A question for those familiar with digital imaging - from someone without a clue.

I use a digital camera that creates jpeg files that I can then load into my Adobe Photodeluxe 2.0 software and print in very high quality.
I am trying to print a high quality copy of a bitmap file without any success. I cannot load .bmp files into the Photodeluxe software and double clicking on the file itself opens it up in Paintbrush which gives a very poor quality print.

Any ideas or do I need additional software?

Thanks in advance for any help

Simon

PaintShop Pro is pretty good for this kind of stuff. Generally I find that the software you get with a bit of hardware is pretty naff.

Cheers

Adam

There may be an option in Photodeluxe to associate .bmp files with Photodeluxe, or if not go to Windows Explorer and <Tools><Folder Options> and click the File Types tab. Scroll down until you get to the entry for bmp in the extensions column and click "Change". Then scroll down the list of programs and choose the one you want to associate with bmp files.

These instructions are for Win2000 but are very similar for 95/98/Me.

Cheers

Dave

Also, if you install Paintshop Pro (i would recommend it, it is superb) when you install it asks you loads of file types you can associate with PSP. bmp files are one of them.

You can also do your acquire from digital camera/scanned through PSP.

Dave

I'd also advise buying the best conversion program ever invented (also I think the most successful shareware product ever AFAIK) -
VuePrint

- Runs like the wind on any PC
- Available for free 28 day trial (I assume this is still the case)
- Lifetime licence (free support/upgrades), now $40 (mine was $20 years ago)
- Licence covers 3 processors (or leastways it used to)

FWIW
Paul

Download here

FWIW
Paul

[Edited by Paul Frank - 10/22/2001 12:46:54 PM]

Thanks for ideas chaps.

I'll give them a go this evening. Adamp, you're right about the software that comes with the camera - looks like I should try something new anyway.

Cheers

Simon

One I use is JPEG file explorer, very easy to use.

It is shareware, which supposedly expires after 30 uses, but I'm still using it.

http://www.dasound.com/programs/598/

and click on Download. Only 526K in size. :)

[Edited by Phantom_Flan_Flinger - 10/22/2001 3:44:11 PM]

Simon,

create a "shortcut" to PhotoDeluxe on your desktop, and then just drag the required BMP over the top of the shortcut and drop it. This will launch the chosen software with that file.

I have one shortcut for Adobe PhotoDeluxe v3.0, and one for Mircosoft Photo Editor, so i can easily choose which software i want to do a given job, without having to mess around with the registry!

mb

After all that it seems that I should invest in some decent software.

Photodeluxe 2.0 would not open the .bmp file whatever I tried: including dragging the file over a shortcut and playing with file types and associations. I assume that this is possible in v3.0 but not v2.0 (or at least the limited version that was supplied with my camera).

VuePrint was useful and easy to use but lost a lot of the quality of the original when saving as a JPEG. I'm trying to print a picture of a bike with a lot of small sponsors names - the detail is the point of the picture.

Anyway, thanks again for all suggestions - I think a trip to the nearest computer store is in order at lunchtime today!

Cheers

Simon

Download the 30 day version of Paintshop Pro off Download.com or go to www.jasc.com and see how you get on before parting with your hard earned first.

Dave

Simon

you need to alter the jpeg settings in VuePrint

jpeg has different quality levels of output - the VuePrint initial setting may be too low for you

FWIW
Paul

Thanks for the tip Paul. I was in a bit of a hurry last night - should have looked a little closer.

Simon

no problem
path is Options -> Jpeg -> Output Quality

I have PhotoDeluxe 2.0 (came with my scanner) and it quite happily loads a bmp file - Select Open File from the File menu and the open dialog lists bmp files along with jpgs etc - and opens it fine.

Does your bitmap open alright in paint - if not it might be something wrong with the file??