Image File types and formats supported in SSP
Applicable SongShow Plus Versions:
This article applies to all versions of SongShow Plus.
* Updates affecting this feature may be available. Ensure that you are using the most current build of SongShow Plus from the Download page before proceeding. *
Images are an integral part of most any presentation and they can be used in a variety of ways in SongShow Plus. They can be used as backgrounds or content for slideshows as well as in other treatments. This article will cover some guidelines regarding image use in SongShow Plus.
With the popularity of high megapixel cameras and cellphones, image files are becoming increasingly larger by default. It is not uncommon to have 12 to 16 Megapixel images from a phone. This creates images with resolutions many times larger that HD video output. While this may be great for clarity and editing, it may cause issues for SongShow Plus. Within SongShow Plus it will work with the native file regardless of the projected output. This can create a situation where unnecessary processing of the images is done with no benefit to the end user. This can cause unexpected behavior.
Image File Types
The following image file types are supported in SongShow Plus as of the April 2007 Edition of SSP.
- **Portable Network Graphics (*.png) -- with and without transparency (RECOMMENDED)
- **Joint Photographic Experts Group (*.jpg, *.jpeg, (and *.jpe - less common)) (RECOMMENDED)
- Tagged Image File (*.tif, *.tiff) -- with and without transparency
- CompuServe Graphics Interchange (*.gif) -- with and without transparency - Non-Animated ONLY
- Windows Bitmap (*.bmp)
- Windows MetaFile (*.wmf)
- Windows Enhanced MetaFile (*.emf)
These formats have varying degrees of popularity and have pros and cons related to size, image quality and portability. The most common of these are png and jpg. For more information on these formats you can do a simple Wikipedia or Google search.
**Recommended File Types for SongShow Plus
While all of the above types are supported it is recommended that JPG files or PNG files (if transparency is needed) are used whenever possible. These types provide the best size to quality ratio for use in SongShow Plus.
Recommended Image Resolution
For use with SongShow Plus we recommend that the user re-size images to match the projected resolution. For example if your projector is a standard format 1024 x 768 resolution, this should be the maximum resolution of the images that are used in SongShow Plus.
We recommend a maximum resolution height of 1080 pixels. This is equal to full HD video. The width may vary according to the aspect ratio of the image but would not typically be any wider that 1920 pixels. Is some extreme widescreen setups this may exceed 1920 and in those cases, the user might consider a max height of 720.
Any images with a higher resolution may cause issues, especially in picture slideshows, and should be reduced before contacting the Support Team.
Adjusting Images
There are several free and easy to use tools available online to re-size images and many can do a full folder batch conversion while keeping the original name and location. This is helpful if you have already created a slideshow using larger images since this would avoid having to rebuild existing slideshows. Microsoft Power Toys is a good start.
Historic Note: Prior to the April 2007 Edition of SSP, images with transparency were not supported. Also, prior to this edition, CMYK JPEG files were also not supported. Both of these are now supported as of this edition. Additionally, support for PCX images was dropped in the April 2007 Edition.
If this article does not resolve the issue, contact the Support Team.
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