Images too large on desktop

Question

Level 1

25 points

Images too large on desktop

I shoot photos with a fairly high resolution; the images are usually about 3mb each. When I set a photo to be the desktop image, it is way too large for my desktop; much of the photo is off-screen. I have tried cropping, exporting as a smaller file and then importing that, etc., they all have problems, plus take way too long.

Is there an easy way to get the large photo to fit on the desktop properly?

G5, Mac OS X (10.4.10), iPhoto 08

Posted on Sep 21, 2008 7:41 PM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

215,748 points

Sep 22, 2008 9:34 AM in response to Mark Tomes

As far as portrait photos are concerned they have to be cropped in order to fill the monitor. There's no way around it. It's not like using in the screensaver where the left and right areas can be filled in with black.

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

215,748 points

Sep 21, 2008 8:10 PM in response to Mark Tomes

Have you tried cropping the photos to the same size ratio or pixel dimensions as the monitor?

TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Note: There's now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

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Answer 3

Mark Tomes Author

Level 1

25 points

Sep 21, 2008 8:31 PM in response to Old Toad

Yes, cropping has its own problems: I lose too much of the photo, especially when the original was in portrait format. I just want to reduce the original photo to desktop size. Thanks for the idea, though.

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Answer 4

Mark Tomes Author

Level 1

25 points

Sep 22, 2008 9:40 AM in response to Old Toad

Yes, I can crop the portrait format photos so they fit the monitor size, but then they are still a large file and show only a small portion of the photo when set to the desktop. I still have to export the cropped photo as a smaller file and re-import it into the library. I am hoping to avoid this extra work to get a photo in iPhoto to be set as the desktop photo.

Thanks for the attention to this issue.

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