Is it possible to get a print quality screenshot or screen-capture?

[GypsyGraphics]

I've always told clients "NO" you can't pull an image off the internet and expect to use it for print, unless it's a downloadable print quality file. Today I received an email from a client who wants me to capture a single frame from a video clip, to be used on his 3' x 8' roll-up banners.

The email was actually forwarded from his "social media" person, who suggests that with my 32" monitor i should be able to get a larger image and therefore better quality. I did use a screen capture from a video before, but it was for a postcard and i ran it through Genuine Fractals, which resulted in acceptable image quality. Am i wrong thinking that even if I’m able to get an image that fills my screen, a 25” wide 72 dpi image, is still really only 6” wide at 300dpi?

Have I've been saying NOWAY to web images for so long that i've turned a blind eye to something new being done with screen-captures?

 

[Malkin]

Maybe you'll get a better image than if you had a 15" screen, but still not likely to be much good.

The video is going to have a certain resolution, if it enlarges to fill your screen, then it's just upsampling, which won't help.

If the banner is going to only be viewed from 50 feet or more then it might be fine....

 

[jrsc]

Screen size has nothing to do with it. All that matters is the number of pixels.

 

[skyhigh]

The size of your monitor won't make any difference.

is this video PG, R or X rated?

 

[GAC05]

Get the video, take it apart in an editor and get the frame out at what-ever resolution it was saved at.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[phototec]

Hey GG, here is a little trick I find works for me sometimes. On my PC (Window XP) in the lower right hand corner there is a 100% screen image size, I change it to 400% before making the screen capture, this will crop your image, so I have to scroll left and right, up and down, and make many screen captures of the different cropped segments, to capture the entire image.

Then in Photoshop I reassemble all the captures back together in a new image that is 400% larger at 72dpi, then If I need to go larger, I run through GF to get the resolution up to 300 dpi. See attached 400% screen capture of your signs101 post.

Like I said, in a pinch, it has worked for me, and there are many tools in PS that can help refine the image also.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

the video is from a well known medical tv talk show that is in HD, so why a HD DVD is not available is beyond me. if i had that, i'd open it in Final Cut and output a single frame.

i'm working with both the doctor and his social media person, who both don't understand why i can't get what i need from the video that's available on the tv shows website.

their email says:
[FONT=Geneva, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]"As far as I know, this the only access to any video we've had. (There is no DVD, unfortunately). If you could get a decent 6" version at 300 dpi, and then fudged a little bit with resampling or whatever tricks you guys do, would it be possible to eek-out an 8 or 10 inch printed version good enough for viewing at poster distance? Obviously it would not be sharp like a magazine page, but would it work or it would be stretching it?"[/FONT]

aside from the fact that i think an eek-out 8"-10" image as the main focal point on a 3' x 8' banner is going to look silly... my thought is it would be marginally acceptable AT BEST!

it's frustrating, i know they think i'm just being difficult.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

well, this is defiantly a "PINCH" and i've never tried segmenting a screen capture and reassemble it... so it's sure worth a try!
THANKS PHOTOTEC!!!

8:30pm and haven't even had lunch yet... think i need a dinner break and i'll try this out first thing in the morning!

 

[Custom_Grafx]

The best you can do is just upscale in PS - use the "best for enlargement" preset. There's another plug in for enlarging called OnOne 'perfect resize'. It sounds like you already have something similar though.

 

[grafixemporium]

Phototec, you are not increasing the number of pixels in that image by viewing it at 400%. You are simply enlarging the view of the pixels. You are better off and will save yourself some time by just getting a screen cap at 100% and enlarging it in PS.

 

[signmeup]

HD video is 1920 x 1080 or 2 mega pixels.(remember when only the most splendiferous digital cameras were this big) That will give you a great print at 4" x 6" and a pretty decent 8x10 if it's a clear, sharp frame. Try it.

Also ... it has nothing to do with your monitor. That only allows you to see a representation of the digital file. Unless you photograph the monitor with a high res camera it won't make any difference. Actually, you could try that. HD video looks pretty good on a decent 60" TV.

