Say I have the zoom level set to 100% in either Adobe Photoshop or InDesign. There's an image on it, and it looks fine and dandy -- sharp as a whistle.
However, due to my computer screen resolution, the Adobe ruler doesn't match up with a ruler in the real world when the zoom level is at 100% (e.g. an inch in the program [with zoom 100%] IS LESS THAN an inch on a real tape measure).
By increasing the zoom level in the programs up to around 140%, the Adobe ruler measurements are roughly the same as those on the tape measure, more or less solving the mismeasurement problem.
The problem is, at a resolution of 140%, the image is no longer sharp. It's blurry. And I'm pretty certain (correct me if I am wrong) that the image is blurry because the zoom level is higher than the maximum non-blurry zoom level, as opposed to any problem intrinsic in the image itself.
So my main question is: IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN GET AN ACCURATE VIEW OF THE IMAGE AS IT WOULD LOOK PRINTED OUT? I need the Adobe ruler and tape measure to match up, and also need the image to be as it would look on printed paper (hopefully non-blurry). I have tried decreasing my computer resolution, but it just causes EVERYTHING on the computer to be blurry. Or can I just assume that the image with mismatched rulers and 100% zoom is an accurate representation of how it would look in reality?
The adobe ruler only matches up when you make prints. Click "view" and go to actual size. This will be as close as you're going to get.
Also, when you place a picture in indesign... make sure the picture you're importing is set to 300 DPI under the Image Size tab in photoshop. This will make it print better and look cleaner within InDesign.
One last thing, in indesign, set your display performance to "high quality" under the view tab.
There is no way to get an accurate view where a real life ruler matches up to a screen ruler.
100% in pshop means the pixels are 1:1 when you zoom in to 140% 1pixel on the print = 1.4 pixels on the screen, the pixels are being split hence the fuzzyness.
there is just no way to physically measure a drawing on a screen accurately. Different screens have different physical sizes. You have to print it out to get it to be the right size. Zooming doesn't actually change the size of the picture, you need to change Image>Image Size.
the reason the image is jaggy when you zoom more than 100% is because the image is made up of little dots, and you have zoomed in to where Photoshop actually has to make the dots appear bigger. There is no way for the computer to magically know what information should be going in between those dots - you have to get a better picture made up of smaller dots.
I believe if you have a known dimension, in adobe you can scale the ruler to reflect the relaltive scaling and give correct dimensions (does that make any sense?). I know I can do that in Adobe Acrobat.
Not 100% sure about the accurate viewing, though with the accurate dimensioning, you should be able to back calculate the required viewing percentage to get it correctly sized.
you should never try to physically measure an image on your screen (I've heard stories of "oldschool" drafters trying to scale lines on their monitors)--your screen may be "large" enough dimensionally, but the view you're seeing is not a 1:1 relationship to the "real world" (even at 100% zoom), the image that you see on the screen is relative to your screen, not necessarily relative to the actual physical dimensions of the image.
AN ANSWER...Although it is a little hit and miss...
I have felt your pain before and unfortunately there isn't a ton that you can do about it, but there is one trick that you can try to get an idea of what it may look like.
If you bump up the image resolution in photoshop or InDesign it will let you view the image more clearly and seemingly more zoomed-in when you are at 100% resolution than what you have now. At that point the only thing you can do is mess continue to mess with the resolution a few times and hold a ruler up to your monitor until the rulers in the program relatively match your actual ruler. (For this to work just leave your zoom at 100%) Granted, this isn't a long term solution, but it should allow you to view the image clearly enough to see what it is going to look like at 100%. Hope this helps...
J
PS If you have to jack it up a lot, be careful not to leave it that way for long...I don't use InDesign often, but Photoshop gets mean with anything over 600 or so resolution when dealing with complex files (unless you have a very nice computer) - Good luck
Jun 6, 09 2:51 am ·
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RESOLUTION versus REALITY
Say I have the zoom level set to 100% in either Adobe Photoshop or InDesign. There's an image on it, and it looks fine and dandy -- sharp as a whistle.
