Aerosoft Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558 Posted January 20, 2008 Aerosoft Share Posted January 20, 2008 Converting PDF's to bitmaps is a complex process (see the large number of dedicated commercial tools dedicated to it) and FSMap can not import them as bitmaps. High end commercial bitmap paint programs like PhotoShop or PSP can open PDF files directly and save them as bitmaps. and of course the better PDF handling programs like Acrobat can save them as bitmaps as well. There are however at least three ways of doing it with freeware. 'Converting' to bitmap 1. Download and install IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/main_download_engl.htm) 2. Download and install IrfanView plugins (http://www.irfanview.com/main_download_engl.htm) 3. Download and install AFPL Ghostscript (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=1897&package_id=1845) 4. Open PDF with IrfanView 5. Save as image This is all done with freeware. Screenshot of the map If you got a small chart (for example a approach chart) and a monitor that can handle resonable resolutions this is a simple and fast option. A full PDF with instruction on how to do this is available : http://www.aerosoft2.de/downloads/fsmap/pdf_fsmap.pdf Virtual bitmap printer This methode captures the print command and routes it to a bitmap file. There are many, but many are not very good or do not work on Vista etc. I know there are some freeware options in this field but I can't find them right now, will update this message later this week with links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chevy 2 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Virtual bitmap printer This methode captures the print command and routes it to a bitmap file. There are many, but many are not very good or do not work on Vista etc. I know there are some freeware options in this field but I can't find them right now, will update this message later this week with links. I found out that PDFCreator does a pretty good job. It's freeware and it works on my Vista 64bit. Works with simple pdf charts as well as with Navigraph charts. Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswo 0 Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I have the full version of Acrobat, which can save PDFs in several of the standard graphics formats. However, the resulting PNG/GIF/JPG images are not antialiased, and look very crude compared with the scanned IFR charts I have been downloading from AVSIM. Does anyone know: is there a switch in Acrobat that will smooth rasterized images? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sro 0 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I do not know exactly where you find it, but for acrobat documents you can define the resolution of the rasterized images yourself. Have to lookup where it is. Why don't you just open the pdf's in a browser or in Acrobat Reader and use the snapshot tool on the area needed? This copies (e.g.) the map with boundaries to the clipboard and you can simply paste it to the graphics software of your choice. I use Adobe Photoshop, Gimp or SnagIt for this and then I modify the images within these tools. As far as I can see there is no large loss in quality with this technique. Cheers, Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswo 0 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Thanks for the suggestion, Stefan. Your method works fine, but requires some stitching together of screen captures. I've been playing around with Photoshop some more, and found that I can import the PDFs directly. I had tried this before, and assumed that it was crashing the program. No, the file was just taking a long time to process. The trick is to pick reasonable settings for the import dialogue. For example, the default width of the IFR chart I was trying to work on is about 14,000 pixels. When I reduced that to 5,000 pixels, with a dpi of 92, Photoshop was able to process the file in about one minute. It had a transparent background, but the lines and fonts were all properly antialiased. I added an opaque background layer, then exported a 16-color GIF. File size under 2 megs! Calibrate and go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sro 0 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 would you mind to send me one of your maps as an example? I was not aware that your files were this large. And as you also use Photoshop, opening the PDFs directly is definitely the best option. My method worksfine for the normal Approach Plates, Visual Operation Charts or Terminal Area Charts of airports. It does not need stitching, though, as Acrobat scrolls when you attempt to capture beyond the screen boundaries. I only take one shot of one map, and sometimes I magnify it on purpose before capturing. Cheers, Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswo 0 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 would you mind to send me one of your maps as an example? Gladly. Google my name, and send me an email. I will reply with a file. I am guessing that it would be ok to put these in the AVSIM.com file library, but I am hesitant for two reasons: 1. The charts I am working from are old, 2004. 2. I don't know what the copyright status is. (IFR charts for France, NOT from the U.S. Department of Defense.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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