How can I force Outlook2010 to insert graphics at correct size (e.g. in pixels?)

[shiphen]

Hi

Problem:
When creating an email in Outlook2010, how can I stop it from resizing graphics (e.g. GIFs and JPEGs) when I inserted into the body of an HTML email?

Background
Part of the problem is that I *have* to have my Windows (v7 x64) run at at DPI of 125% (because other wise the text is too small on my screen).
I have discovered that some images (e.g. JPEGs) have a DPI burnt into them. [Right-click ==> properties ==> details]. And this appears to be affecting things.
I can't find the same properties dialogue for GIFs, but when I import a GIF that I have created with Xara (or Photoshop or elsewhere) it always seems to be inserted into an Outlook email too small.
i.e. it is blurred when I look at it in Outlook. This is true even though when you right click on it on Outlook the size and position listed is 100%.

Interestingly the image becomes sharp on my PC when I increase the Outlook height and width scales to 125%.

I don't really care what it looks like on my PC, but I want to make sure that the images are scaled correctly (i.e. not blurred!) when viewed on other people's computers.

Any thoughts?

J

[handrawn]

yes well, if your computer is set to view at 125% and outlook is set by default to view at 100% it probably will look blurry won't it - witness that increasing outlook scale to 125%, in sync with your windows, fixes it

its probably no more than that

if you reduce your windows to 100%, does it look ok? if so, nothing to worry about [assuming your recipients have their computers at 100%, and not much you can do about it if they don't]

[ad1066]

There is no DPI information in a GIF, since it was designed as an image format for the screen, not for print. The most important information regarding a GIF file is it's height and width in pixels.

-- Ben

[Egg Bramhill]

I don't really care what it looks like on my PC, but I want to make sure that the images are scaled correctly (i.e. not blurred!) when viewed on other people's computers.

I would suggest that almost all viewers of your email will be running their computers in the default PC resolution of 100% which equals 96 ppi and probably the default ppi you created the jpg in. (Having said that, resolutions are now undergoing an eruption of various different types, just look at the numerous mobile phone resolutions).

So I suggest if you want to check an images veiwing size, set your screens resolution back to 100% temporarily just to see what almost all PC recipients of your email will view.

[shiphen]

There is no DPI information in a GIF, since it was designed as an image format for the screen, not for print. The most important information regarding a GIF file is it's height and width in pixels.
-- Ben

Interesting.

OK but that was exactly my question - how can I get Outlook to burn the number of pixels into its sizing (in HTML emails)... ?

[shiphen]

I would suggest that almost all viewers of your email will be running their computers in the default PC resolution of 100% which equals 96 ppi and probably the default ppi you created the jpg in. (Having said that, resolutions are now undergoing an eruption of various different types, just look at the numerous mobile phone resolutions).

So I suggest if you want to check an images veiwing size, set your screens resolution back to 100% temporarily just to see what almost all PC recipients of your email will view.

Nice idea however resetting my PC back to 100% requires logging out of Windows. Realistically that is not an option as I normally have many things open. Also as you correctly point out screen resolutions are (finally!) going through a huge revolution - particularly on physically smaller laptops. And most high rest laptops will be more or less FORCED to increase their screen text DPI if the want to be comfortable reading text!

Part of the problem is that I do a LOT of image inserts (including screenshots etc) into Outlook and I want a standard set of actions that means that the images will be as clear as they can be on other people's computers.

By what Ben says this cant be done for GIFs, but maybe I should just use JPGs and set the DPI to something specific, being as it seems that Outlook pays attention to DPI when inserting images. (Also it does the same thing again when an image is inside an email that forwarded - and the image size seems to get larger every time you forward an email. Nightmare)

[wizard509]

If you need transparency, why not try png.

[handrawn]

it has nothing to do with the dpi [we have had similar discussion before] - it is to do with the view setting - email[html] only anti-aliases your drawing at 100% view unless you tell it otherwise... unlike xara for example - you have your windows at 125% you need to tell the html [outlook] that, or it will look pixelated

[theinonen]

...on other people's computers.

I would just leave dpi to default settings for the images and not worry about that if the images are only going to be viewed on a computer screen. For exactly the same reason GIF files do not carry dpi information as it is irrelevant for the intended purpose.