image capture from DVD

[deanst2]

Not sure where to post....will try here first. What i am trying to do....without sucess is to capture an image from DVD....enlarge substantially....and print. For this to look good i have been told i need to have image at least 300 dpi.
I have nero and have tried to capture image with the nice feature they have on player which will give you snapshot of image. Also have tried Videolan media player. I can capture image with both but the dpi is only 96 dpi.
Can i adjust dpi setting somehow or is there another way to do this? I'm sure the image from DVD is high resolution and dpi. Do i need another software program and if i do is there any freebies?
Thanks for any help.

[Baldrick]

Standard DVD is just 720x480/576 pixels so you can't get any HIGH resolution.

[Gavino]

Standard DVD is just 720x480/576 pixels so you can't get any HIGH resolution.

Well, you can print it at 300 dpi...
... if you're happy with a picture 2.4 inches wide.

[deanst2]

Any constructive input on how i can capture image from DVD so if i enlarge it it still maintains some quality. Thanks.

[Baldrick]

Capture with videolan or mpchc(file->save image) and then try upscale it a bit with for example Photoshop or other image editors. See http://thelastminuteblog.com/2008/12/02/quick-tip-upscaling-small-images-in-photoshop/ and google for upscale image.

[Gavino]

From the lastminuteblog link given by Baldrick:

Do not go from 100% to 200% size in one single step. Break it down into several smaller steps. This will give Photoshop more information to work with at each step and this will result in a cleaner final image.

Can this really be true?
Since all the information is derived from the original image, there is no more real information available to the intermediate steps, and rounding errors will be compounded. Unless Photoshop works in a very strange way, it seems to me this will result in a worse image.

[poisondeathray]

I don't think that photoshop upscaling statement is true

Maybe deanst2 can rent/borrow/buy the blu-ray version. It will be slightly bigger 6.4in wide instead of 2.4in...

[deanst2]

So i believe the question becomes where can i get software program that will capture the DVD image so i can enlarge because my software obviously cannot.

[lordsmurf]

Read the techniques used here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/dvd-storage-photoshop-lowres.htm

300dpi is not necessary, but it can depend on the printer.
My color laser is a 1200dpi print, and it looks brilliant with a 200dpi source image.

[deanst2]

Dude, i'm trying to blow this up to 16 x 20. My initial dilemma is how to get and capture a high resolution image off a DVD to enlarge.
Thanks.

[greymalkin]

ooh..you have 3 options:

1 - Gritty, noisy garbage
2 - Blurry garbage
3 - cartoony

pick your resizing/filtering method. I'll give you other options after you explain to me how to get blood from a turnip.

[AlanHK]

Not sure where to post....will try here first. What i am trying to do....without sucess is to capture an image from DVD....enlarge substantially....and print. For this to look good i have been told i need to have image at least 300 dpi.

Dude, i'm trying to blow this up to 16 x 20. My initial dilemma is how to get and capture a high resolution image off a DVD to enlarge.

If you need a 300 dpi image to print 16x20", you need an image
(300x16) x (300x20) pixels, i.e. , 4800x6000 pixels.

DVD resolution is 720x480.
Stretch that to 16x20", you have about 30dpi.
So you are out by a factor of about 10x10, or you have 1% of the data you need.

But actually, you don't really need 300 dpi for a decent colour image. Newpapers make do with about 60 dpi.
You can get about half that.

[meestory]

Thank
i make window media player
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2005/11/capture-still-images-from-windows.html

[deanst2]

greymalkin,
thanks for the laugh....i am trying to do something i can't.

[deanst2]

meeesory,
that will capture image...but at crappy resolution.

[poisondeathray]

meeesory,
that will capture image...but at crappy resolution.

But DVD is crappy resolution. It's standard definition 720x480. Any capping utility will capture what it "sees"... i.e. 720x480

You need other software to enlarge it. And any enlargement past 2x will look horrible. You need about 10x. That's why this exercise is futile

You can't create details from nothing.

[deanst2]

Got ya....i give up.

[greymalkin]

If you can find the same movie on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD you'll have a better image, but it will still be hard to push it up to an image the size you are looking for.