Frames ---> High Quality Pictures

[leopardone]

I need to extract some frames from a movie in order to have high quality pictures, but I don't know how to do it. :confused:
I've tried with the "print screen" button and with M2-Edit, but in bothe the ways I can have only files with 72dpi. :(
Is it possible (and, in that case, how) to grab @ more than 72dpi?

Thx in advanceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :)

[Teegedeck]

Load the movie into VirtualDubMod: menue 'video' --> 'snapshot source frame'.

In case it's a DVD, the WinDVD player also has a snapshot function.

[oddyseus]

No, u can't have more than 72dpi from anywhere. It is the default resolution of everything nowdays.

In fact it is stored in this resolution.

[leopardone]

Originally posted by oddyseus
No, u can't have more than 72dpi from anywhere. It is the default resolution of everything nowdays.

In fact it is stored in this resolution.


mmm...
thanx both for the help but... is there no way to increase the resolution?

[CaptainCarrot]

What do you want do to with the pictures?
If you want to extract pictures from a movie, your maximum resolution is 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC), though these are anamorphic, so you should resize them to 1024x576/480. The dpi-number is simply for calculating the output size in inches (for printing i.e.), it has no influence on the picture quality shown on screen. Doubling dpi leads to halfing the picture height and width, and that's about it. The smaller your picture (when printing), the higher your dpi.

[ppera2]

Why to hell people buys 4 Megapixel digital photo cameras?
You want such res. from 300 Kilopixel movies?

[^^-+I4004+-^^]

>Is it possible (and, in that case, how) to grab @ more than 72dpi?

upsample with some image viewing prog (or so) to bigger res.
the resolution (amount of detail) won't be higher,but it'll be easier on your eyes.....

[leopardone]

Originally posted by CaptainCarrot
What do you want do to with the pictures?


Well...
I'd like to create some covers for some dvds that are missing their original cover.
Taking some pictures from the movie and playing with an image editor, I'd like to create some custom covers. :)

[oddyseus]

Íow that the output is defined I can suggest a mini guide.

Capture at maximum allowed, this is 720x576 for Pal or 720x480 for NTSC.

For a front of a dvd cover u would need roughly a picture 13x18.2cm.

The picture's dimension is 720x576pixels or 22.75x18.2 at 80.387dpi. U can resample up to 50%, that is 120dpi, without noticing it, in Photoshop. More if the contents of your picture allow it.

This is more than adequate resolution for inkjet printing. U shouldn't have any problem at all.

[CaptainCarrot]

Originally posted by oddyseus
Now that the output is defined I can suggest a mini guide.

Capture at maximum allowed, this is 720x576 for Pal or 720x480 for NTSC.

For a front of a dvd cover u would need roughly a picture 13x18.2cm.

The picture's dimension is 720x576pixels or 22.75x18.2 at 80.387dpi. U can resample up to 50%, that is 120dpi, without noticing it, in Photoshop. More if the contents of your picture allow it.

This is more than adequate resolution for inkjet printing. U shouldn't have any problem at all.
The problem with this version is that you don't correct the aspect ratio in case of a 16:9 content.

Well...
I'd like to create some covers for some dvds that are missing their original cover.
Taking some pictures from the movie and playing with an image editor, I'd like to create some custom covers.

Give some more information, and we can give better answers. What final picture sizes are you aiming at, what source aspect ratios do you have, stuff like that. The more, the better.

[leopardone]

Well... the idea if for general use.
Obiously I don't have all the same format/aspect ratio...
So I've to play a lot with Photoshop on every dvd that needs a cover.
But this is not a problem ;)
The problem is the source: how to have a good picture to play with it, in order, at the end of photoshop's work, to print @ 400dpi (all my dvd covers are printed @ 400dpi).

[CaptainCarrot]

Originally posted by leopardone
Well... the idea if for general use.
Obiously I don't have all the same format/aspect ratio...
So I've to play a lot with Photoshop on every dvd that needs a cover.
But this is not a problem ;)
The problem is the source: how to have a good picture to play with it, in order, at the end of photoshop's work, to print @ 400dpi (all my dvd covers are printed @ 400dpi).

When you're ripping from DVD, you can only have 2 aspect ratios: 4:3 or 16:9. If you have anything else you will have black bars, so you should always resize first and then crop the black bars.
The maximum capture resolution is (as mentioned a couple of times already) 720x576 for PAL-DVD and 720x480 for NTSC-DVD. So to get the best quality you should
1. Save your frame like Teegedeck describes it in 2nd post. This gives you a picture with 720x576 (720x480)
2. Open the picture with Photoshop
3. If it was a 16:9 movie resize the picture to 1024x576 ( 854x480)
4. Crop any black bars

That's the best you can get to start with. Forget 400 dpi (Btw. have you ever tried to print 200dpi pictures? And seen a difference? IMHO 400dpi for pictures is overkill).

[oddyseus]

I have to agree with CaptainCarrot on 400dpi is overkill.

Perhaps a small theory lesson is in order.

First of all there is dpi (horizontal resolution) and lpi (vertical resolution). Each printer has a fixed horizontal resolution (dpi) and a definable by the user vertical one (lpi).

The compination of them defines the number of different gray values that would appear in the printed picture (called gray range). There is a formula that define the outcome and this is (dpi of output device/lpi)^2+1.

Let me clarify this a little. lets say that u have a 600dpi inkjet.

If u print an image at 60lpi u will end up with (600/60)^2+1 = 101 gray shades in each color.

Your eye is capable of differentiating 256 grays for each color resulting in the term millions that u all r familiar with.
However even 64 grays is adequate enough to acheive a pleasant picture.

Further more the picture's dpi shouldn't be more than twice the lpi that would be used during print time. If it is more, then the printer will perform a resample down before actually printing the picture.

For a 60lpi print, the resolution of the image should be twice that (120dpi).

Most injet printers nowdays, print at 50 to 60lpi. So max resolution of an image would be 120 to 140dpi for max quality. More than that its a waste of storing space and processor power.

In graphic arts that we want perfect output with milions of colors we use 150-175lpi print, BUT we output to film plotters at 2540 or 3200dpi resolution.

U can do the maths yourself.