N00b question: changing screenshot format

[Ace_of_Sevens]

The documentation for Project64 seems to imply it can take screenshots in BMP or JPEG format, but doesn't give any instructions for how to change it. Right now, it's doing JPEG and I would like to do BMP instead. Actually, what I really want is PNG, but there's no indication that's supported. Please help a n00b out.

 

[emukeen]

it seems to depend on which video plugin you use. when i use glN64, it is bmp, when i use jabo's, it is jpg. you may try other plugins.

 

[Smiff]

1.6 saves JPG only.. did save png for a while in beta but was taken out. no options with jabo's video plugin sorry

edit: of course you can use a 3rd party capture utility to save however you like.

 

[squall_leonhart]

CTRL+Printscrn to capture the image

open mspaint or paint.net or photostudio ...etc
and CTRL+V to paste it

 

[Iconoclast]

Yeah, you can convert it with some imaging software. Try to avoid using Microsoft Paint!

Why do you want to save them as PNG? There is absolutely no reason to do that! Is this because of the idea that PNG format have more image quality in them? You can't INREASE the quality of an image once it's already lost it. PNG compresses slightly less than JPG format. BMP is the WORST image format I ever had to witness myself test! I've seen BMP images 33 times the file size of a simple GIF image. They are way too large in file size.

So I usually use either GIF or PNG format to save my images, because JPG format seems to have a slight loss of quality in it (depending on the program you use to save). EXCEPT when Project64 logs it. I don't see any loss of quality in the JPG format that Project64 logs. JPG is always lower in file size than PNG (with a couple of exceptions), so why do you want to use PNG format? Just wondering.

 

[Clements]

PNG is a lossless format, JPEG is a lossy one - i.e. data is lost. Some people would rather not lose any image quality, especially if poor JPEG compression is employed.

 

[Iconoclast]

PNG is a lossless format, JPEG is a lossy one - i.e. data is lost. Some people would rather not lose any image quality, especially if poor JPEG compression is employed.

Oh, I see. This user wanted to LOG them in PNG format. Logging them in JPG format, but then saving it in PNG format, would result in no improvement, but a higher file size. That's why I was so questioning about it.

I suppose you could, however, use the PrintScreen command or log them in BMP format, and then convert them in PNG format. Like the other users above just said! Still, I don't see any loss in quality in the JPG images that Project64 logs, so outside of when using Project64, I never use JPG format. Even compression level 1 causes some kind of crappiness in the image for the program I'm using, Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7. So I only use JPEG format if Project64 logged the image.

 

[Ace_of_Sevens]

I'm taking screenshots for moby games. I've been manually copying/pasting, but if I could save directly into PNG, I'm pretty I'd more than double my productivity. Thsi is a matter of trying to get a coupel dozen shots that are represntative of a game. I guess I'll switch graphics plug-ins.

 

[Smiff]

i think using HLE for archiving games info is dubious... unless you know the emulation looks right by comparing it to real system, and even then.. better to capture from real N64?

 

[squall_leonhart]

Jpeg, when used at 100% quality in programs like paint.net, does not lose any quality. mspaint automatically saves at 90% quality so everytime you save, you lost 10% of the original image quality

 

[Smiff]

squall_leonhart, you don't know what you're talking about. haven't got time to go into this now.

 

[squall_leonhart]

i know what im talking about, jpeg is a lossy format, but this loss can be decreased by saving in a program like paint.net or photostudio, coz mspaint always saves at a 90% quality / size ratio

 

[Doomulation]

As for "taking" screenshots... When a program "takes" a screenshots, it is always lossless, because it contains all the data about the picture. The loss is applied when saved to a lossy format (eg jpeg). So basically, if pj saved the files as png first, then there would be no loss at all.
Anyway, you can also select what compression ratio to use in jpeg. The more compression, the uglier the image, of course. Some programs saves with a higher compression ratio which makes them look ugly. Some use very little compression ratio which makes them look good. With low compression ratio, the most details removed is what the eye cannot see or cannot see very easily.

 

[Allnatural]

i know what im talking about, jpeg is a lossy format, but this loss can be decreased by saving in a program like paint.net or photostudio, coz mspaint always saves at a 90% quality / size ratio

Quality loss can be decreased, but not eliminated. Your earlier post implies that no data is lost at 100%, which is untrue.

 

[squall_leonhart]

ah, yes, apologies, i worded it wrong at the time.

i meant that while there is loss, better programs hide this better

for instance, with mspaint, you tend to get colour banding or pixelation.

you can see this in this image, i saved in mspaint



there is pixelation around the ships becoz mspaint saves at 90% which tends to stuff up blending.

i took some halo screens and saved them in paint.net and...

no pixelation or colour banding.

and yes halo players, i do have proper active camo working on my geforce fx card!