Picture resizing using 'Reshade'

[shought]

I've been looking at some tools for image resizing and guess what, I found some. Some were lame, some sounded too great to be true and turned out to be fake but others looked like crapped and did the job.

The one I ended up liking the most (for pictures, not logos/graphics, it doesn't even support transparent PNGs :P) is 'Reshade'. It has an online version, which isn't very user friendly and basically just sucks ( :rolleyes: ), but they've also got an app which you can download by clicking here (direct download link). Don't get the 2.0 Beta, it's not :pirate: d yet ;) (Hint: 'reshade.1.51-patch by yaser999', just Google it, the first link will do just fine) or (Hint: 'ReShade.Image.Resizer.v2.0b-Lz0.rar site:rlslog.net', just Google it).

Now we've got it installed let's have a look at the interface:

Doesn't look like much, does it? It's more powerful than any of the other tools out there, if you ask me. Hovering a setting will present you with a description of what it does (except the obvious settings like Size and Zoom, of course). The basic settings will do just fine but you might want to tweak them a little, to your own liking. I just finished playing around with them for an hour or so and I think I got the hang of it and really understand what each setting 'causes'. Now let's get rid of the example pic and get another one.

This is what we're going to work with:

Let's first try a basic bicubic resize (the standard, nowadays):

Blurry vision, whaaaaaah!!!

So, let's try a Reshade resize:

Meh, looks a bit too sharp and the colors seem 'lost'.

Now, the final magic trick: Combining the bicubic and Reshade resize to get an optimal result (using Paint.NET, two layers, Bicubic Overlay on top of Reshade, 75-175 visibility, merge, -10 contrast, -10 saturation):

Compare the three results in an image editor, skipping from frame to frame and you'll understand/see what I'm talking about :)

That's it -

[Toshiro]

Duncare.. Just search for bigger pictures..

I as a 'Designer' (lol, use photoshop blalal) hate when pics are not clear. Just hate it :fear:

[Atasas]

Nice Looking TY!

[DKT27]

I'll love if the last part of the guide says photoshop instead of paint.net.

But nice. I'll try the software. :)

[implague]

had u try file minimizer ?

[DKT27]

Yea file minimizer is great, but found that it gave bad image quality, what more can you expect from M$?

[Toshiro]

Still dun care about ur app shought.. Sorry :ph34r:

[implague]

no doubt photoshop is one of the gr8est but quite not used to it

[DKT27]

Read some tuts. :smartass:

Just google photoshop cs4 tutorial.

Well writing cs4 is not much needed but that assures you that it gives a latest way of learning. ;)

[Tucker]

or for XP how about just using Microsoft's Image Resizer.

1. Right-click any picture you want to resize, and click Resize Pictures.

2. In the Resize Pictures dialog box, click the size you want your photo to be, and click OK. In general, Small is a good selection for most of your needs, such as e-mailing pictures or posting them to a Web site.

3. The original file, flowers.jpg, is still intact; and a new, resized file, named flowers (Small).jpg, has been added to the same folder.

link

P.S.

One thing i really like about this is that it supports multiple selection resizing. :)

[Marik]

I think photozoom might be better than reshade, Shought

[shought]

I've actually got PhotoZoom installed and I compared three results. Reshade did a better job, if you ask me. You just have to get the settings right for Reshade and then it really is the best.

PhotoZoom did come second in my list though :)

[Marik]

Don't get the 2.0 Beta, it's not :pirate: d yet ;)

Really?

Then what's this then?

[shought]

I removed it, doh... Better tell us how you found it ;)

Thanks though :)

[Marik]

orlydb + netloaded

[*dcs18]

Would have surely installed it if I didn't have Photoshop.

[shought]

Added instructions to get 2.0 Beta full :)

Thanks to Marik ;)

[jalaffa]

Talk is cheap :lol:

Anyone able to present a better result? I certainly failed using Photoshop and some basic methods.

The final magic trick must be the key...

[shought]

The final magic trick does what every (up)resizing program seems to fail in: make sure colors are maintained and get rid of that 'comic book'-like feeling.

Edit: and, you're right, Photoshop doesn't beat this :)

And I would love for someone to create a better result (using whatever program), nothing is impossible!

[*dcs18]

Hey this is a superb utility.

For the past hour, been pitting it against the latest photoshop and on purely resizing parameters it does beat photoshop. However, when other enhancing parameters are employed in photoshop, it's a different story.

Thanks for this utility shought. ;)

[shought]

There's one thing I didn't have a look at yet: Genuine Fractals (a Photoshop plugin).

I'm going to install that next and we'll see what happens :)

Edit: Thanks dcs :)

And then there's this: http://graphicsmayhem.com/GMForum/index.php?topic=1156.0 (Seam Carving) (Sucked)

Genuine Fractals came up with this:

Comparing it to the non-'magic tricked' Reshade makes me realize that Reshade (which goes for 29,95 dollar, I believe) even owns a professional tool (Genuine Fractals, which goes for 159,95)... Cool :P

[Toshiro]

You can't compare Photoshop to this.. Photoshop isn't designed to only resize images..

+ It can do it, with some filetypes.

[*dcs18]

;) Yeah it would be unfair to compare it to Photoshop. Beginners, though might find the 'Reshade' tool to be a good starting point.

[shought]

I think you misunderstood Haantjuh, he said that it's logic that Photoshop isn't as good as Reshade, because Photoshop isn't designed to resize images ;)

[*dcs18]

When I look back at his post, I find both of us agreeing (in fact all three of us.) :yes: