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Thread: Trouble with image colors

  1. #1
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    Nov 2005
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    Trouble with image colors

    [edited from support email]

    I'm having a problem properly displaying pictures in Direct RT. I have converted the images from JPGS to BMP's, using Microsoft Paint. However, when I convert to a 256 color bitmap, the color seems to be all washed out. I don't know if this is a function of the original images, which were in JPG form. I CAN, however, save the images as a higher quality BMP, and in this case the images look fine.

    However, when I try to display these higher quality BMPs in Direct RT, the colors appear washed out, and I can't figure out why this might be. I'm attaching to this email, for your information, a copy of a larger quality BMP file in which the colors look good, but which Direct RT does not display properly. I'm also attaching a 256 color version of the same file that paint saved, in which the colors appear washed out.

    If you have any idea why I'm having this problem, I would greatly appreciate it if you could let me know. Any information or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much for your time.
    Last edited by jarvis24; 11-20-2006 at 04:28 PM.

  2. #2
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    Take a look at the same picture converted to a 256 color BMP by IrfanView (a freeware program from www.irfanview.com). It does a much better job than Paint. However, you may simply have a system that stores display information separately for each monitor resolution. Try manually setting your monitor to your target resolution (e.g., 800x600, 1024x768, etc.) and see if that target res is set to run at 256 colours. If so, bump it up to 24 or 32 bit (i.e., millions of colors). Then try running the session from that or any other resolution and see if it helps. You might also be running the session at a higher resolution on your machine that can't handle millions of colours. If that's a possibility, try running the session at a lower res like 1024x768.

  3. #3
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    Nov 2006
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    Same problem...

    Hi,

    My images also seem washed out on a specific computer we are running our study on. I double checked by opening the actual BMP file (saved from PPT) and there the images look perfect. As soon as I run the file in DirectRT the images look washed out/over exposed (e.g., too bright). I checked my screen resolution settings and the DirectRT style settings and everything seems fine.

    I would appreciate any extra suggestions you may have.

  4. #4
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    Can you send me one of these images and a copy of your style (.drt) file?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
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    2

    similar problem

    hi

    I am having a similar problem. My bmp images are orginally black and white, and when viewed in image viewing or editing software (e.g. photoshop, paint, ifranview) they appear fine. However, when I attempt to display them in DirectRT, they appear blotchy in some parts of the image, and other colours (e.g. red and green) become visible. I have tried various monitor resolutions and resizing the images, but no success. Attached is one of the files.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. #6
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    Can you post or send me a copy of the style (.drt) file and input file you are using and also a copy of your system diagnostics via dxdiag? Instructuctions for the latter are here: www.empirisoft.com/Support/showthread.php?t=75

    Will take a look and see if I can tell what's up with it.

    -Blair

  7. #7
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    Jan 2007
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    2

    re: colour troubles

    Thanks for your time. Here are the attached files.
    Attached Files Attached Files

  8. #8
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    Your dxdiag file looks fine although the driver for your video card is pretty old (2000) you may want to try an update if you can find one.

    Some questions..

    Does the same effect occur for any of the DirectRT samples that use images, e.g.,
    Code:
    C:\DirectRT\Samples\4 applications\image priming\implicit.csv
    If it's unique to this study you are running, I'd be curious to know if the images from the sample above look washed out when used in your study. Or, if the images in your study look washed out when used in that sample.
    Last edited by jarvis24; 01-16-2007 at 09:52 AM.

  9. #9
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    I looked at your files again. You are using 24-bit images with many shades of grey against a grey background. I'm assuming you want the image to blend into the background. DirectRT uses 16-bit colour by default--the impact this has on images is usually minimal and is worth the savings in processing load.

    In some cases though, 16-bit colour can adversely affect image quality. When this happens (as it also does with videos/movies on occasion), you can tell DirectRT to use 24-bit colour by placing a simple text file with the number "24" in it in your experiment folder. Call the file "colour.txt". I've attached a sample of such a file. Doing this will preserve 100% of the quality of your 24-bit images. Note that "32" will also work if your system prefers that.

    Note that another strategy would be to reduce the number of colours in your images to 256. Irfanview has a function for this and does a nice job (see Image > Reduce Color Depth).

    Finally, if you want your picture to blend in perfectly with the background, you might create a background image of the colour you want and display the subsequent picture over top of that so the match is exact. Some systems vary in how they display colours as set in the style file.

    The super perfect fix for your study, I expect, will be to keep your images as is and use the 24-bit (or 32-bit) colour.txt function in combination with a background which is a full screen grey image.

    Hope that helps,
    -Blair
    Attached Files Attached Files

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
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    1

    Image color not the same color of the screen

    Hi!!
    I need that the background screen be the same grey of the image. First, I did change my images to the same colour of the screen (grey 9539985). But I don't know why I cannot make it similar, and I need my images to create apparent movement so they must have the same color than the background screen. I prove changing it to 12 colors and didn't work. Also i downloaded the color.txt but direct rt told me that this computer is not able to use the 24 colors. And also i've changed my screen preferences and nothing changed..
    Please, can you give some advice??

    Here i attach the style file and 2 images as example
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by jarvis24; 04-19-2010 at 04:16 PM.

  11. #11
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    I could but could you revise your attachment so that it includes your input file and copy of the colour.txt file? That way I'll try to replicate exactly what you are getting and try to suggest a few options. e.g., as suggested above--did you try using a .bmp image as a background in addition to (or instead of) using a grey background in the drt file?

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