Picture image quality

[gad5264]

I haven't tried this but wanted some input from the computer guru's on BT.

Does this really work?

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/613707...bnail_quality/

[linear]

It works fine--I personally wouldn't consider those values optimal. 256 is too big. My thumbnail size is set around 150, and 100 quality is really not distinguishable from 50 in most cases.

This is one of the first tweaks I make on XP boxes I use.

[brecklundin]

yup...it's an XP tweak and it works well. Just remember to note wtf you did in case you want to either delete the changes or try a different setting. And as linear mentions those sizes/values are not perfect for all folks. Much depends on the display resolutions settings you have on your system and your eyes themselves.

Basically the resolution is mentioned as an n x n value. Such as 1024x768. The number of pixels across (horizontal) is the first number and the number of pixels down (vertical) is the second. There are a several ranges of resolutions. You might also see the value expressed as a ratio. The 1024x768 is a 4:3 ration and on my laptop which has a 1680x1050 the ratio is 8:5 (or widescreen).

The screen ration can be changed in your DISPLAY PROPERTIES settings. All is dependent on your system. So specific numbers do not matter here.

In addition to considering the resolution of your systems display & video card the actual physical size of the display comes into play. I think of this as the pixel density of a display. More pixels (higher pixel density) on a smaller display (say 15") will result in the same image looking smaller on the display when the resolution is set to 1280x800 then if the resolution is set to 1024x768 or even 800x600.

That is where thinking of screen resolutions as a ratio is much better. And ya know since everyone here is used to measurements it really makes explaining this MUCH easier. You would be surprised how it bounces off the foreheads of some folks.

One of the tricks to make a display easier on your eyes is to decrease the resolution settings. You can do it several ways but the easiest is to right-click on any empty area (as in no icon under the cursor/pointer) of your XP desktop area then choosing properties. From the window that pops up go to the SETTINGS tab and you will see a lot of settings to play with. Just remember to write down the original settings before changing anything in case ya goof it a bit fiddling. But do know you really cannot screw it up too badly here as it simply means changing stuff back.

BTW. my last laptop was a huge mistake display wise and has a 1920x1200 resolution on a small 15.4" display...AWWWKKK!! Stuff was SMALL. But the newer high resolutions were just out and well, ummm, I made a $3k goof that I had to live with for 4 years...now I love my HP NX9420 with the WSXGA+ display...I still fiddled with stuff like in the video and well, still do on occasion.

BTW, not just images are affected by a display's pixel density...text can be TINY when moving to higher resolutions. But this too can be somewhat compensated for on the under the "ADVANCED" button on the same tab as mentioned above. But there can be a price to be paid by altering the font DPI settings as it can make some "dialog boxes" (we know them as pop-up windows) or even program menus display incorrectly. So, it can mean compromise if you need higher pixel density to gain more screen real estate. I have to do this to a degree but it's livable really.

I am sure I left out a bunch of stuff about these settings but I am sure ya will get the idea...if you are having issues with reading your display it might be possible to make changes as shown in the video or via other methods.

BTW there is a really FUN program out there called STARDOCK and you can really customize your Windows desktop. I have it on a goof off machine and love it...this is my "gamer" and I don't do too much fiddling as it pays the bills...

But cool I could offer some help on the tool board!! wooo-hoo!! hehehehe...there are a few other registry tweaks for display stuff I have tried but I cannot find my notes on them. If I do I'll pass them along...