Inserting JPEG into Showcase - decal not good enough

[PatMacGroyne]

Hi,

Does anybody know how to insert a jpeg into showcase? When done as a decal the results are often cloudy/blurred.

[admaiora · Accepted solution]

Hi Pat,

decall not good enough? Cloudy/Blurry?

It all depends on setting and workflow.

They looks pretty coloured and clear to me.

Have you set correctly the decal properties as you would want?

[sam_m]

I guess it could just be a simple case of the image being too low resolution, and you're stretching it so much it's looking rubbish.

What is the image resolution and what size are you trying to make it in Showcase?

e.g. a 300x300 image being stretched to about 5" will end up being 60dpi and I'm guessing will look pretty bad.  Rubbish in = rubbish out, and all that...

[MarionLandry]

Yes, the image quality will impact the bluriness by a long shot.. 

I say there are no rules really but keep in mind your pixel amount in comparison to what you are trying to achieve. 

For example, if you are only viewing the image in Showcase, or digitaly you only need 72DPI

If you are planning to print an image out of Showcase, you will need at least 150DPI up to 600 depending on your need. 

The DPI will impact the size of the image.. for sure.. 

To help understand how big an image is in inches, check out this web site.. I find it pretty helpful:

http://auctionrepair.com/pixels.html

More information:

• Each pixel is a sample of an original image; more samples typically provide more accurate representations of the original.
• The more pixels used to represent an image, the closer the result can resemble the original.
• The number of pixels in an image is sometimes called the resolution, though resolution has a more specific definition. Pixel counts can be expressed as a single number, as in a "three-megapixel" digital camera, which has a nominal three million pixels, or as a pair of numbers, as in a "640 by 480 display", which has 640 pixels from side to side and 480 from top to bottom (as in a VGA display), and therefore has a total number of 640 × 480 = 307,200 pixels or 0.3 megapixels.

For example

8.5 x 11 inches render @ 72 DPI will be 792 x 612 pixel

8.5 x 11 inches render @ 300 DPI will be 3300 x 2550 pixel

Hope this helps!

Marion