were and they were all up on the fence close enough to touch but by this time it was practically dark so they will have to wait for another time. I doubt I’ll be able to retire on the strength of the images I took on this trip but that was hardly the point. Yet again I thoroughly enjoyed myself due to the people I was with and I’m already looking forward to the next outing.

Pete

Homework For The Beginners Class

Homework for the July beginners class is as follows:

Dig out the manual for your camera and look up the section on white balance and how to change it. Most cameras won’t allow you to change the white balance whilst in automatic mode so if you need to put your camera on to another setting that is quite okay. Nearly all models of camera have a setting very similar to automatic – on a Canon it’s called Program – which will allow you to change the white balance but still work out the exposure and aperture settings for you.

Make sure that if you take it off automatic that you are still shooting jpeg rather than RAW.
Once you have studied the manual and can change the white balance I want you to pick one subject and photograph it using every preset white balance setting available to you. By preset I mean daylight, cloudy, flourescent etc.. Do not concern yourselves with custom settings at this stage.

You will need to set your camera up on a tripod and shoot all your shots as quickly as possible.
Try to do this at a time when the light isn’t fluctuating. For this to work you need to have your subject lit the same way in each shot. Put all your knowledge of composition and lighting to good use and try to produce the best shots you can.

Once you have taken all your shots with each white balance setting go through them and select the one you like best and the one you like least. Resize them so that they are no wider than 1024 pixels and no higher than 768 pixels. Name the files correctly, and for the title put the name of the white balance setting used and wether it’s the best or worst.

For example my best shot could be: WCCA-0907-14A-Tungsten best
Send the two files to: homework@waverleycameraclub.org by 7pm on Monday the 27th of July.

Now here comes the bit where I make it harder, after all it’s more fun when I’m nasty.

THE SUBJECT YOU CHOOSE TO PHOTOGRAPH MUST BE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE.

Enjoy!