Excessive JPEG compression in Avsim review screenshots

[Tabs 2,790]

Just a suggestion for the reviewers... Some of the recent reviews that have gone up like the Dodosim Bell 206 and the Maldives X scenery have really excessive levels of lossy JPEG compression on the screenshots - it makes it almost impossible to judge the visual quality of the textures in the products because there's so much of that blocky compression artifacting in the images.Examples:http://www.avsim.com...ior_Utility.jpghttp://www.avsim.com...Aerosoft1/9.jpgI'm not sure how you guys are taking/compressing the screenshots but there should be a quality setting when you save them as jpeg - I generally set that slider no lower than 80% when making screenshots - that reduces the file size significantly but doesn't screw up the quality of the image by overcompressing. If you're using MS Paint to save these, you should download the free Paint.net app at http://www.getpaint.net - it has much more robust tools for controlling the level of compression in the image ala what Photoshop has.Thanks, this just irked me reading those reviews - I certainly wouldn't want our products to look like that in a review and this makes it hard to judge the visual quality when making my own personal purchase decisions...

[ryanbatc 12,857]

Good post.There's a ton of freeware programs out there. I use Gimp, and while its not the best for reducing screenshots it does very well.

[vonmar 123]

For people who do not notice a JPEG quality problem could a "good" JPEG quality be shown for comparison.Maybe this post/subject could also be posted in this forum?:http://forum.avsim.net/forum/247-review-feedback/

[jasmckee 0]

Hi guys,i reviewd the Maldives scenery. i jsut checked my screen capture program that i use (screenhunter) and the jpg quality is set at 90, i also used ms photo editor to crop these images, maybe something in that program has changed the compresion, i will look into it and see if i can see why it has come out like that. i am going to be using gimp for any screenshot edits from now one, so hopefully there is nothing m\on my end that will reduce the qualitythanks for the comment though, has allowed me to look into this furtherJason

[MdMax 233]

Hello !+1I just wanted to add that sometimes, there's no problem with the JPEG compression, but a resizing problem.I have one example here, just look at the 1st picture near the title:http://www.avsim.com/pages/0710/XPlane2/Falco.htmDoes this picture look good ? The edges of the wings and fuselage are looking strange because of the resizing. It's like taking a screenshot without anti-aliasing. It may even deter people to read the review.With very small ImageShack thumbnails, you get better results: If you need a free and good tool to resize pictures, you can use GIMP and choose Lanczos or Cubic interpolation when you resize the picture.Happy reviewing and best regards ! B)

[vonmar 123]

Possibly the Commercial Vendors could supply their own quality JPGs for use in the AVSIM reviews.

[MdMax 233]

Possibly the Commercial Vendors could supply their own quality JPGs for use in the AVSIM reviews.

If the reviewer has the freedom to add his own screenshots and show everything he wants to show, it's OK, but if the reviewer shows only screenshots from commercial vendors, it's no more a review.

[Robert W 3]

"I'm not sure what most reviewers are using for a screenshot capture utility. I use Screenhunter and adjust them for web publishing with Photoshop Elements.I just looked at "GIMP", and it too looks like a good utility to use. I'll send the GIMP link to all my review staff and let them have that option. I sometimes have to convert BMP files to JPG (using photoshop elements) when the reviewer sends me these HUGE files, and my quality is set at 90% (very high).Thanks for the observations, the info will get passed to the review staff."

[Chock 17,769]

Good post. I've been pulled up on this in the past, and so I now use FRAPs to grab screenshots, which seems to do a decent job of it.Al

[Guest acezboy561]

I use the V key, then just change it from PNG to JPEG. http://www.avsim.com/pages/0810/CLS/472.jpgThat shot looks just like I see in the sim.

[Mike62 29]

Hi everyone, I was the Dodosim reviewer. I am sorry for the quality of the screenshots. This was my first Avsim review and I used the FSX "v" function then saved as a jpeg file using Photoshop. I will submit larger size files for future reviews.Thanks for the input.Mike Cameron

[Lordblowtorch 0]

I have been put off buying some add-ons because the review pictures where horrible.. especially ones with very bad jaggies

[qazs022002 0]

i jsut checked my screen capture program that i use (screenhunter) and the jpg quality is set at 90, i also used ms photo editor to crop these images, maybe something in that program has changed the compresion, i will look into it and see if i can see why it has come out like that.___________________Prada HandbagsLouboutin ShoesDiscount Christian Louboutin

[TerrenceK 0]

Possibly the Commercial Vendors could supply their own quality JPGs for use in the AVSIM reviews.

If the reviewer has the freedom to add his own screenshots and show everything he wants to show, it's OK, but if the reviewer shows only screenshots from commercial vendors, it's no more a review.

Agreed. Some us use screenshot artist to pimp up their screenshots We used to have them as well, but then decided to not use them anymore as we think our work doesn't need any additional 'artistry' from a screenshot point of view. That being said, I think Tabs is right, some of the screenshots used in reviews don't really do the product justice, which is a shame.