Getting the Most from Your Images: Print and Web
by Elizabeth Page
Graphic Designer
A lot of you have probably wondered what all the quality settings on your digital camera really do. Your camera probably has settings like best, better, good or large, medium, small. Most of you have probably been through the image quality scenario: The “best” setting doesn't let me take very many shots, so can I use the “better” or “good” setting?
When it comes to images, the best rule of thumb is to think about the final image. Setting your camera to its highest quality setting allows your digital camera to capture the maximum amount of information it's capable of. As a result your prints can be larger and still show good detail.
Below, the image on the left was taken on the better quality setting and the image on the right was taken on the best quality setting. This shows the difference in quality if both images were to be printed at the same size.1
Generally, capturing an image with the best setting will give you the “best” picture quality your camera can produce. As a result of capturing that image on the best setting, you have increased your final file size. The larger file size decreases the amount of images you can capture on your camera's memory card, since the image requires more storage space. As you decrease the quality setting on your camera, you can take more images, however you will be sacrificing the quality and size of your prints.
All of this begs the question, “How do I know how big I can print my images?” Well, you can print your images as big or a small as you want, however the larger you make the image, the quality continues to degrade. Most standard 3-5 mega pixel cameras will print a pretty decent image up to 8.5 x 11 inches.
If you want to get really technical, your images should be printed at 300 dots per inch to ensure a clear, crisp image. Most printed materials are 300 dpi. Photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Elements will tell you how large you can print your image at 300 dpi by using the image size feature. Again the larger the final print size (inches) the fewer dots per inch (below 300) there will be, and this is where images tend to start looking pixilated or grainy.
Ok, so this all fine and dandy, but “What if I only view my images on my computer, or place them on web pages?” Images on the web are a whole new ball game. I'm sure you have printed images out from the web and they look blurry or pixilated. There is a good reason for this.
All images on the web should be 72 dpi. Why? Monitors only display at 72 dpi and making images any larger than 72 dpi is just going to consume extra space, and cause the download time to be longer. An image uploaded to the web at 72 dpi will look no different on a computer monitor than an image uploaded at 300 dpi. Ultimately, if you printed out both of these images the 300 dpi image will look much better than the 72 dpi image. This is the drastic difference between printed images and web images.
Furthermore, uploading large image files to the web and using web-based editors to resize images can also cause image quality problems. If a 300 dpi image is uploaded to the web and resized from a web-based editor, essentially you are causing your computer's browser to have to juggle a few different things.
First, an image uploaded at 300 dpi is going to take a much longer time to view since the browser has to download a much larger file. Secondly, the browser is having to squish a 300 dpi image into a much smaller space. Think of it as taking 10 lbs. of sand and trying to fit into a 5 lb. bag. The web browser has to figure out how to fit and rearrange all of the pieces to fit into a much smaller area.
This is why it is not a good idea to take images directly from your camera and upload them to the web. It is best to resize your images before posting them to web pages. Most digital cameras come with software that will allow you to resize your images. Otherwise you can resize images in programs such as Microsoft Paint by using the stretch and skew feature.
Ultimately, while image quality can be a source of frustration and confusion for a lot of people, images are such an important part of our everyday life, that getting images to look good printed and on the web can take a bit of work, but will be well worth your while in the end.
1.) Images from Kodak Tips and Project center.
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Contributing Partner: SWIF Hosts VISTA Volunteer, Lindsay Holtz
By Sarah Libbon, Communications Officer
Southwest Initiative Foundation
VISTA: A Rich History of Fighting the War on Poverty
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy launched the War on Poverty with his immortal words, “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” President Kennedy didn't live to see his words materialize, but his successor, Lyndon Johnson, carried forth the work that Kennedy began by establishing the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which created a domestic volunteer program to engage Americans in the fight against poverty – Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA).
That year, the first 20 VISTA members met with President Johnson at the White House and began a great national effort that is still changing lives and communities today. The work that VISTA volunteers have accomplished is impressive. Programs like Head Start, Upward Bound, neighborhood watches, adult education initiatives, literacy programs, and the establishment of low-cost, accessible health clinics are in existence today thanks to the work of thousands of VISTA volunteers.
The Service Trust Act of 1993 made VISTA part of the new AmeriCorps and placed it within the new federal agency, the Corporation for National & Community Service. Since 2000, the number of VISTA volunteers has reached an all-time high with about 6,000 serving annually.
