****Poll Closed***
Last edited Sun Aug 27, 2023, 01:59 PM - Edit history (1)
From what I can determine the reason for downsizing to 1024 is NOT for: download speed, DU disk storage or screen presentation. The only reason seems to be a perceived image quality advantage. Given that all images are downsized to the screen size they are viewed on any advantage has to be minimal IMO.
All that said I'm posting a 48 hour poll to see what the way forward may be.
RESULTS.
The vote was 17-3 to try one contest and evaluate.
The Summer Contest will be without size limits. I will confer with California Peggy as host (as I have before offering to use the Summer Contest for data gathering) about how to best collect information. After that we hope to put this continuing controversy to rest.
| 9 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Time expired | |
| Keep the 1024 size limit for contest entries. | |
2 (22%) |
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| Stop resizing contest entries. | |
0 (0%) |
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| Try one contest (Summer) without resizing and evaluate. | |
7 (78%) |
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| 0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
| Show usernames
Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll |
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= new reply since forum marked as read
DU resizes it 1024X768 72 DPI
I'm also going to take this opportunity to address some of the complaints concerning the fairness of the August contest.
It's been stated in the post-contest comments that the second and third-place photos broke the sizing rule. Here's a screenshot of my third-place entry on Imgur.
According to the dimensions provided by Imgur, my entry didn't break the rule. On my laptop it "looks" larger than some of the other entries, but on my iPhone it doesn't. If I broke the rule, it wasn't done intentionally for advantage. Larger photos are actually at a disadvantage if they don't fit the viewer's screen. I want the entirety of my photo to be in view without scrolling.
A larger photo will also magnify a photo's imperfections. My photo isn't in sharp focus because it was taken through a dirty windshield. That imperfection would be less noticable in a smaller image.
It's also been stated in the post-contest comments that vertical photos might have an unfair advantage. Mine was the only vertical entry. I used the best orientation for the shot and took great care in the cropping and framing.
I don't think we should take them too seriously. I like the fact that folks with little photographic experience often enter just for the fun of it. So what if a pic doesn't quite fit the theme, or has a little too much saturation? It's not rocket science, and we're not handing out cash prizes. It's just a way for our fellow DUers to enjoy some distraction for a few minutes every month. Heck, we usually can't even get thirty entries, and have to open it for second entries. Why would we turn anyone away?
However, it is amazing how emotionally invested I get when one of my photos is in the running for first place. 
Likewise, I get dejected when of my pics gets creamed in the competition. 
My own personal feelings, I'd like to see more participation from new folks, and less worry about restrictions that may discourage them from entering.
JMHO! Let's try it for a month and see how it goes.
Grumpy
and sometimes get 5 votes with them. 
Really, you can never know what people will like. And often in this contest, it has nothing to do with the quality of the photo. Dogs seem to get far more votes than they would based on quality.
I think I'm going to start photoshopping dogs into all my shots! LOL!
(just kidding).
the next contest will be "Dogs" so no one has an advantage. 
dogs playing cards is forbidden. 
I entered this landscape a few years ago, thinking it was a sure winner. It didn't do anywhere near as well as I thought it would. I've come to the conclusion that it was just too wide, and by the point where it was displayed on a cellphone screen it just wasn't very dramatic. However, there was nothing unfair about that. This was a creative decision that I made, and I stuck with it.
or increase them to allow for wider photos.
But I do think extra large photos will have an unfair advantage over smaller ones.
I am an artist, and juried contests always have their rules. Nature of the beast. Part of the fun is finding a picture that looks good at the posted size.
I have some panorama pictures I would love to use. But I accept that they don't work within this contest's size rules.
You might be right. Hadn't thought of that.
In that case, I think doing one contest without the restriction is a worthwhile experiment.
So I uploaded the same photo at a higher Res. to see how it would look in a post.
Seems to make no difference in the size in the post.
The issue isn't what size you post, it's what size someone sees. That isn't determined by a resized or not resized file. It is determined by your monitor and the operating system that presents an image at the largest size that the screen will accommodate. There's nothing any of us can do about that.
Because the monitor displays the horizontal dimension to fill the screen a vertical sized to 1024 will show as a 2 mp image on a 1080p screen. Rotate that same image to portrait mode and the display will show an image that looks 50% larger.
An 8k screen displays any image at the equivalent of 33mp.
A 720p screen displays at .9mp.
Post a picture resized to 1024 on the long side and it will be presented as 1280 at the smallest size. Post an image that is 5,665 on the long size and it will still be seen as 1280. The only caveat here is that if an image is only 300 p on the long size the image at 1280 may appear to be pixelated. Larger images are downsized to fit the screen.
The largest display currently available is 8k. That will present a 33mp image faithfully. 4k will present between 8mp and 4mp depending on the version of 4k you have.
It isn't the size you post, it's the size your monitor shows you. A small monitor will not make a big image look better but a huge monitor can make a small image look worse. There's nothing any of us can do about that.
*disclaimer: This presentation is oversimplified. Please let us not go further into the weeds to minutia.
The vertical images that now will be bigger might have an advantage.
Here are two images, one is 1500 x 2000, the other is 2000x1500
I took photos of the same scene, one in landscape and the other portrait
Same resolution, but one will clearly look larger when posted.
