Posted by Peter Cross on February 3, 2014 at 10:36 PM
I'm doing a short presentation to some interns at my local nature center and want to use some of my images to illustrate the talk. I'll be using a digital projector from the center. What I'd like to know is what size (kb or mb) is adequate to give a nice projection? I'll be converting RAW images to JPEG's. Many images I already have as JPEGs as I posted them on NPN but the large is only 500 kb and I don't know how well that would project. So, what size do I need?
Thanks, Peter
Posted by Lon Overacker on February 3, 2014 at 11:25 PM
Peter,
I can't speak too much as to the size or quality of the images you need to prepare. But more importantly, I would HIGHLY recommend getting access to that projector -at a minimum to test. What will you be using the present the images? A slideshow from Bridge? MS Powerpoint, PDF? I bring this up because last year I presented some PS techniques to a local camera club. I showed up to the meeting with my laptop, connected up the video cable to the projector and quickly discovered the images from my laptop to the projector looked HORRIBLE! They were very dark and colors off. Ideally, just like with your home monitor, you need to test the setup at a minimum and at best do some sort of calibration, if possible. The latter might not be possible or practical, but you should do what you can to test the set up and presentation well ahead of time, otherwise you could be in for a disappointment. I know I felt terrible the entire 1 hour discussion because the images looked like crap.
Good luck with the presentation.
Lon
Posted by Peter Cross on February 3, 2014 at 11:39 PM
Thanks for your reply Lon. I'm going to be putting my images on a thumb drive and take it into the Center. Their media person is going to take my images and put it into PowerPoint. Any equipment needed will be supplied by them. As the system is theirs and the only outside stuff is my JPEGs, I'm not going to worry too much about some of the disasters you mentioned. Good to know though for future stuff. But I'd still like to know what size to make the JPEGs.
Posted by Keith Bauer on February 3, 2014 at 11:40 PM
Completely agree with what Lon said about checking out the setup. Optimally, it would be best to calibrate your laptop with the projector to create an ICC profile so things look right.
For size, find out what the resolution the projector is. For example if it is 1024x1280 then size your images to fit the long edge of 1280 for horizontal images and 1024 for the vertical (or whatever their projector supports). Probably sRGB color space will help as I'm certain their projector is not wide gamut capable.
Posted by Jim DeWitt on February 4, 2014 at 1:10 AM
Peter, so much depends on the projector that it's hard to answer your question. Some notes:
(1) Unless you can get the color calibration file for the projector, be prepared for your colors to be off. How much off depends on how the last user left the projector. To some extent you can tweak the colors on the projector, although you'll need to have tech support unless you are very good with multiple-level menus.
(2) Sizing your photos depends on the resolution of the projector. I'd urge doubling the usual size; almost all projectors can deal without over-sized. As an example, if the projector is at 1920 on the long edge, you'll have to have a tech reduce to 1280 if that's what you've crested.
(3) I agree with Keith on sRGB color space.
(4) Try to arrange to meet the tech a decent amount of time before the presentation starts. You need to learn the remote, sound check, confirm photo order with a quick run-through as well as doing the color correction.
Understand that just because the photos look perfect on you computer screen doesn't mean they'll look great on th projector; it's a different "monitor" and, obviously, uses a different means of making the image.
Discussion
4 repliesThanks, Peter
I can't speak too much as to the size or quality of the images you need to prepare. But more importantly, I would HIGHLY recommend getting access to that projector -at a minimum to test. What will you be using the present the images? A slideshow from Bridge? MS Powerpoint, PDF? I bring this up because last year I presented some PS techniques to a local camera club. I showed up to the meeting with my laptop, connected up the video cable to the projector and quickly discovered the images from my laptop to the projector looked HORRIBLE! They were very dark and colors off. Ideally, just like with your home monitor, you need to test the setup at a minimum and at best do some sort of calibration, if possible. The latter might not be possible or practical, but you should do what you can to test the set up and presentation well ahead of time, otherwise you could be in for a disappointment. I know I felt terrible the entire 1 hour discussion because the images looked like crap.
Good luck with the presentation.
Lon
For size, find out what the resolution the projector is. For example if it is 1024x1280 then size your images to fit the long edge of 1280 for horizontal images and 1024 for the vertical (or whatever their projector supports). Probably sRGB color space will help as I'm certain their projector is not wide gamut capable.
(1) Unless you can get the color calibration file for the projector, be prepared for your colors to be off. How much off depends on how the last user left the projector. To some extent you can tweak the colors on the projector, although you'll need to have tech support unless you are very good with multiple-level menus.
(2) Sizing your photos depends on the resolution of the projector. I'd urge doubling the usual size; almost all projectors can deal without over-sized. As an example, if the projector is at 1920 on the long edge, you'll have to have a tech reduce to 1280 if that's what you've crested.
(3) I agree with Keith on sRGB color space.
(4) Try to arrange to meet the tech a decent amount of time before the presentation starts. You need to learn the remote, sound check, confirm photo order with a quick run-through as well as doing the color correction.
Understand that just because the photos look perfect on you computer screen doesn't mean they'll look great on th projector; it's a different "monitor" and, obviously, uses a different means of making the image.
Good luck!