VERY simplistic photo need.

[silvercbx]

After looking through many of the topics here, I'm a little/lot awed at what you guys are doing with video stuff.
So, I'm hesitant to ask for some thoughts on my basic and simplistic problem - but, since you helped me before, I will.
When I go to some family event, I shoot hundreds of digital photos; load them on the PC; cull out the bad ones (focus, movement smears, etc); select out the group that most represents the event; then title/comment each photo for what's happening in that shot. As it's not terribly complicated, I use the IrfanView to make those title/comments and they look fine when viewed on the PC (W7x64). But when I use 'Windows DVD maker' to burn the collection to a DVD, all of the photos are great but the title/comments are blurred and, unless I use the largest font size, unreadable. I found this out after I had titled over 200 photos and now I cannot send them to everyone with those title/comments as they are unreadable. If I play the DVD back to the PC, the title/comments look blurred there, too, so I assume (?) that, somehow, the inserted text is not being captured clearly (not sure if that's the right way to say it).
Is there some software that will let me add these title/comments to the photo and have them come out (on the big screen TV) just as crisp and clear as the picture itself? And the right size, as well?
W-DVD-maker worked ok for burning the disk; it's just those fuzzy comments.
Thanks.

[TuNk]

I've had success with DVDStyler in the past, but I haven't used it recently. Maybe you can give it a go?

[smrpix]

DVD by its nature is low resolution. You can either create higher definition versions of your slideshows such as Blu Ray or HD digital files, or you can make the text large enough to be readable. Maybe post a sample so we can see if there's anything else that can be done within your current workflow.

[silvercbx]

OK, if I did it right, here's a sample of the photo with comment.

[silvercbx]

It's much sharper when viewed on the PC but becomes totally unreadable on a big screen TV. The fuzzy here just gets worse.
As you can see, the photo is ok, the inserted text is not.
(?)

[smrpix]

Pretty much what I suspected. Your image is 4752x3168. A standard US DVD is 720x480 -- considerably less resolution. So you need higher resolution output (Blu Ray or digital) and/or larger font. Obviously you can also break your text into two parts temporally, you don't need all that information on the screen at once.

(They didn't have that box on the overpass in my Skip Barber days.)

[manono]

Obviously you can also break your text into two parts temporally, you don't need all that information on the screen at once.

I think I'd create DVD subtitles for the text. And red on black? With a lousy font? But, yes, I think I'd shrink the pictures myself in advance of adding the text, if that's the way it has to be. Then you'd have a better idea of how they'll look in the finished product. And I sure as heck wouldn't use Windows DVD Maker. DVD Slideshow GUI, maybe.

[silvercbx]

I suspect I'm getting past my 'expertise' quotient here.
1)What are 'DVD subtitles'? As in "I think I'd create DVD subtitles for the text." - And how do I do it?
2)And how do I 'shrink' a picture?

3)How is W-DVD-Maker part of the problem? It seemed pretty straightforward for what I was trying to do (as I said, simplistic).
I'm not trying to do any more than I said. Nothing fancy, just a slideshow with text.

I looked at the 'DVD Slideshow GUI' but the comments seemed to point out that this is a really old program and has some problems.
Additional problems I don't need.

Many thanks for the thoughts and input. I'm still trying to figure it out from your comments.

[manono]

1) DVD Subtitles, as in the subtitles you see when watching a DVD in a language different than yours. You don't have any trouble reading them, do you? And they aren't red on a big black rectangle, are they? You use a subtitling program and set the text to remain onscreen as long as is necessary to read them. I use SubStation Alpha followed by MaestroSBT to create the DVD subs, but most people use other programs.

2) By 'shrink', I mean downscale it or resize it down. For some reason the picture is in a 1.5:1 ratio (4752/3168=1.5). Maybe resize it to 720x480 and then add the text and you'll have a better idea of the size to make the text. They and the pictures will be resized again when making the DVD, but at least the text should turn out better. And don't use red on black. Just my opinion, although there's nothing really wrong with the black rectangle, in the context it's being used. Then feed the result into your DVD making program, whatever you decide to use. Or crop to a 1.778:1 ratio (there's a lot of wasted space at the top of the sample picture), resize to something like 854x480 and then you'll be able to encode as 16:9 and not have any black bars on the sides or on the top and bottom, depending (which you probably have in your DVD now if your Windows DVD Maker didn't do any cropping itself).

3) All those Windows video programs play to the lowest common denominator. Most of the programs it uses within the larger program (such as the MPEG-2 encoder) are inferior and don't allow for optimum settings. If you're comfortable with that, then go ahead.

[silvercbx]

1) I just wasn't thinking properly about DVD subtitles; I know what subtitles are - just didn't make the connection. But, as a matter of fact, sometimes I DO have trouble reading subtitles. As when they put white lettering on very light backgrounds; there's not enough contrast to read them. So, that's why I box my titles with a black background and put the title in red. Maybe not your choice but mine; I can always rethink colors but boxing the title ensures that it is readable no matter what the background. I guess I'll have to investigate the subtitling programs out there, as well as the ones you mentioned.
2) I already know that increasing the size of the type makes it more readable but I'm after 'sharpness' which seems to elude the processes. Re-sizing the photos seems like something to pursue to increase clarity but I guess I'll have to experiment to see if the added titles also become sharper.
3) There doesn't seem to be any 'simple' answer to this problem. But I have seen added text to photos that is clear and sharp; how do they do it?

[silvercbx]

In looking around, I wonder if any of the multitude of photo editors could do what I want. Can they impress titles better than what I'm using? IrfanView
If so, is there one or two favored above all others?
I don't mind experimenting but it uses up a lot of DVDs.

[manono]

I use IrfanView all the time to add text to menu screens for DVD. They always come out nice and sharp. As smrpix mentioned as one of his suggestions, use a larger font, a much larger font. And there's no way I'd use red, but I've already mentioned that.

But, as a matter of fact, sometimes I DO have trouble reading subtitles. As when they put white lettering on very light backgrounds; there's not enough contrast to read them.

Yes, we've all seen those. Those are made by idiots. I mean real subtitles with a wide enough black outline so you don't have the problem of them disappearing when the background is white. And I never use white as the main color myself, but a lightish grey.

I don't mind experimenting but it uses up a lot of DVDs.

Buy a DVD-RW or three.

[Skiller]

Also, don't put your text boxes so super-duper close to the image borders, they might/will get cut due to overscan!

Here, your text boxes should be within the green area.