Picture size is driving me crazy!

BM
Posted By
Byron_Mello
Dec 6, 2003
Views
150
Replies
5
Status
Closed
I am a Mac user and my issue pertains to Photoshop Elements 2.0. I have been scanning our 4×6 photos using a CanoScan 9900F and then posting our photos onto an Ofoto web site to share with our family and friends. The process of scanning and posting has been fine…I am able to do both.

My scanner is linked to Photoshop Elements…so after I scan a photo, I save the file as a jpeg. When a thumbnail of the photo appears on my desktop, the photo itself only takes up about 1/4 of the thumbnail…the rest of the thumbnail is white.

When I double click on the photo & open it up….it initially opens up "small"…I must click on the magnifying glass tool to enlarge it. The bottom bar of the photo reads "12.5% (rgb) 8.5 inches x 11 inches" when I initially open it up.

Here is the problem…I am unable to save the photo in a larger size and when I post it to Ofoto it remains small and difficult to view.

I have spent a few hours changing my Preferences and image size parameters but to no avail, the size of the thumbnail and the photo itself remain small and I am unable to save it as a larger photo.

just fyi….when I first started scanning my photos a while back, the thumbnails that appeared on my desktop would contain 100% of the photo (no white area) and when I double clicked on the thumbnail to open it up they would be at "25% (rgb) and have the actual size of the photo such as 5.97 inches x 3.96 inches.

I do not recall intentionally changing any of the parameters of Photoshop Elements or my Canon scanner so I am befuddled as to why this occurred all of a sudden.

At any rate, I cannot save the size of the photos as needed.

Thanks for your help!

Byron Mello
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BG
Byron_Gale
Dec 6, 2003
Hi, Byron…

It sounds like your scan is including the empty area of your scanbed, as well as your image.

Does your scanner software have a "autocrop" or similar feature that will try to find the actual image being scanned? Or, if you are doing it manually, while you’re previewing your scan, can you drag or resize some sort of boundary to limit the scanned size?

HTH,

Byron
BH
Beth_Haney
Dec 6, 2003
I haven’t ever heard of this particular problem, but there’s a pretty common thing most of us try when something that used to work right quits working – correctly or at all. Here are the instructions for deleting the Elements Preference folder on your Mac.

With Elements closed, click on the start up icon and then make a really quick grab for the Command, Option, and Shift keys. Hold all three down until you get a screen asking if you want to delete Settings. Say Yes. The Preference folder will rebuild as Elements continues to launch.

You don’t say which OS you’re using on your Mac. I’ve never had to delete preferences on Jaguar, and I can’t remember if there’s something else you need to look for or not! And if you’re on Panther, I’m no better at that. We do have a couple of other forum members who use OS X, so maybe one will be along shortly with more information. In the meantime, try the shortcut and see if it helps. If it doesn’t seem to, repost with OS information.
BM
Byron_Mello
Dec 7, 2003
Hey Byron:

Thanks!!…..it was the scanner…changed some of the preferences and that did the trick. Problem solved.

Aloha,

Byron Mello
BS
barbara_sestric
Dec 7, 2003
I hope someone can help me! I have an old version of this program (Photoshop Deluxe v.2.0) and I want to try Photoshop Elements. But I am afraid that I’ll have the same problem with it that I do now. I keep trying to download the "tryout" version, but it keeps "timing out". The problem I have now (and it’s a very similar program) is that no matter what size I type in (and I always keep it in proportion), a much larger size prints!! This happens even if I want the same size I scanned in! Can someone tell me if I will have this trouble again? I have a new HP 5650 printer, HP scanjet 3500c. I do not know what I am doing wrong. Also, if anyone knows why I can’t seem to download the trial (I have a cable modem), I would appreciate help with that too! Thank you!

Barbara Sestric
CS
Chuck_Snyder
Dec 7, 2003
Hi, Barbara: You should be able to print the exact size from Elements; sometimes it takes a little extra effort to get it exactly where you want it on the page, but we can get you there. With respect to downloading the tryout version, you may need to turn off your antivirus and firewall programs during the download, particularly if they’re Norton. See if that helps – and don’t forget to turn those protective programs back on afterward!

Chuck

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