However, due to my computer screen resolution, the Adobe ruler doesn't match up with a ruler in the real world when the zoom level is at 100% (e.g. an inch in the program [with zoom 100%] IS LESS THAN an inch on a real tape measure).
By increasing the zoom level in the programs up to around 140%, the Adobe ruler measurements are roughly the same as those on the tape measure, more or less solving the mismeasurement problem.
The problem is, at a resolution of 140%, the image is no longer sharp. It's blurry. And I'm pretty certain (correct me if I am wrong) that the image is blurry because the zoom level is higher than the maximum non-blurry zoom level, as opposed to any problem intrinsic in the image itself.
So my main question is: IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN GET AN ACCURATE VIEW OF THE IMAGE AS IT WOULD LOOK PRINTED OUT? I need the Adobe ruler and tape measure to match up, and also need the image to be as it would look on printed paper (hopefully non-blurry). I have tried decreasing my computer resolution, but it just causes EVERYTHING on the computer to be blurry. Or can I just assume that the image with mismatched rulers and 100% zoom is an accurate representation of how it would look in reality?
The adobe ruler only matches up when you make prints. Click "view" and go to actual size. This will be as close as you're going to get.
Also, when you place a picture in indesign... make sure the picture you're importing is set to 300 DPI under the Image Size tab in photoshop. This will make it print better and look cleaner within InDesign.
One last thing, in indesign, set your display performance to "high quality" under the view tab.
There is no way to get an accurate view where a real life ruler matches up to a screen ruler.
its all about the test print.
100% in pshop means the pixels are 1:1 when you zoom in to 140% 1pixel on the print = 1.4 pixels on the screen, the pixels are being split hence the fuzzyness.
Oh, I you can get an actual size on your screen by doing 'Fit on Screen' under the View menu in Photoshop.
there is just no way to physically measure a drawing on a screen accurately. Different screens have different physical sizes. You have to print it out to get it to be the right size. Zooming doesn't actually change the size of the picture, you need to change Image>Image Size.
the reason the image is jaggy when you zoom more than 100% is because the image is made up of little dots, and you have zoomed in to where Photoshop actually has to make the dots appear bigger. There is no way for the computer to magically know what information should be going in between those dots - you have to get a better picture made up of smaller dots.
... so you're wrong: it's not a problem with photoshop's ability to zoom, but a problem with your image not being detailed enough.
I believe if you have a known dimension, in adobe you can scale the ruler to reflect the relaltive scaling and give correct dimensions (does that make any sense?). I know I can do that in Adobe Acrobat.
Not 100% sure about the accurate viewing, though with the accurate dimensioning, you should be able to back calculate the required viewing percentage to get it correctly sized.
you should never try to physically measure an image on your screen (I've heard stories of "oldschool" drafters trying to scale lines on their monitors)--your screen may be "large" enough dimensionally, but the view you're seeing is not a 1:1 relationship to the "real world" (even at 100% zoom), the image that you see on the screen is relative to your screen, not necessarily relative to the actual physical dimensions of the image.
AN ANSWER...Although it is a little hit and miss...
I have felt your pain before and unfortunately there isn't a ton that you can do about it, but there is one trick that you can try to get an idea of what it may look like.
If you bump up the image resolution in photoshop or InDesign it will let you view the image more clearly and seemingly more zoomed-in when you are at 100% resolution than what you have now. At that point the only thing you can do is mess continue to mess with the resolution a few times and hold a ruler up to your monitor until the rulers in the program relatively match your actual ruler. (For this to work just leave your zoom at 100%) Granted, this isn't a long term solution, but it should allow you to view the image clearly enough to see what it is going to look like at 100%. Hope this helps...
J
PS If you have to jack it up a lot, be careful not to leave it that way for long...I don't use InDesign often, but Photoshop gets mean with anything over 600 or so resolution when dealing with complex files (unless you have a very nice computer) - Good luck
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