news:412cfd92$1@news.povray.org...

> Then you're judged poorly on the technical end-of-the-stick, I suppose.
I'm
> still in shock over producing a 1280x960 "zoom-in".  If the entire image
> were rendered at that resolution, it would be 12,800x9,600 (at least) or
> about 123 megapixels.  Zazzle wouldn't even have a poster size large
enough.

I'm not sure I understand your calculation. You can zoom in at 1280x960
whatever the future printable size, it just has to make sense. The zoom-in
is there to make sure that the picture don't turn into a big, low-detail
disappointment if it has to be printed (for instance if it was shown in a
magazine). Just choose upon a theoretical size for rendering (say 6400 x
4800) and extract the zones. The zoom-in is actually a compromise: while
POV-Ray users typically render for screen only, 3D artists creating stills
for the print media (film posters, book covers etc.) have to render in large
sizes, and other challenges reflect this. See for instance
http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/machineflesh/instructions.php where the
guidelines consider a 2700 x 3600 image as a good starting point, or the DAZ
calendar contest, which has similar requirements (12 x 12' at 300 dpi).

G.

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