POI BMP sizes... A question about view-ablility

 

I posted a somewhat similar thread about a year ago.....

All the present POI Icons are designed for older units with smaller screens.... and when these .BMP files are used on lager displays, the icon sizes are hard to see....

About a year ago I posted a thread about running the BMP's through Photoshop of something else to make them larger, but when I did, the legibility fell apart... I worked at a TV Station, and went to the Graphics Department, but they pointed out that it's easy to shrink something, but not expand it. Legibility just fell apart...

So I ask.... Should there be an option of 2 different Icons for POI's?
One size as exists now, for Older (Smaller Screen) GPS.....
And a Larger one, for Newer (Larger Screen) GPS.....
So that the Custom POI Icons match the size of the icons that are displayed on the screen on newer/Larger Screen GPS's????

OR..... Has anyone been able to come up with a way of increasing the size of the POI Logos and not have the readability of the resultant upscale image fall apart?

Thanks!

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A 2689LMT in both our cars that we love... and a Nuvi 660 with Lifetime Maps that we have had literally forever.... And a 2011 Ford Escape with Nav System that is totally ignored!

Larger icons

I have scaled up a number of 24x24 icons to 48x48 with no problems. I used Photoshop Elements 13 and set the "resample option" (don't know if that is needed) This program may be overkill but as photography is one of my "hobbies" I have it and know it.
Doug.

I went to 40x40

comfortably

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"You can't get there from here"

I start with vector graphics files for my 48x48 pixel icons

I usually start with a vector graphics file (e.g., .eps or .svg)to produce my 48x48 pixel icons. Many logos are available in vector format on web sites like http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/ or http://seeklogo.com/ . I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, but there are some open source programs like Inkscape and Gimp that are functionally equivalent. I first edit the vector file to remove the stuff that won't nicely scale down to 48x48 (like small lettering). Once I have the logo the way I want it, I import it into Photoshop as a 480x480 image to perform additional image cleanup at the pixel level. I chose 480x480 because that is an integer multiple (10) of 48x48. Sometimes I import the image as a slightly smaller size if I want to add some white space on the edges to fill it out to 480x480. Once the pixel level editing is complete, I down sample the image to 48x48 and add transparency to the pixels I want transparent. The last step is converting the image to "Indexed Color" bitmap image (.bmp). I hope that at some point Garmin will support .png icons with an 8-bit transparency channel.
Mark

Custom Icons

For my custom icons, I create the master image at a large size, roughly 500x500px, downsize it to the size I want, and then apply the magenta background. Currently, that is 24x24, though I also made 48x48 and 72x72px versions available.

One thing I do which makes my icons better by doing it is to save them in 16-bit color. The 256-color recommendation by Garmin is to ensure the icons work on their older devices as well as the new ones. The reality is that any device from 2007 onward will support more colors than the 256 Garmin recommends.

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"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." --Douglas Adams

I can See it

I can see how slightly larger icon would be nice but I also like the smaller ones as well!

I don't

Strephon_Alkhalikoi wrote:

The reality is that any device from 2007 onward will support more colors than the 256 Garmin recommends.

I don't think that this is 100% accurate as I'm pretty sure that at least on my 3790, the only way to get an POI icon to display on the screen was to insure it was 256 color. We are on the road currently and I don't have my 3790 available to double check this but may be someone else can confirm.

This may also be the case for many other newer Nuvi models. If your member information is correct you don't seem to have any of these newer models to support your posted statement.

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Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

256

t923347 wrote:

I don't think that this is 100% accurate as I'm pretty sure that at least on my 3790, the only way to get an POI icon to display on the screen was to insure it was 256 color. We are on the road currently and I don't have my 3790 available to double check this but may be someone else can confirm.

You're right, 256 it is, a year or so I went over this with jgermann by email for my 3790 and that is the info he gave me.
I had problems with icon sizing then.

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Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

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t923347 wrote:

We are on the road currently and I don't have my 3790 available to double check this but may be someone else can confirm.

Confirmed here, Rick.

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nuvi 760, nuvi 765T, nuvi 855, nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3490LMT - SoCal area

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t923347 wrote:

We are on the road currently and I don't have my 3790 available to double check this but may be someone else can confirm.

Confirmed here, Rick.

I will also add that there can also be an issue if you create very large icons. While they look nice and are more visible, they can also block a lot of the map at the same time.

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nuvi 760, nuvi 765T, nuvi 855, nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3490LMT - SoCal area

36 x 36

Works extremely well

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ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet

Garmin regressing technologically?

t923347 wrote:

I don't think that this is 100% accurate as I'm pretty sure that at least on my 3790, the only way to get an POI icon to display on the screen was to insure it was 256 color. We are on the road currently and I don't have my 3790 available to double check this but may be someone else can confirm.

That is illogical. Why would an older device like my 200W support higher resolution icons than the 3790, a newer device? Technology improves, not regresses, and 256-color bitmaps are so 1980s.

If the hardware supports it, so should the software. Otherwise, it's another sign that Garmin is going down the tubes.

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"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." --Douglas Adams

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Strephon_Alkhalikoi wrote:

If the hardware supports it, so should the software. Otherwise, it's another sign that Garmin is going down the tubes.

It's simply a sign that Garmin is inconsistent...and illogical as well, just as they have always been.

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nuvi 760, nuvi 765T, nuvi 855, nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3490LMT - SoCal area