Site Photo Used as Background Image

[Anonymous]

I would like to use a photo taken at the site as a background image for my ArchiCAD model. The final rendering needs to be at least 11x17" and I am having trouble getting a photo that has a high enough resolution so that the background image is crisp when I render it at that size. The highest resolution I can get from my camera is 2080x1544. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Dwight]

2080pixels/17" = 122 dpi. That's not so bad. The best inkjets can only use 180 or so. Make bigger borders on the 11x17 sheet. No one will notice.

The sad truth is that most Archicad textures don't support higher resolution renderings like you seek. But, if you must:

1: Buy a new camera that makes bigger images. 2080 is very tiny in 2010. [Nikon Coolpix L22: $129. for a buzzillion pixels.]

http://www.amazon.com/Coolpix-L22-Digital-3-0-Inch-Blue/dp/B0036ORZBY

2: If not, then use a pixel-doubling application like Genuine Fractals or Topaz Enlarge. These applications add pixels to make an image APPEAR sharper without actually providing more information.

[Chazz]

Or wat about photostitching to up the file size the honest way?

[Dwight]

Good point. The images could be taken vertically with generous overlap.
You could stitch images easily in Photoshop [or some lesser programs], but that leads to an inconsistent vanishing point, destroying any possibility of accurate model position when placed in the scene.
OR: place the rendered image later in Photoshop, distorting it as needed to suit the faked-up context.

This guy's solution costs $129. Why would he repeatedly persist in using expensive professional labor to compensate for a sub standard camera?