 

[oldgoatroper]

Not sure what kind of video file you are working with but consider using VLC (videolan.org) to extract your frame from the vid.

VLC will play virtually every known vid format and can slow down video and single-step through the frames and can also dump a single frame at full resolution to a png file. Then, upsample if necessary using photoshop and your plugins as noted by grafixemporium.

It doesn't get any simpler than that and you won't get any better results with screen shots.

 

[signswi]

1080 HD has enough pixel data to do a 3x8' banner with upscaling in Perfect Photo.

However, you could have some copyright issues here. Is the client the copyright holder of the video? If not, do they have clearance, in writing, from whomever does hold the copyright to reproduce a frame in this manner?

 

[GypsyGraphics]

well, i think it IS as is always been... there's no new secret that magically lets you get a screenshot that's anything but 72 dpi, it is what it is. enlarging it on the screen is just a resampling.

with methods of interpolation, through PSD or Genuine Fractals, i can get a marginally acceptable image

BUT....

However, you could have some copyright issues here. Is the client the copyright holder of the video? If not, do they have clearance, in writing, from whomever does hold the copyright to reproduce a frame in this manner?

THAT'S the larger issue and i can't believe it didn't occur to me!!! Maybe it's the reason the tv show doesn't provide guests with a DVD.

i was just thinking, of it as a photo of a doctor who was asked to be a speaker at an event... one using video of the event and using a photo. that fact that it has already been used in many forms of advertising already, doesn't mean he has approval to do so.

I'm putting the breaks on this job, till i find out.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

something just occurred to me after reading op's post....
PLEASE DON'T GUESS THE DOCTOR'S NAME AND WRITE IT HERE!!!!
i posted this in the open forum, not realizing there might be a copyright issue and i'm certain the GOOD doctor had never considered the possible copyright infringement.... and shame on me for not realizing it myself.

this is a very important topic to discuss, but just as i didn't mention my clients name, i don't want the other doctors name mentioned either.

as i said, I'M PUTTING THE BRAKES ON THIS PROJECT and will make sure both the "social networking" person and the doctor are aware of the copyright issues and that they'll need permission before using images from the video.

 

[oldgoatroper]

something just occurred to me after reading op's post....
PLEASE DON'T GUESS THE DOCTOR'S NAME AND WRITE IT HERE!!!!
i posted this in the open forum, not realizing there might be a copyright issue and i'm certain the GOOD doctor had never considered the possible copyright infringement.... and shame on me for not realizing it myself.

this is a very important topic to discuss, but just as i didn't mention my clients name, i don't want the other doctors name mentioned either.

as i said, I'M PUTTING THE BRAKES ON THIS PROJECT and will make sure both the "social networking" person and the doctor are aware of the copyright issues and that they'll need permission before using images from the video.

Here's another thought: using a single image from a video is like excerpting a paragraph from a book which falls under the provision of "fair use" -- not needing permission.

 

[SignManiac]

I just did a screen capture using SnagIt and set the output resolution to 300 dpi and it seems to have worked? Might want to give that a try.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

The email was actually forwarded from his "social media" person, who suggests that with my 32" monitor i should be able to get a larger image and therefore better quality.

God I love that. Idiots like that guy need to be dragged behind a shed and beat with nerf bats until his intelligence is improved. if the video is low res, the resulting large screenshot (done with video capture software ... not print screen ... won't work) will just be a chunky low res image that still won't be big enough to print. You may be able to get away with 200 dpi ... but even at 1800x2400 that still only results in a 9x12 image. best to tell him "no, HECK no!" and if he insists, inform him that if he can supply art, you will produce a sample print from a small selection of the image for him to approve in person (at his own expense of course.)

That being said, unless he wants an actual photo, try to sell him on an art fee to re-create the art at the proper size in vector format. aim high, most people you vector will require 9 or 10 layers for the skin, clothing is about 5 and plants can run from 3-10 layers depending on clarity needed.

 

[OldPaint]

it was joke...........lighten up.......

 

[omgsideburns]

This thread is funny.