Image control shows good quality JPG, but poor quality for PNG, GIF

[keviny04]

Here is a test form showing 3 sets of images. Each row shows the same image file in different sizes. The first row shows a PNG file in different sizes, second row shows a GIF, and the last row a JPG file. Anyone know why the JPG looks much smoother in all sizes than the PNG and GIF? Is my PC missing some graphics filters or something? PNGs and GIFs show up fine in other applications, such as web browsers, so I would guess my PC is fine. So does it have something to do with Access? I'm running Access 2007 SP3 on a Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1 PC. Is there some hidden Access properties that I can use to smooth out "jagged edges" on the PNG and GIF? I need to work with PNG and GIF because they support transparency, which JPG doesn't. Any thoughts?

[June7]

Don't know why the differences. Maybe resolution. AFAIK, nothing in Access can refine these images. Access is not a super image handler, not intended to be.

Does the jpg quality hold up in report?

[keviny04]

On a report preview, the image qualities looked similarly poor. But the actual report output, as printed on paper or PDF, showed silky smooth images.

When I created a blank database and created the same form, I also got silky smooth results. So it doesn't seem to be a problem with Access necessarily.

When I imported the "good" form back to the database where I originally had poor results, the form showed poor images again. So it seems something inside the database is causing this, but I have no clue what it is.

[June7]

Interesting, several recent threads dealt with poor image quality on printout.

Try importing everything from old db into a new db and see if issue persists.

[ItsMe]

I looked at some of my reports to see what I have used in the past. In one report I have an embedded PNG. It is nice and clear. But, it does not have a transparent background. I remember using a white background to keep things clear (I think I would flatten the image to lower the resolution). I think I kept things at a medium or low resolution too. I think a 300 PPI is too high. The one logo I looked at is 150 Pixels Per Inch @ 1.433 X 0.72 inches. In the Access Report, where it is embedded, it is 2.2396" X 1.125". So the resolution is even lower than 150 PPI (inside Access). Perhaps rendering a transparent background @ 300PPI and then, after rendering, scale the image size up.

If I recall, I would render in 150 at a fraction of the finished size/dimensions. Then, within Access and after embedding the image, I would hold the shift key as I scaled the image up, in size.

Ultimately, you want it to look good where it will be viewed in its final state. If it is within Access, I believe it maxes out at 75 ppi. A good workstation printer should be able to go higher than that. A PDF should be able to go even higher. But, I do not believe I ever tested an embedded image's max resolution for export to PDF.

Maybe linking a file is a better option. Export a report with a linked photo. Then, print or whatever from the PDF.

[keviny04]

I have no need for reports in this particular database; I just need images to look good on forms. I did a little more testing and things got really weird. On that fresh database with the fresh form that had the "good" image control, any additional forms created after that would also give me good images. I made a copy of this "good" database, and the copy also worked. Then I started importing tables from my old database as June7 suggested to the good database. After only importing 4 or 5 tables, that same form that had showed good images before the import started to show bad images. Any forms created after that would also have the problem. The database just seemed "ruined" somehow. I used another copy of the good database and did the import again, and this time the images remained good. Then I created several fresh databases, and none would work. In short, it is totally unpredictable when I would get good or bad images.

On the "good" database, I tried importing the "good" form to a fresh database, but that also gave me degraded images. Then I tried COPYING THE IMAGE CONTROL ITSELF on the "good" form and PASTED it to a fresh form in a fresh database, and I GOT A GOOD IMAGE (a ray of hope). But on that same form, I added another image control, and got a poor image. So I had the weird sight of both a good image and bad image ON THE SAME FORM. And their property sheets looked identical. If I removed the picture on that "good" image control, and put the picture back in (same picture file) by changing the Picture property either on the property sheet or via VBA, it turned into a bad image; and there was no way get the good image back. Note that on the "good" database, I could change the Picture property of the image control without degrading the picture. This HAS to be the weirdest phenomenon I've ever encountered. And that seems to explain why I have read that some people had the problem and some didn't.

The only one constant is that JPG always looks good. My current workaround is to manually repaint the background color of the JPG so it matches the form's background color. With PNG and GIF's transparency, I wouldn't have to do that.

[ItsMe]

If you use software to flatten vector art and export it as BMP or PNG @ 150 PPI, it should show as good in a form, as long as you resize it to a larger image. If you embed an image that is 1" X 1" @ 150 PPI and then stretch that image to 2" X 2", it should look good. At least, that is how I remember it working. YMMV

[keviny04]

I hadn't thought of changing the DPI before, so I gave it try and upped the DPI of my images from 72 to 150. But once again, it fixed the problem in some databases, but not in others. It again indicated that some databases just got "ruined" somehow, while some never did. Didn't matter if they were freshly made databases with fresh forms or not. Very frustrating.

[ItsMe]

Interesting. Created a new control is common-play. Discovering corruption runs deeper can be real fun...