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Photo Doubt

A

alfred1

Registered Users (C)
For DV2009 it is clearly stated in the pdf instructions document that the image must be 320 X 240 pixels in size as quoted hereunder:

Technical Specifications: The submitted digital photograph must conform to the following specifications or the system will automatically reject the E-DV Entry Form and notify the sender.
• Taking a New Digital Image. If a new digital image is taken, it must meet the following specifications:
Image File Format: The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
Image File Size: The maximum image file size will be sixty-two thousand five hundred (62,500) bytes.
Image Resolution: 320 pixels high by 240 pixels wide. Image Color Depth: 24-bit color [Note: Colored photographs are preferred, but black and white or grayscale photographs, if used, must be scanned in 24-bit color mode. Monochrome images (2-bit color depth), 8-bit color or 8-bit grayscale will not be accepted]

However on the official DV website (http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/photo.aspx) the sample correct picture is 300 X 300 pixels and not 320 x 240. I validated my picture with the photo validator and it says it is ok.

F
 
alfred1 said:
For DV2009 it is clearly stated in the pdf instructions document that the image must be 320 X 240 pixels in size as quoted hereunder:

Technical Specifications: The submitted digital photograph must conform to the following specifications or the system will automatically reject the E-DV Entry Form and notify the sender.
• Taking a New Digital Image. If a new digital image is taken, it must meet the following specifications:
Image File Format: The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
Image File Size: The maximum image file size will be sixty-two thousand five hundred (62,500) bytes.
Image Resolution: 320 pixels high by 240 pixels wide. Image Color Depth: 24-bit color [Note: Colored photographs are preferred, but black and white or grayscale photographs, if used, must be scanned in 24-bit color mode. Monochrome images (2-bit color depth), 8-bit color or 8-bit grayscale will not be accepted]

However on the official DV website (http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/photo.aspx) the sample correct picture is 300 X 300 pixels and not 320 x 240. I validated my picture with the photo validator and it says it is ok.

F
Click to expand...

I am confused too about those photo specifications. Although they said it should be 150dpi, a 96dpi photo passed the validation process.

Also they say it can be 300X300 or 320X240.. But in the example they published, they show only the 300X300 example, with secondary photo dimensions related to it.. For example, the distance between the eyes and the bottom of the photo should be 170-200 pixels. In my 320X240 photo, it is hard to be reach 170..
I am confused!!!
 
hi,don't worry yaser if you can't make it your self you can choose one of the photo centers that provide the right digital photo for the application and they will also complete your application as one package for some money and you can find this service in big photo centers in egypt specially during the period of the dv lottery.
 
I dont know why are you confused, its quite clear that system accepts both 320x240 and 300X300.
 
sugar pie said:
hi,don't worry yaser if you can't make it your self you can choose one of the photo centers that provide the right digital photo for the application and they will also complete your application as one package for some money and you can find this service in big photo centers in egypt specially during the period of the dv lottery.
Click to expand...

Do you know any of those photo centres in Cairo?
 
well yaser, in downtown cairo there is a center in talat harb square beside madbouly bookshop actually it is a center that provides internet service or you can call it internet cafe ,you can complete your application there and they well took you a digital photo for the application as a package service for about 30 L.E. and they will give you the confirmation receipt to let you know that your application is accepted , please forgive me because i don't remember the name of the center but you will find it into a building beside madbouly bookshop in talat harb square and mostly you will find a sign for the lottery outside this building , i hope you will find it and good luck for you and for everyone.
 
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the problems with those specifications is that, it will be impossible to make sure that the head will cover approx. 50% of the photograph area!
 
the problems with those specifications is that, it will be impossible to make sure that the head will cover approx. 50% of the photograph area!

the_templar said:
Instructions for Submitting a Digital Photograph (Image)
The image file must adhere to the following compositional specifications and technical specifications and can be produced in one of the following ways:
Taking a new digital image.
Using a digital scanner to scan a submitted photograph.
Compositional Specifications: The submitted digital image must conform to the following compositional specifications or the entry will be disqualified.
• Head Position
Person being photographed must directly face the camera.
Head of the person should not be tilted up, down, or to the side.
Head of the person should cover about 50% of the area of the photograph.
• Background
Person being photographed should be in front of a neutral, light-colored background.
Dark or patterned backgrounds are not acceptable.
• Focus
Photograph must be in focus.
• Decorative Items
Photographs in which the person being photographed is wearing sunglasses or other items that detract from the face will not be accepted.
• Head Coverings and Hats
Photographs of individuals wearing head coverings or hats are only acceptable if related to his/her religious beliefs, and even then, may not obscure any portion of the face of the applicant.
Photographs of individuals with tribal or other headgear not specifically religious in nature will not be accepted.
Photographs of military, airline, or other personnel wearing hats will not be accepted.
• Photograph Composition
Colored photographs in 24-bit color depth are preferred to black and white or gray scale pictures in 24-bit color depth. Photographs may be down loaded from a camera into a file in the computer or they may be scanned into a file in the computer. If you are using a scanner, the settings must be for True Color or 24-bit color mode. Colored photographs or black and white (or gray scale) must be scanned at this setting for the requirements of the DV program. For black and white or grey scale photographs scanned in 24-bit color mode, only three colors or image bands are used, and the results will still be black, white and gray. See additional scanning requirements below.
Technical Specifications: The submitted digital photograph must conform to the following specifications or the system will automatically reject the E-DV Entry Form and notify the sender.
• Taking a New Digital Image. If a new digital image is taken, it must meet the following specifications:
Image File Format:
The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
Image File Size:
The maximum image file size will be sixty-two thousand five hundred (62,500) bytes.
Image Resolution:
320 pixels high by 240 pixels wide.
Image Color Depth:
24-bit color [Note: Colored photographs are preferred, but black and white or grayscale photographs, if used, must be scanned in 24-bit
4
color mode. Monochrome images (2-bit color depth), 8-bit color or 8-bit grayscale will not be accepted]
• Scanning a Submitted Photograph. Before a photographic print is scanned, it must meet the following specifications:
Print Size:
2 inches by 2 inches (50mm x 50mm) square.
Print Color:
A color image is preferable for the DV program. However a black and white or grayscale image may be used only with the 24-bit setting mode.
The photographic print must also meet the Compositional Specifications. If the photographic print meets the Print Size, Print Color, and Compositional Specifications, scan the print using the following scanner specifications.
Scanner Resolution:
Scanned at a resolution of 150 dots per inch (dpi).
Image File Format:
The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
Image File Size:
The maximum image file size will be sixty-two thousand five hundred (62,500) bytes.
Image Resolution:
300 by 300 pixels.
Image Color Depth:
24-bit color) [Note: Black and white or grayscale images must be used with 24-bit color depth. Monochrome images
Click to expand...
 
