Ridiculous: No way to have your own backgrounds without iPhone downconverting to crap

[fs454]

This is one thing i've really gotten pissed about.

The only backgrounds that are of good, uncompressed quality are the 19 apple-supplied ones that have been the same since day one of the iPhone 2G.

No matter what I do, I can't get a background on there without it being crapped on by the iPhone's horrible and unnecessary downconversion.

Saving a 480x320 background from Safari = bam, downconversion.

Emailing yourself one and saving on iPhone = downconversion.

Transferring from a Mac or a PC = downconversion.

Saving backgrounds from an app in the App Store(Backgrounds, Backgrounder) = STILL downconversion.


So it seems the only way to get your own backgrounds that don't look like crap is to jailbreak. Which is not possible currently on my 3GS.

What the hell?

 

[andreab35]

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I have never had a problem with this issue. I use the Backgrounds App all the time, and I can get some quality images off there for my contacts and backgrounds.

 

[RKilbane20]

I thought everybody just used the Mona Lisa.

 

[QCassidy352]

My non-apple backgrounds look great...

 

[alexmadison]

I found a youtube app that might help you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpoG2l94Np4

 

[Sam21]

aaaand breathe...

But seriously it's never been a problem for me, I use photos I've shot with the cam and they look perfect..??

 

[cmaier]

Ditto. No idea what you're talking about. My background is attached. A photo I took in Rome.

 

[Doju]

Wow, did you lose a kilobyte? Chill.

 

[Ishimaru]

This is one thing i've really gotten pissed about.

The only backgrounds that are of good, uncompressed quality are the 19 apple-supplied ones that have been the same since day one of the iPhone 2G.

No matter what I do, I can't get a background on there without it being crapped on by the iPhone's horrible and unnecessary downconversion.

Saving a 480x320 background from Safari = bam, downconversion.

Emailing yourself one and saving on iPhone = downconversion.

Transferring from a Mac or a PC = downconversion.

Saving backgrounds from an app in the App Store(Backgrounds, Backgrounder) = STILL downconversion.


So it seems the only way to get your own backgrounds that don't look like crap is to jailbreak. Which is not possible currently on my 3GS.

What the hell?

Are you related to Spaz?

 

[Mikey B]

Just wanted to chime in that I too have been completely satisfied with the backgrounds from my photo library on my iPhone. They look great.

 

[Que]

anybody that gets that worked up over a background picture needs to be seen to by medical professionals.

oh and all my backgrounds look great.

 

[cmaier]

See, all would have been fine if the OP has instead just said:
-----
I am having difficulty importing my own photos for use as a background image on the iPhone. No matter what I've tried, the photo loses too much resolution in the translation. Any advice?
-----
Of course that wouldn't have been nearly as vulgar and annoying.

 

[gloss]

Edit the image to size on your computer and then copy it over, if it matters so much.

 

[Small White Car]

Could you post a full-sized screen-cap of your home screen along with the original image?

Because I'm trying to figure out what you're talking about. I've never had a problem like this either.

 

[TheSpaz]

Ditto. No idea what you're talking about. My background is attached. A photo I took in Rome.

Hahahahahahaha! I see a lot of dithering in that photo. It looks like a cheap gif image and you think it looks perfect?

Anyways... the way I do backgrounds is manually copy flawless PNG files to my iPhone's camera folder using an app called "PhoneView". I have to do a little extra work by making thumbnail icons for them, but the photos come out crisp and un-dithered.

Try it out.

By the way... you don't have to be jailbroken to access the camera folder.

 

[cmaier]

Hahahahahahaha! I see a lot of dithering in that photo. It looks like a cheap gif image and you think it looks perfect?

Anyways... the way I do backgrounds is manually copy flawless PNG files to my iPhone's camera folder using an app called "PhoneView". I have to do a little extra work by making thumbnail icons for them, but the photos come out crisp and un-dithered.

Try it out.

By the way... you don't have to be jailbroken to access the camera folder.

Dude, there is no dithering there. Any dithering you see is caused by whatever you are using to look at the photo.

 

[FreakinSyco]

I notice this as well. It only shows up when using a vector image as the background. See the attached pics for an example.

However, I've never complained since I jailbroke and started using winterboard to set images. I don't get the loss of quality with winterboard.

Notice the huge quality difference between the left (raw image) and the right (same image after applying as wallpaper).

 

[Small White Car]

Dude, there is no dithering there. Any dithering you see is caused by whatever you are using to look at the photo.

Right, look at the date and time on that photo. It's not so hot either, meaning that the artifacts come from the screen-capping and/or e-mailing of the photo.

So yes, it's degraded, but it probably doesn't look like that on the phone since my date and time don't look like that in person.

 

[TheSpaz]

Dude, there is no dithering there. Any dithering you see is caused by whatever you are using to look at the photo.

What do you call this then? Here, lemme zoom in so that you can't pretend it's not there.

 

[cmaier]

Right, look at the date and time on that photo. It's not so hot either, meaning that the artifacts come from the screen-capping and/or e-mailing of the photo.

So yes, it's degraded, but it probably doesn't look like that on the phone since my date and time don't look like that in person.

Exactly - the screen capture went through .jpg, which uses destructive compression.

 

[cmaier]

What do you call this then? Here, lemme zoom in so that you can't pretend it's not there.

Of course if you ZOOM IN. You can't take 480x320 worth of image data, zoom it in, and expect there magically to be more image data. This isn't CSI with magic computers that extract additional picture data from nothingness. What's wrong with you, dude?

 

[MBHockey]

What do you call this then? Here, lemme zoom in so that you can't pretend it's not there.

If you really think that attachment looks like his background you need new glasses, even with your claimed visual acuity.

Why would you compare photos this way?

 

[Small White Car]

What do you call this then? Here, lemme zoom in so that you can't pretend it's not there.

LOL - What's your next trick? Taking a Blu-Ray video, blowing it up onto an IMAX screen, and then using that as proof that Blu-Ray is poor quality?

Pointless demo.

What it looks like on the phone is what matters. Last time I checked, you can't zoom in on the lock screen!

EDIT: I just held my phone up to cmaier's original post...the image on my monitor here is almost 200% bigger than my phone's screen. Of COURSE it's not going to look so great. You blowing it up even more doesn't prove anything except that blowing up images makes them look worse.

 

[synth3tik]

What do you call this then? Here, lemme zoom in so that you can't pretend it's not there.

Regardless, The quality of the photo is more then likely poor. Put poor quality in, get poor quality out.

My backgrounds look like the images I use for them. Now I am not going to compare and contrast for ever, because it does not matter. You see the background what, once a few times a day.

Personally I use my phone. I have photos in my wallet if I want to look at a picture.

 

[courtney.bella]

Ditto. No idea what you're talking about. My background is attached. A photo I took in Rome.

Is there a way I could convince you to send me that? That photo is absolutely lovely.