Instructions for North Shore Camera Club Members for Preparing DPI Entries
The following instructions will help you prepare image files for NSCC’s digital projected competitions. It will assure that the files will display properly and not be disqualified. There are several steps to prepare entries – flatten the image (if needed), re-size the image, assign the sRGB color space profile and save the file in the Jpeg format. Here are the requirements followed by the specific steps needed to prepare an image.
What is required
- All images must fit within the maximum pixels … 1024 wide by 768 high. Horizon images (images wider than higher) must have a maximum dimension of 1024 pixels wide and any height up to the maximum of 768 pixels high. Vertical images must have a maximum height of 768 pixels and any width up to 768 pixels wide (which would make the image a square format).
- All images must be submitted in the 8-bit Jpeg file format with sRGB color space profile.
- All image files must conform to a specific naming convention.
- Remember to save the document as a new file name so you don’t over write your master document.
How to prepare an image
1. Once you have completed editing your images and are ready to prepare them for submission, open the image in your image editing software.
2. If the image consists of multiple layers, flatten the image so it is only a single layer.
[In Photoshop, use the command ‘Layer>Flatten Image’.]
3. Re-size your image to fit within the 1024 pixels wide by 768 pixels high maximum dimensions.
[In Photoshop, use the command ‘Image>Image Size’.]
In the Image Size dialog:
- Make sure the 3 boxes near the bottom of the dialog are checked (‘Scale Styles’, ‘Constrain Proportions’, and ‘Resample Image’).
- In the top section titled ‘Pixel Dimensions’. Examine the Width and Height … the units should be ‘pixels’ … if they’re ‘percent’, click the drop down box and change to ‘pixels’.
- If the image is a horizontal (landscape mode - wider than it’s high), change the width to 1024 pixels, OR, if the image is a vertical (portrait mode - higher than it’s wide), change the height to 768 pixels. (Whichever dimension you change, Photoshop adjusts the other due to the ‘Constrain Proportions’ option.
- Once again check both the Width and Height. The Width must be no more that 1024 pixels and the Height no more than 768 pixels.
- In the drop-down box to the right of the ‘Resample Image’ box, choose ‘Bicubic’ or ‘Bicubic Sharper’.
4. Your image should be in the ‘sRGB’ color space. This is not required, but highly recommended.
[In Photoshop, use the command ‘Edit>Convert to Profile’ … if the Destination Space is not ‘sRGB’, select ‘sRGB’ in the dropdown box and click ‘Enter’.] Caution – this might shift colors to warmer tones.
5. Your image must be 8 bit so it can be saved as a jpeg file.
[In Photoshop, use the command ‘Image>Mode’ … ‘8 Bits/Channel’ should be checked. If your image is ’16 Bits/Channel’, click on ‘8 Bits/Channel’ to convert it.]
6. After you resize an image it typically will require some re-sharpening. Do not over sharpen your image.
[In Photoshop, use the Unsharp Mask or Smart Sharpen Filter.]
7. (Optional) Since the projected background is black, you could add a narrow white or colored border around the image in order to ‘separate’ the image from the background.
There are several ways to accomplish this. If
There are several ways to accomplish this. If you usually use the ‘Canvas Size’ method, you must adjust the image size to keep the overall dimensions within the 1024 by 768 limits. As a simple alternate, you can stroke the image directly. Here is the direct stroke method with a narrow 2 pixel stroke width.
[In Photoshop, type D to set the default colors to Black and White (the foreground color will be black). Type X to switch the foreground color to white. Type Ctrl A to Select All or use the menu command ‘Select>All’. Use the command ‘Edit>Stroke’. In the Stroke dialog box enter 2 px for the Width, confirm the color is white, the location is Inside and the Blending options are Normal and 100%. Click OK.]
For an enhanced option, you can first stroke your image in 4 pixel black and then stroke it in 2 pixel white. I strongly suggest you do this option.
[In Photoshop, type D to set the default colors to Black and White. Leave the foreground color set to black. Type Ctrl A to Select All or use the menu command ‘Select>All’. Use the command ‘Edit>Stroke’. In the Stroke dialog box enter 4 px for the Width, confirm the color is black, the location is Inside and the Blending options are Normal and 100%. Click OK. Type X to switch the foreground color to white. With the image still selected, repeat command ‘Edit>Stroke’ and stroke with 2 pixel white.
In the next steps, you are going to save the file in JPG format. This format provides file compression, thus making it simpler to Email images to the competition. Image files are restricted to 350K max; however, this rule has been relaxed for the first year of competition.
8. Use the command ‘File: Save As’ to open the Save As dialog: Click on the ‘Format’ drop down box, select ‘JPEG (*.JPG, *.JPEG, *.JPE)’ (8th choice down from the top) and make sure the ICC Profile option is checked and indicates sRGB. Then click ‘SAVE’.
Name your image as follows: 20-IDcode-An-Image Title.jpg
- 20 is the club code,
- IDcode is your identity code: 1st 4 letters of your last name, 1st letter of your first name and the last 4 numbers of your phone number for example: SmitJ1234 for John Smith,
- A indicates general category (only category for now),
- n is the image sequence number (1 through 4),
- Image title (spaces are allowed) must be 36 characters maximum including any spaces.
Note: the dashes are required.
Filename example: 20-SmitJ1234-A1-Barred Owl.jpg
9. This opens the JPEG options dialog. In this dialog box you select a ‘Quality’ levels from 1 to 12 where ‘12’ is the best quality but the least compression: Normally, you would select a Quality level that yields a file size no larger than 350K, then Click ‘OK’. [Since CACCA has relaxed this rule and will allow files to exceed the 350K limit for the present, I suggest you set the Quality setting at 9.]
10. Email the image files as attachments to dpi@northshorecameraclub.com Include a list of all titles in the body of the email.
[The image filenames must conform to specific requirements to be compatible with competition software. Images selected for CACCA will be renamed so they meet the unique requirements for CACCA competitions. If a member wants to enter the individual Alteration of Reality DPI competition, see the CACCA web site for more information.]