Hello again everyone

I sent an image which is 300 x 300 pixels and which complies to the pixel requirements in the 300 x 300 example. I forgot about the inch measurments for eye height and head height and complied to the pixel measurments.

My image passed the validator test

What have you done?

Fred
 
That's the problem with the published photo instructions: they're really, really explicit if you happen to be using the 300 x 300 format - i.e. if you're scanning an existing photo. But if you want to take a new photo, using 320 x 240 pixels, the guidelines get thrown out of whack. Furthermore, they say that the face should cover about 50% of the area of the picture - but if you actually measure the face area of one of the "good" pics it turns out to be about 25%. Something that takes up half the width and half the height will take up a quarter of the area.

I wish they'd be as specific about the 320 x 240 pictures as they are about the 300 x 300 pictures.:mad:

BTW, the validator only appears to validate the image size and filetype, not the quality of the picture or whether the face is in the right place.
 
I agree with you Zorche

I think we'd better have some winners posting here with their experiences in this....

Winners.....what photo sizes did you submit with your application?

Thanks

Fred
 
zorche said:
That's the problem with the published photo instructions: they're really, really explicit if you happen to be using the 300 x 300 format - i.e. if you're scanning an existing photo. But if you want to take a new photo, using 320 x 240 pixels, the guidelines get thrown out of whack. Furthermore, they say that the face should cover about 50% of the area of the picture - but if you actually measure the face area of one of the "good" pics it turns out to be about 25%. Something that takes up half the width and half the height will take up a quarter of the area.

I wish they'd be as specific about the 320 x 240 pictures as they are about the 300 x 300 pictures.:mad:
BTW, the validator only appears to validate the image size and filetype, not the quality of the picture or whether the face is in the right place.
Click to expand...

The problem related to photographs with 300 X 300 pixels is that according to the specifications mentioned for just those photographs, it could not be accepted if we apply what have been mentioned on the PDF file concerning the surface of the head with 50 % of the total surface
 
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alfred1 said:
I agree with you Zorche

I think we'd better have some winners posting here with their experiences in this....

Winners.....what photo sizes did you submit with your application?

Thanks

Fred
Click to expand...
320*240, taken with our own digital camera. Needed some time to find the correct camera position to met the requirements.
 
I found a sample photo on a web site last year some time which claimed to be an example of a "good" 320 x 240 photo. At the time I didn't pay it much attention, but I dug it out and compared it with the guidelines given for 300 x 300. I've superimposed the two images for comparison, and it seems that if you take a good 300 x 300 photo, then extend the bottom by 20 pixels and crop the left and right sides equally by 30 pixels, it matches most of the specs.

As far as the 50% area rule goes, I think they've just got their maths wrong.

Wish I could upload this picture file, but it doesn't seem to work.
 
Wish I could upload this picture file, but it doesn't seem to work.
Click to expand...

COLOR]right click the photograph, copy and paste your link here[COLOR="Red"]


insoksana300.jpg
 
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The rules that I've got say 150 - 200 pixels for the length of the head - and this length should also be between 50% and 69% of the total image height. In the picture I posted the length is *just* over 150 pixels. (So less than 50% if it's a 320 x 240 picture).

Ugh, these rules are really irritating because they claim to be so specific but they're actually completely ambiguous.

I tested making an ellipse with 50% of the surface of the photograph - it looks really huge and wrong.

Maybe only people with weird heads win this lottery.

[By the way: I measured the size of the head in one of the approved photographs on the dvlottery web site. The head height is 170 pixels, and the maximum width is 160 pixels. So the absolute maximum area of the head is 27000 pixels. The picture is 300 x 300 pixels, which gives an area of 90000 pixels. So the total surface area taken up by the whole head is 27000/90000 = 0.3 = 30%. And that's an outside estimate. I tells ya, they've got their maths wrong when they say that the head should cover roughly 50% of the total surface are.]
 
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You know what there is a winner that posted information concerning the photograph that he/she submitted..He/She stated that the head must be bigger to the chest..there are alot of post here..but I will try to find it..concerning myself I could say that I could calculate approx. the surface of the head..and it must be at least 45%
 
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