posted on September 23, 2000 05:46:18 PM
I wish I knew what this technique was called, but I don't so here goes...
Has anyone see where a seller takes multiple pictures (of their item) and sort of puts it into one large, framed presentation, with some pictures being larger than others? It kinda looks 3-D almost. It's the most professional presentation I have ever seen, and would love to do it, but I imagine some special software is needed.
posted on September 23, 2000 07:48:49 PM
Hi Julesy: I'm going to take a stab at answering this, so please bear with me as I'm not really sure if I fully understand the question.
The technique for putting multiple images together into one composite image is called "collage." You can do this using Paint Shop Pro, or other graphics editing programs.
I use Corel Xara make this type of image. It is a powerful program that is quite easy to use. (Corel bought out Xara, which was originally a British Firm I believe, I think to prevent it from outshining their own Corel Draw program.)
If you'd like some links to these programs or tutorials post a message here and I will check back in tomorrow. There are lots of good PSP tutorial sites.
When I do a collage I open each image that I want to use in Xara, resize & reposition them, add 3D borders, filters, text, etc., move them around to the position I want and then save the finished product as a new, single image file, usually a .jgp. The multi images are saved as a new file, with all the images appearing together as a single composition. That's about all there is to it. I use an older version of Paint Shop Pro, mainly for quick image editing jobs, but I'm sure the technique is very similar on the newer versions. PSP is also a very powerful and relatively easy program to use!
Here's a direct link to Paint Shop Pro's lesson on combining images.
posted on September 24, 2000 06:32:48 AM
It's "photomontage" or "collage".
Easy to do, but it really increases download time ... not a good idea for auctions.
First, do all the editing, cropping and color correcting you have to on the source photos.
In any decent photoediting program open a NEW file the size you want the finished picture to be. Cut and paste chunks of the other pictures in as separate "layers", apply the special effects (fade-out, drop shadow, etc.), then merge and save as a JPG.
posted on September 24, 2000 03:08:46 PM
Julesy: With Paint Shop Pro you have a feature that allows you to to compress the .jpg size of the image without reducing the overall size, or dimensions of the picture itself. I think the default is set to about a 10% compression, but you can go as high as 40% for eBay pictures without losing image quality. You would have to experiment to find out what works for you.
Example: An uneditied image from my digital camera typically comes out in the size 680 x 480 x 16 million colors.
When I save this file without cropping or compression, file size is 238 KB - would take ages to download at this size. However, by compressing the image 35%, the file size is reduced to 69KB, with no visible difference in the image as it appears on the monitor.
Now that is still a big image at 680 x 480, so with cropping, etc. you can bring your image under 50K which is about the maximum size an image should be for eBay. Better to try for under 30k but that's not always possible.
To change the compression % in PSP, just click on 'File' 'Preferences' 'General' 'Saving.' Select the .jpg compression level at whatever works best for you. I leave mine set at 35%.
You can check the image size in your Windows Explorer program, as it gives the dimensions in kb's beside the image file in the folder you saved it in.
Edited to add that you can't compress a .gif image in PSP, only a .jpg
posted on September 24, 2000 08:53:18 PMAnnieJean: I don't think that you can "compress" a GIF image in any program that I've ever seen. At least, not in the way it is done with a .jpg or .tif. When a .gif gets "compressed", it is really a matter of reducing the maximum number of different colors, rather than removing redundant color information. If you know of a program that does a .gif otherwise, please let me know (always good to keep up in your field).
Julsey: AnnieJean is correct that in the graphics industry, such images are usually called a "collage" anymore. A collage is certainly artfull, but I've always thought that potential bueyrs would rather just get some good, close, detailed shots of the thing, rather than fancy artwork. But, success to you!
Also, when I was thinking along the same lines as you are, I was looking at MetaCreation's Canoma program, which took 2-D flat photographs and pulled 3-D images out of them. Very cool, but $400. Now, MetaCreations is selling off their software lines and the product itself is for sale.
posted on September 24, 2000 09:02:22 PMAnnieJean -- I really appreciate all the time you have taken to contribute to this thread. You have given me and others some really great tips!
Borillar -- I definitely agree that close, detailed shots are a must, and that consideration is always first and foremost when I do an ad. I was just looking for a way to present my photos in a more professional way, instead of 'clumped' together.
Again, thanks to everyone; this has been a very informative thread.
posted on September 24, 2000 09:51:14 PM
I know Julesy got her answer, but I wanted to mention one version of the collage that, as a buyer, I particularly like.
There's a main image, and to one side of it, two or three smaller views. You click on the any of the smaller images, and they enlarge within the frame of the larger one, rather than opening a new window. You never leave the page, and the load time seems to be zip.
I haven't seen it that often and haven't paid attention to whether it was done with proprietary auction software or something else, but how ever it's achieved, I think it's a real improvement in the browsing experience.
posted on September 25, 2000 07:21:58 AM
Borillar: I don't know of any software program that compresses gif's either. However, I often use Raspberry Hill's Publishing Inc. Online Gif Wizard to compress .gif images. The name of the site has now changed to InstaPass, but the Gif Wizard is at:
This service used to be free, but I think you now have to pay a small membership fee. It's a great service especially if you need to have a transparent gif image reduced for a webpage.
