GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 668893
No easy way to reduce image resolution while keeping print dimensions intact
Last modified: 2018-05-24 13:08:04 UTC
Here's a simple problem that is solvable by GIMP, but, as far as I know, not very quickly or intuitively. 1. Scan an image at 800 dpi. 2. Decide you want to reduce the resolution to 300 dpi to save space when sending it over the net, while keeping the print dimensions the same. To scale the image, the one approach I found possible was: 1. Open Image->Scale Image. 2. Switch to print dimensions (like cm/in) 3. Write those values down somewhere. 4. Using the bottom set of inputs, alter the resolution. 5. Type in the copied values into the top set of inputs. 6. Scale! This is cumbersome. There also is a dialog found at Image->Print Size that seems to do exactly the same as Image->Scale Image when you only adjust the resolution inputs. I believe a better way would be for the scale image dialog to keep the print dimensions (cm/mm/in/...) the same and adjust the pixel dimensions of the image when the resolution is altered. This would make the procedure above a lot easier. The old behavior could still be accessed by using the print size dialog. As a workaround for myself and to possibly clarify what I want to do, I've written a Python-Fu script that adds a clumsy dialog that does what I want (and just that). See: https://github.com/mbr/gimp-reduce-resolution
Created attachment 269238 [details] XnView's resize options
XnView's Resize window (the equivalent to the Scale Image one in GIMP) has a "Keep Print Size" check-box which does just what it says. With that ticked, when you change the resolution it automatically adjusts the DPI to maintain the same print size. (or if you change the dpi, it adjusts the image resolution to compensate). With it unticked, adjusting one does not change the other (like what Gimp does now). GIMP needs the equivalent check box on it's Scale Image window, with the similar behaviour.
-- GitLab Migration Automatic Message -- This bug has been migrated to GNOME's GitLab instance and has been closed from further activity. You can subscribe and participate further through the new bug through this link to our GitLab instance: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/issues/391.