Old news can be found here.
By Miller
#38101
In the thing I used to convert my Cars of DRIVER screenshots from bitmaps to JPEGs, there was a setting that said in parenthesis: better quality. I assumed that would make the resulting image look better than without that box ticked. It was much later when I realized the opposite was true. Using that “better quality" setting rendered the converted images with little geometrically shaped designs throughout the pictures. Part of the reason I was unable to notice this at the time the images were converted is because my eyesight is getting pretty bad now. So, sorry about that.

There were other big mistakes as well. For some reason, even after reading all that stuff about display resolutions for the tutorial on embedding videos, I just came here and looked at what kind of monitors people were using when it came time to buy one for these screenshots. So, I bought one that only went to 1680x1050 (16:10) instead of one that also did 1080p (16:9), which will be the next standard for PC monitors so it matches the televisions and stuff. I was not really thinking, I guess.

It is almost funny, because the only reason I did not buy one that did the 16:9 image is because I did not like the monitor stands on the models that listed that setting among their features at the place where I was shopping. But I liked the stand on the one I bought, which did as much as what was listed in the system specs reports posted in the Free Chat thread at the time (in October). Oops. LOL

I did not really feel like making two of each screenshot at different distances from the cars, so I was thinking that to make slideshows optimized for 1024x768 as well, I would need to trim 656 pixels off the width of each image and 256 pixels off the height of each. It did not occur to me that I only needed to trim 100 pixels from each side of a picture and none off the height, and then resize it for the smaller versions that match the screen resolution that a lot of people are still looking at these days. So, the cars do not fill the page very well for the larger images or the smaller ones, really. I cropped the pictures extra and then enlarged them, but as you can see that just made the cars look more pixilated.

I am sorry about how all that turned out, man. I guess the Miller in the Driver Stories and the real Miller are not so different after all. Good intentions, but not very good results. Better luck next time, eh?

Later on, I might be able to go through and do it again, but there are higher priorities to deal with, and there is a lot of other adjustments to do to each picture so the cars are centered and of similar size and stuff like that. So I cannot simply convert the files again with that setting not ticked and upload them to replace existing files on the boss’s website in a short amount of time. Otherwise I would just do that now.

I think the music for the DRIV3R slideshows turned out kind of neat. Check it out when you have time if you like DRIV3R music.
The slides are timed to match the music in those presentations. It was embedded here at first, but then deleted and that option was disabled at YouTube.com for these videos so people cannot embed them at other websites.

Making those screenshots was funny because in Nice people kept walking and driving vehicles into the frame. I guess Tanner has a really magnetic personality. I was running up and down the street blocking traffic, blowing up cars, killing pedestrians, and having shootouts with people who did not like it so I could get them all to stay out of my pictures. Other than some skidmarks, the only real clue to all of that commotion and carnage is a shredded tire that I failed to remove from the pictures of a truck. Otherwise all that stuff was kept outside the frame or painted over, like these cars were.

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I guess it was not as easy to take pictures of the cars as I expected it to be. Oh, well. And too bad I forgot the police boats.
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By RacingFreak
#38108
Well, Miller, I always has been thinking that it should way better to rip the cars themselves and render them in special programs, just like 3D Studio MAX. I can go ahead and try to do some rips, but what I need, in order to render EACH included car in DRIV3R is cheat savegame. With DPL things are easier, as I already ripped many.

It`s just an idea, don`t kill meh :P
By Miller
#38112
Yeah, man. That sounds like the way to truly get some quality results. Thank you for the reply, man. I hope you have a nice weekend.
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