There are other image wizard's out there as well, but this one has been great for me, so I stick with it.
Edited to add: when I type in raspberryhill.com I get a message saying that the site name is now InstaPass. However, when you click the link the page comes up as OptiView.
posted on September 25, 2000 07:57:33 AM
Hi Julesy! I do this a lot! It gives a nice professional appearance to my auctions. I started doing it because of the Yahoo 3 picture limit. I resave my collages in another program (Photowise) and it compresses them down to a manageable size (between 30 & 40 K) so that my auction download time is not negatively affected.
I make my collage with Paint Shop Pro. It can take a bit of time to do but I think it's so worth it! Hopefully, people looking at my auctions will see the care I take in presenting the item, so they will associate that with being a good cautious seller too.
I'll post a couple of my collages when I'm back at the house later today.
posted on September 25, 2000 06:51:23 PM
Ok! I promised I would be back with a couple of my own collage pics. These feature my Mom, who's fabulous & 52, as my super model!
I hope the ubb works on this!
Anyway, this is how I've been putting together my clothing layouts, with the hopes that they will attract more buyers.
posted on September 25, 2000 08:28:26 PM
Wow! Thanks everybody! Sure, I'll detail the steps and attempt to be brief about it.
I use Paint Shop Pro for the following steps:
1- Crop photos, crop, & if needed: adjust lightness & sharpness. I resize only the closeup so that it is in good proportion ot the others.
2- I pick up a color from the photo or just basic black and add a border to each image.
3- I choose the first image that will be at the back of the collage. I do [add borders] in white to expand my work surface, so that I can fit all images. Now I have my first image in the centre of a white work surface.
4- I choose the second image to paste on by [select all], then [copy] & [paste as new selection]. I position it where I want, overlapping it onto my first image. I do the same with any other image.
5- I then highlight a rectangular area around my collage and choose [crop to selection].
6- NOW I resize the whole thing, to no higher than 350 pixels or no wider than 500 pixels.
7- Then I choose another color for my last 6 pixel [add border]. I add my email address and anything else I want then save.
My final step is to open my saved document in PhotoWise and hit [save] because it really compresses my image down to a manageable size without losing any detail.
Hope that helps! Feel free to email me if I can be of assistance. I'm no professional but my motto is "play with it til it works".
posted on September 25, 2000 09:16:27 PMBorillar, Spinwave has a free online gif cruncher as well as a free trial download. They also have some other neat graphic tools. http://www.spinwave.com/
posted on September 25, 2000 10:49:25 PM
Thank you, bhearsch. Before I was graphics savvy, I used to go to a certain web site where it crunches your GIF images down very professionally and would analyise your web pages too. That was years ago.
Then, about 3 months ago on AW, someone mentioned that it was still available. It is a terrific free web site. Does anyone remember that post/thread?
posted on September 26, 2000 04:11:22 PM
Well, I finally broke weak and went out and bought that Paint Shop Pro that I have been wanting for so long. All these posts just put me in the mood ....I installed it and then took a look at the BIG manual.........are you SURE this is user friendly <gulp>....I hate to stick it in the "I don't understand" folder along with the Adobe Photoshop that I have never used...
posted on September 26, 2000 05:34:37 PM
Dear Julesy
You have your answer but when I was first
learning this stuff, I found it simple to
put four photo's in the scanner at once
and save it as one picture.
Not as professional looking, but it served
the purpose till I learned the ropes.
posted on September 26, 2000 05:48:31 PM
quillworker- I know exactly what you mean about the manual! The first thing I did after I installed PSP was to search for online PSP Tutorials. I took all kinds of online lessons, learning many different and really neat techniques.
I hardly use more than the basics for my auctions pics but I had a lotta fun playing with it. There are still so many things that I haven't done yet with this program. It does so much and I'm learning all the time!
Play with it. Experiment. Use the copy & paste features, add borders, resize, adjust brightness, adjust sharpness, etc...
I have to say that the funnest (is that a word?) feature is the tubes! You can add little images to pictures to make them fun! I had a bit of a time figuring them out and now I love em!
If you need help, I certainly try my best to assist.
posted on September 26, 2000 07:07:10 PM
Hi Jozi...thanks for the words of encouragement. I think I will spend some time tomorrow (after taking a deep breath <g> and play with it a bit and take your suggestion. I am intrigued with the tubes and hope I can figure them out. I plan on keeping your email addy handy though.... keep the coffee warm and I will bring the donuts....
...are you SURE this is user friendly <gulp>....I hate to stick it in the "I don't understand" folder along with the Adobe Photoshop that I have never used...
and play with it a bit and take your suggestion. I am intrigued with the tubes and hope I can figure them out. I plan on keeping your email addy handy though....