Re-sizing

[Zathros]

I am hanging on you every word and following closely. I will cease cropping and try the "paste". I am not setting up the templates/starting blank pages correctly. There is something very basic I am doing wrong. I am all ears (or as in this case, all eyes). I open the image and then am able to extract them. I just figured how to move them around. It is getting them to the final .BMP that I can't seem to do, and making sure they are the size that I need. Any help is incredibly appreciated, I am also gleaning the internet fields for instruction. I am determined to learn how to do this. Once I get this down I can my finish Ekranoplan model and release it. It is 90% done.

[Darwin]

Zathros, when cutting from the original page image, use the polygon lasso tool to isolate the part you are working with, then cut the part from the original and paste into the new page. One thing to keep in mind when creating new pages in photoshop. When you have been working with the cut and paste thing, a new page defaults in size to the size of the last lasso selection, so make sure the new image dialog box has the width, height, and resolution values you want before creating the page. Note....this little quirk can come in handy. If you paste a part into the new page and see you would get a better fit if the part were rotated, hit undo to remove the pasted part from the parts page, create a new page using the parameters photoshop defaulted to, select the new page, and hit paste. You can then rotate the part as desired, use the "select all" copy option, hit cut, select the parts page and paste the part back into it. When you have it positioned and the page flattened, close the temporary page you used to manipulate the part in. One thing I caution you is to make frequent saves of your new parts page (like after each new part you add to it) and of the original page you are cutting from (however, make sure you use the "save as" option to keep from futzing up the original scan of the parts page....add an "in progress" or something like that to the file name to keep it different from the original scan). As sure as God made little green apples, somewhere in the session you will do something stupid and spindle, fold, or otherwise mutilate the work in progress.....those saves will really save your a** when that happens. And, when moving the parts, actually cut them from the original page, don't copy them. That way, you automatically keep track of progress.

[Darwin]

When you have the parts page finished, select image size from the image menu to check the page parameters. One thing we tend to forget when working with bitmap files is that the real unit of image height and width is pixels. Whatever else, the page pixel measurements must be consistant from one page to the next (assuming your pages are all going to be the same size). Anything you do that changes the pixel size of the image (or portion of the image) has the potential of screwing up the image size when printed. For example, if the page size is US letter (8.5 by 11 inches) and your image resolution is 300, the image size of the page should be 2550 by 3300 pixels. If that count varies from one page to the next, you have been doing something bad wrong. Once the new parts page is flattened and you verify the pixel count and resolution of the image, all you need to do is save the file as a bmp....no other steps needed.

[Zathros]

@Darwin
Here is what I have figured out, based on what you have taught me so far. I have used the "lasso" tool and been able to "copy" and "paste" onto a new document. Thanks.:D I have looked at the "size" of the original document which I used PhotoShop to extract from the .PDF. It has a width of 10.225" and a 7.472" Height. The pixels are: Width:6144, Height: 4490. If I make a document the same size and "copy" and "paste" using 1/2 the pixel count. will this double the size?

[Darwin]

Yes, that would do it. Effectively, you would be using the second method I gave. By keeping the page physical size the same and cutting the pixel dimensions by half, you are decreasing the image resolution by one half. The pixel count of the part you are transferring doesn't change during the cut and paste operation, so the part's apparent size on the new page will double. Hope this is being of help to you.

[Zathros]

Originally Posted by Darwin

Yes, that would do it. Effectively, you would be using the second method I gave. By keeping the page physical size the same and cutting the pixel dimensions by half, you are decreasing the image resolution by one half. The pixel count of the part you are transferring doesn't change during the cut and paste operation, so the part's apparent size on the new page will double. Hope this is being of help to you.

You have made what I saw as an intimidating program accessible. That my friend is immeasurable. This will help me with my Ekranoplan model as I had to keep going into Rhino to adjust it and now I see some new avenues opening. Thank you very much!!:D

[Zathros]

The process is coming along. I got a litle coonfused when I made a new document. The confusion lay in the pixel count vs, the page size. I ended up making sure the page sizee was the same and half the DPI, like you told me. I am doing this consistently so at least I should be able to build something. Some parts do have to be "cut" and deciding where to do that can be "painful". I rotate some parts just to get the whole part on the page, a little wasteful. I'll have to plant a tree somewhere.