Can anyone tell me if I can scan my slides directly to a photo CD in a jpg format? Do I have to scan into a Kodak PhotoCD or should I? What is the best type of file to scan into to archieve the most possible detail to manipulate later. Thanks Robb

-- Robb Russell (rnkrussell@hotmail.com), April 13, 2000

Answers

Photo CD uses a Kodak proprietary file format; it's isn't the same as JPEG. Kodak's website should answer most of your questions.

Try HERE< /a> for a start.

You might be confusing PhotoCD with PictureCD. PictureCD is Kodak's amateur image editing package, not the same as PhotoCD which is their scanning and storage service.

If you want to preserve the best quality in your image files do not use the JPEG format. You'll have to use TIFF, which doesn't lose any quality, but unfortunately the file size is much bigger.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), April 14, 2000.

Oooops! Sorry, don't know what went wrong with that link. It should still work though.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), April 14, 2000.

You may want to be careful about using the Kodak .pcd format. I was told by a local photography outfit that the only strength of the .pcd file is that it's lossless - as long as you stay under an 8"x12" reprint. So much for the great Kodak proprietary format.

-- Sue Bald (destiny3@ix.netcom.com), May 04, 2000.

Sue, whoever told you that does not have a clue what they are talking about. A digital image file is described in pixels. Pixels have no dimensions until they are displayed (monitor, printer, etc.). Any resolution file can be displayed at any size, no limits. There is no magic that occurs at 8X12, or any other size. The higher the resolution (more pixels), the larger the image can be made and maintain a certain level of quality. All of this has nothing to do with whether it is lossless compression or not. That's entirely another issue.

-- Steve (MilwaukeeChrome@aol.com), May 04, 2000.