Resizing your images

In the section on the Beaghmoor walkabout it was noted that there were three sizes of image used: the thumbnail (in the navigation panel); the viewer (on the left) and the full-screen size (when you clicked on the viewer). So to create your own Virtual Walkabout you will need three versions of each one of your images: a small one (the thumbnail) for use with the navigation panel; a medium sized one to display in the viewer; and a large sized one (called the 'master') for the full-screen version. The master image will normally be the original photograph taken on site. Therefore, you will need to create the small and medium sized images from the master by making copies of it and reducing their size.

1. In an image processing package (like Corel Photopaint or Paint Shop Pro) open your first image from the mywalkabout folder/directory. If it has been directly transferred from your digital camera it should be at its highest resolution (i.e. it should be very big). To find out exactly how big it is find the appropriate menu option (perhaps under 'Image' or "Properties"). Set the scale to 'pixels', if it is not already set. Your image should measure at least 600 pixels wide (200 mm) by 800 pixels high (don't worry if it is larger than that). While you're there check that the resolution is set at 72 dpi (dots per inch). Save a copy of the image at this size into the sub-folder called 'large'.
   
   
2. Next, reopen the master image again (if it is not still open). Go back to the 'resample' or 'properties' menu and change the resolution to 300 pixels wide (100 mm) by 225 pixels high. Save the image to the subfolder called 'medium'. This will be the medium sized image that you saw open in the viewer on the left hand side of the example Walkabout
   
   
3. Next, reopen the master image again (if it is not still open). Go back to the resample' menu and this time change the resolution to 100 pixels wide (33 mm) by 75 pixels high. Save the image to the subfolder called 'small'. This will be the thumbnail image that you saw in the navigator on the right hand side of the example Walkabout
   
   

Repeat this process for each image in your Walkabout folder, remembering to save the re-sized image in its correct subfolder.

Creating a Blank Thumbnail Image

There is one last file you need to create. You will have noticed when you filled in your Image Logbook that not all the boxes have images linking to them. In most cases this is not a problem because people will only move through the walkabout where there are photographs to see. However, if you remember the Beaghmoor example, the navigation panel uses the small thumbnail images you have just created to show views of the pathways the user can take through the walkabout. Here it is necessary to indicate where no photographs have been taken to prevent users going down 'blind alleys'.

To do this the tool simply inserts a blank thumbnail image when no other images are recorded in the logbook. To create the blank thumbnail:

• In an image processing package (like Corel or Photoshop) create a new, empty file
• Set the image size to the 'small' size (100 pixels by 75 pixels)
• Name the file 'blank' and save it in the 'small' folder

Hints and Tips

The resizing process can be achieved more quickly using simple software packages such as a program called 'Jpeg Resizer', that is freely available on the internet at: http://www.webattack.com/freeware/gmm/fwimgprocess.shtml