I have been trying to complete my ccf and was interested in adding DVD case images as in many of the ccf's listed in the file section (color). This, I foresee, will be a tedious task as I have approximately 400 DVD in 2 Pionner DVF-07 carousel players. But that's OK 'cause in the end, it will be worth the time and effort. My problem is in the bmp images I was able to find(went to different DVD retailers and saved their movie thumbnails in the required PP format)...they are either too small,which show little or no detail, or too large that I can only fit one or two in a panel. I wanted to be able to fit six in each panel, as in Daniel Nguyen's CCF posted in the files section. (I can definitely use his images, but I would be short by a long shot, and also, I would like to maintain consistency in the size of the images).I have tried to alter the size of these thumbnails using the paint program in Win XP but have not been successful.
Does anyone know of any site where I can download these thumbnails (80 x 109) give or take, or, how to modify the ones available, either with the paint program or Photodeluxe. I know these images must be bmp, in 256 colors, so if I use Photodeluxe Home Edition I would have to export the finished product to this format.

Any help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Lorenzo

I use Adobe Photoshop to do all mine, and it works well. Someone else might know of something else, though.

Lorenzo,
Photoshop is also my choice. With it you can define so-called actions (macros). If you can't get your hands on PS, send me the images you have. Maybe I can do the resizing.
André

lorenzop,

Go to imdb.com and do a search for all the jackets you need. I did the same thing and they had all the movies I have (although, I don't have nearly as many as you do). I did the resize in Paintshop....Works very well. I was able to fit 6 per page as well as a title in 8 font.

Andre,
Thanks for your reply, I have Photoshop 5.0 LE which be honest never used. Tried it today and it does work, it renders the images with decent detail. It seems however, that I am doing this in a two step process:1) image>image size>modify pixels. Next, Image>Mode>Indexed Color> select adaptive Palette; 8 bits/pixel; 255 colors..In the Options field Other: Diffuse. (Am I doing this right, or is there a faster way?)
You mentioned I can define actions/"macros". I am a little lost...does this mean I can create a macro to do everything above thus simplifying the process? or what would I need this "macro" for...What is the procedure to creating this "macro" if it will help me speed up the process.

Again, Thank you very much for your input, and in particular for your gesture to help me resize my images....I appreciate it very much but would not want to impose, you know(400+ DVD's and growing every week...)What can I say...I am a sucker for these things.

Lorenzo

Lorenzo,
yes, with he Photoshop actions you can "record" all the steps you need and recall them at the press of a button.
Select Window / Show actions (if it says Hide actions, take a closer look at your desktop).
Click on the "new action" icon at the bottom. Enter a name and define (if you wish) a shortcut like CTRL/SHIFT 1. Press "record".
The way you described it is OK, but I'd rather de-select contrain proportions and enter the pixels (width/height) as you wish.
Then convert to indexed color. I'd suggest to once - before you record the macro -load the custom ProntoTSU6000-Palette and then - when recording - select previous palette. Hit the stop key and save as bitmap.
I guess there is a faster way using the batch option (File / Automate / Batch) where you can simply enter a directory, tell Photoshop which action to use and then to save as bmp. Haven't done that yet, but it surly is worth a try. (That's how I would have done it, if you sent me your bmps ;-) )
If there are any problems, do not hesitate to contact me, I'm curious wether this works myself.
André

Lorenzo,
I figured it out, the batch option works like charme - with a few - minor - limitations. Here's how it works:
First, define an action which resizes the picture to a fixed size (width 80, height 109 e.g.). Then convert it into 8-bit color using a plenty amount of dithering.
Now we're going to batch-convert all of the files needed.
Select File / Automate / Batch...
A pop up window opens, all parameters are explained by cursor-hints(?)
After you have entered all necessary data, press OK.
The batch-automation opens the first file in the specified directory, applies the action and then... then Photoshop prompts you to enter a filename... Hmmmm... Actually, it should save automatically, but it doesn't. You have to enter the correct filetype (bmp) and click OK. For the remaining files you do not have to specify the filetype, but you have to press Enter twice. That makes 800 Enter-keystrokes (2 per DVD). But that should be OK, shouldn't it?
Hope this was, what you were looking for
André

Andre,

THanks for your tips. I am on my way to resizing my images, however, I am using Photoshop LE and I dont see where I can create actions to simplify the process. Perhaps I am missing something but I also dont see the batch option....Maybe these are not available in the LE version. Either way, if you know how to access these features in the version I am using, please let me know, otherwise, once again, I truly appreciate all your help in this matter.

Lorenzo

Lorenzo,
didn't think of the limitations of the Photoshop LE.
However, due to the batch automation, it should be no big deal to resize your images. The offer is still "valid"
Greets
André

I did exactly what you are talking about but I did
it with the coverjackets for all my CDs.

The quickest and easiest way is to use a conveter like
Thumbnailer.

www.smalleranimals.com.

Basically it takes any format bmp, jpeg, gif and converts every pic in a directory to a size 50x50 or
whatever you need. It also converts to the correct bit
format for bmp. Took about 30sec to do 300 to the
same size.

Great tool. There is a shareware version so you can
try before you buy.

Another one I can suggest is thotor, which also makes thumbnails and just about every other thing you would like with your covers in batches.

Hey, how about creating a zip file with these images you resized and have it posted here at remotecentral. That would help out a lot of people who are looking for this kind of stuff (or who would like to try it out).

Well, First and foremost, thank you very much for all your help. I resized all images using Photoshop LE, and though it took a little while, I managed to get all 400+ images i needed. Could not have done it without your help. Will be uploading these thumbnails for you all to use, if needed.

Uh, did you upload the images to the site? I have looked and dont see any DVD covers at all to download.

Yes, they have been uploaded; however, i imagine it may take a while before they get posted. If you need them, send me your email.

Thanks


lorenzp