 VISTA is one of the high points in contemporary American history, and its track record for making a difference in the lives of Americans is what led Lindsay Holtz to become a VISTA volunteer. Lindsay will spend her year of service in southwest Minnesota, giving the region an opportunity to benefit directly from VISTA.
Lindsay graduated this spring from Gustavus Adolphus with a double major in history and sociology and a deep desire to help other people. Her goal to someday pursue a career in nonprofit management, combined with opportunities to see firsthand the impact that nonprofits make in people's lives, prompted her to think about VISTA.
Lindsay's decision is not one that many people would take lightly. As President Johnson said to the first group of VISTA members in 1964, “Your pay will be low; the conditions of your labor often will be difficult. But, you will have the satisfaction of leading a great national effort, and you will have the ultimate reward which comes to those who serve their fellow man.”
VISTA members are considered volunteer and receive a modest living allowance and their choice of a year-end stipend or an education award at the end of their service. Lindsay shared her perspective when she said, “This job does pay a lot, just not in the monetary sense. I will have the opportunity to work with people and organizations that I might never have had the chance to if it weren't for VISTA.”
While in service through VISTA, Lindsay will work as a Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) community outreach coordinator. MAVA is sponsoring Lindsay's position and the Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF) is serving as her host organization. Lindsay will spend 80 percent of her time working for MAVA to expand and support their Volunteer Resources Leadership project and to increase opportunities for volunteerism. The remaining 20 percent of her time will be spent working with SWIF initiatives to expand the Junior Achievement program in southwest Minnesota, and develop an “appreciative inquiry” tool to help communities understand their history and connect generations.
SWIF is proud to play a part in bringing VISTA to southwest Minnesota. Lindsay's work will undoubtedly leave a lasting mark on the region and will add yet another thread to the rich tapestry of VISTA projects that have served to fight poverty for over 40 years.
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Community Connection: Steve Returns from Haiti
 Steve Gasser, President of Vivid Image, recently returned from a 10 day trip to Haiti. Rotary International and Haiti Outreach offer opportunities to Minnesota Rotarians, like Steve, to travel to Haiti. While in Haiti, Steve was able to briefly stay in the capital, Port au Prince. Steve and a group of 6 others then traveled by small planes into the mountains, where they stayed in the village of Pignon for the majority of the trip. While in Haiti, Steve spent time with the people of Haiti, visited safe- water well projects, toured school and home construction projects, helped build over 70 desks for a local school, and spent time at a local orphanage. Steve enjoyed the trip immensely and found the people of Haiti to be gracious and eager to share their culture. For more information on Steve's trip or opportunities to visit Haiti, email Steve at steve@vimm.com.
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In the News
Acorn Web Group, an affiliate company of Vivid Image, Inc., opened in August 2007. Acorn Web Group is a company devoted to the unique web needs of start up companies in Minnesota, as well as small businesses who have yet to experience the joys of the web. Sensitive to cost and time constraints of small business owners, Acorn Web Group offers start-up web sites, email, and marketing copy that will help grow businesses with minimal investment, minimal resources, minimal complications, and minimal risk. This simple, low risk option is intended to assist more local companies reach out to more customers and grow their businesses using the web.
Robyn Richardson joined Acorn Web Group in July, already assisting many area small businesses with their first web site. Graduating from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, AZ Robyn holds a BS in Information Technology. She is also a certified graduate of the Dale Carnegie effective communication skills and leadership course. Recently relocating from Arizona to Minnesota, Robyn comes to the Acorn Web Group with many years of experience having worked for the world's largest semiconductor company as a web designer and developer.
Acorn Web Group is currently located at 222 5th Ave NW in Hutchinson, and is now taking referrals. If you know of a small start-up company or business owner who may be ready for the web, you can call (320) 587-8974. Acorn Web Group is owned by Steve and Beth Gasser. For more information, contact info@vimm.com.
 Jonathon Stierman, Vivid Image Programmer, and Steve Gasser, Vivid Image President trained and ran in the Silver Lake 5K run this past month. This summer's lack of rain ended the morning of the run. Both runners finished the race, but were drenched. Good job, Jonathon and Steve!
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Check out some of the new web sites done by Vivid Image!
www.awimfg.com
www.awilaser.com
www.tesseractschool.net
www.hotdishproducts.com
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