How well does mmf resample image data? In terms of mmf file size is it sufficient to just scale down an active or is it best to resize the original?
A simple test:
One file with a group of actives at 100% and another file originals down-sized to 50% (ie. 1/4)
Files are 300k and 100k.
Blank file is about 25k.
300-25=275
275/4 = 70 / compared with 100?
This is pretty rough and I wonder if there are other factors involved.
Well, there is the issue of image quality. How good do you want your images to look?
I image quality requirement will vary. I guess you are suggesting that mmf doesn't resample so cleanly?
My experiment gave reasonable resampling quality on resize. My main question was around file size. Mostly around recycling images that bigger than needed and the efficiency of mmf to efficiently scale data. As opposed to holding the original data and just resizing the image onscreen.
I am guessing here, but I always assumed MMF just stores the original data and resizes/redraws at runtime. So if you have a sprite that is originally 64x64 and scale it up to 256x256 at runtime, the image only uses 64x64 worth of space. If you import an image into the picture editor of MMF at 64x64 and then scale up the image in the editor, you have now made the image take up more space.
thanks mobican
Yes, my experiment pretty much confirmed that. The question is one of efficiency. Is mmf as efficient as say Photoshop at resampling? It is so much easier just to drop an image on mmf and scale (mostly I am going down) to suit but, what gain/loss would there be over say 50 images? My test was not that thorough or conclusive.
I would be happy with a "good enough" or the like from someone who has studied the more closely or knows the innards of mmf.
The short answer is "no" it is not as efficient as Photoshop. PS gives you lots of ways to resample, but MMF gives you 2: anti-aliased and non anti-aliased.
When working with pixel art, you want to try and product art at the final resolution, whenever possible. Otherwise you are at the mercy of the resampling of your rendering software. I am speaking more as an artist here, so my standards of "quality" might be vastly different from yours.
Again, it was the file size - not pixel quality (which is immediately visible on screen) - that I am trying to understand.
I totally agree that, as a rule of thumb, "you want to try and product art at the final resolution" but to just drop in a non-descript backdrop object I often browse my gallery and pick a chair or a painting of the Mona Lisa and drop it in MMF. Usually they are way bigger than required. Across a game I might do this 50 times.
What sort of file size ratio would I gain by by reszing/exporting in Pshop?
This is one of those things for me that has long term implications. A few Mb extra? Or not?
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