Should I resize an image for Publisher?

[Frank Y]

Hi Everybody,

What is the best practice for using a raster graphic in Publisher in regards to image resizing.  This is a project I am sending off to a commercial printer.

The graphic file I've created in Photo is large but I intend to use a much smaller version in the final Publisher file.

Is it best to import the large file in Publisher and non-destructively resize it to fit there? 

Or is it better to destructively resize the image to the correct size in Photo and import that into Publisher?

 

Thanks

[NotMyFault]

Hi Frank,

as always it depends, and you may need to try out what works best.

If it’s only one image, document size is probably no factor. This changes if you include hundreds of images, and may resize in Photo / export to keep the file size manageable.

Images of digital cameras are usually all unsharp based on the RGB Bayer pattern, and need some sharpening.

The issue with sharpening is that the amount of sharpening depends on final image size (number of pixels). So sharpening should be done as a final step when the image is resized to the final resolution.

But it totally depends on how the PDF is used (for print, or for display on LCD screens) if and how this matters. Many people are happy with results from sharpening early, and just scale the image in publisher.

Resizing in publisher uses a fixed algorithm for resampling (probably bilinear). When you export a file from photo, you have the choice between different resample methods. This could be relevant e.g. for pixel art and other documents with fine details, but irrelevant in other cases (images of nature).

 

 

[John Rostron]

I always save my Photo images that are meant for Publisher at the final size and pixel density (dpi) and with final size sharpening if needed. I found that it avoided a lot of hassle doing it this way. I usually append the width to the file name (such as Maple leaf 90mm.jpg).

John