Pixelated images (with High Quality Display turned on)

[Guest]

Here's my problem: The images look sharp on the internet, but when I download them, place them in Indesign and print them, the look pixelated!

Take this one for example: http://media.smashingmagazine.com/images/typefaces/productus.gif

It's resolution is 72 ppi. But when I place it onto the Indesign A4 page (or Letter format for that matter) it occupys almost entire width of the page.

Why is it so? Why is it so big by default without enlarging it? It's kinda logic that a small 72 ppi image stretched across the whole page will appear blurry when printed on 300 dpi printer.

So how can I set the indesign page to 300 ppi/dpi so images with lower restion will appear smaller when placed on the page and - will be printed sharp?

[Peter Spier]

Resolution only becomes relevant when you put theimage onto paper. On the web, the number that means something is the pixel dimension.

If your image is 720 pixels wide at 72 ppi, it will be 10 inches wide on your page, and it will look pixelated in print. Scale it to approximately 2.5 inches to get it to an "effective" 300 ppi for print. In the info panel you will see values for both "actual" and "effective" resolution. For print, the opnly one that matters is effective.

[Guest]

Thanks for clearing this up for me.

But is there a way to scale all imported images to Effective resolution 300 ppi? I work on a poster that will include at least 200 images and it would take a lot of time  to resize every single one of them...

If I resize them in Photoshop to 300 ppi and place them in InDesign, they still get placed at 72 ppi resolultion - they just appear bigger.

[Grant H]

If I resize them in Photoshop to 300 ppi and place them in InDesign, they still get placed at 72 ppi resolultion - they just appear bigger.

You need to understand resolution: Pixels in an image lets say 1000 x 1000 pixels and intended output is (size X) @ 300 DPI or @ 600 DPI, the image will have to scale accordingly 50% smaller in this case....

Pixels are Pixels: 1000 x 1000 pixels at 72 ppi is exactly the same as 1000 x 1000 pixels @ 1000 ppi.

G

[Guest]

Ok, I get this. But even if I change resolution in Photoshop from 72 ppi to 300 ppi - with pixel dimentions staying the same and actual size in inches/cm decreases - and place it in Indesign, the image gets paced at 72 ppi actual&effective resolution. That's what's bothers me. It should be placed a 300 ppi.

How can you get all imported images to effective resolution 300 ppi in Indesign, without manually scaling every sningle one of them after they are beeing imported?

[Eugene Tyson]

You should turn off "Resample Image" when inputting the 300 ppi for the Image Size in photoshop

That will lock the Pixel Size and decrease the width and height to the correct size.

[Guest]

Yeah, I figured that out. But as I said, even if I lock the pixel size and increase resolution to 300 ppi in Photoshop, the image still gets placed at 72 ppi in Indesign.

[Eugene Tyson]

Depends what size you place it at.

You can see the size in Photoshop.

When you place it in InDesign what size is the Width and Height?

If the effective PPI is still 72 ppi, then in the Scale box (with 100%) type in 24%

[Grant H]

are you placing it in a frame? The frame may be of a size that the effective ppi just happens to be 72, Place it in a smaller frame....

what does your actual PPI say in the INFO panel (with object selected)

G

[Guest · Accepted solution]

Hey y'all, thanks for help - I figured out what the problem was!

The image has GIF extention! If you increase the resolution of the GIF in Photoshop while maintaining pixel size, and then save it, the new file has the same resolution as the previous one because of the GIF compression.

I have to save it in PNG so the new resolution is actually saved. Now when I place it in Indesign, it gets placed at 300 actual&effective resolution.

Yeah, well   I'm glad it finnaly works.

P.S.: I'm heading over to Photoshop help to learn how to use Actions to automaticly change the resolution of 200 images. See you around!

[Eugene Tyson]

You should really save as tiff

[Guest]

All 200 images are samples of typefaces, like this one: http://media.smashingmagazine.com/images/typefaces/productus.gif

Would it be any difference between choosing tiff over png in such case?

[Eugene Tyson]

Tiff has a lossless compression option of CCITT Group IV which can compress bilevel images better than PNG compression.

And Tiff is a print format image, where PNG is a replacement for GIF, which was designed for the web.

If this is for a poster you should really be also saving your images as a Grayscale and make sure that it's 100% in the black channel.

[Daniel Flavin]

Are you creating a poster of typefaces you do not have installed on your system?

[Peter Spier]

I think your size problem (if you scaled in Photoshop without resampling) probably has more to do with the setting of your preference for preserving dimensions or scaling on relink. If you preserve dimensions, you'd see the behavior you describe since the number of pixels remains contstant.

As far as your question about setting all images to 300 ppi in ID, that is scriptable. I think there is even one already floating around that will allow you to select an image and choose a resolution.

[Guest]

@Peter Spier

Where can you specify this preference?

And you mean there's a script for InDesign? Wow, it would be cool to get it. So far I solved that problem by recording an Action in Photoshop and than apply it to all the images using Batch command.

@Daniel Flavin

I'm creating a poster with the images of typefaces from different articles from smashingmagazine.com. Some are installed but majority are not.

the website posted samples of many wonderful typefaces so far, which will serve for an inspiration when printed out.

[Peter Spier]

mike.n03 wrote:

Where can you specify this preference?

And you mean there's a script for InDesign? Wow, it would be cool to get it. So far I solved that problem by recording an Action in Photoshop and than apply it to all the images using Batch command.

Preference is down at the bottom of the File Handling section ...  Check the bos to preserve dimensions and a the relinked file will be scaled back to the same size in ID. Uncheck, and the scale percentage will be preserved.

Almost anything is scriptable in ID (but I don't write them). I recall a script that was posted a year or two ago that would allow you to select an image and type a desired effective resolution into a dialog. The image would get scaled to reach that effective ppi. Your batch action in Photoshop is fine, and useful if you want to palce everything at 100%, but it isn't required to change the resolution in Photshop to achieve what you want. Scaling in ID is exactly the same thing as changing the resolution without resampling in Photoshop. No pixels are added, removed or altered -- only their dispalyed size is changed. If you want a script to set all images to 300 ppi effective resolution, you should probably pay a visit to the scripting forum.

[Cornelius29120924mwlu]

Obvious one here but I've tried that when you view images in I design it will automatically display them as a lower quality resolution by default! 
if you go View... screen mode

high quality!! That should display them at the quality they will be printed at🙂