Why does my store banner look like it's been done at 4dpi

[Zazzmatazz]

OK I've tried uploading a few store banners now, all created in Photoshop and exported as png and also jpg, at 4483x1198px, 300dpi. So that is a high resolution file, no doubt, and is more than the requirement.

But, upon upload, it looks absolutely terrible, like the worst possible fuzzy pixelated effort.

What on Earth am I doing wrong here? I'm sure I haven't checked the "look terrible" box.

[idraw]

@Zazzmatazz 

A question about your starting image….

• was the image smaller and less dpi, and did you enlarge it to the banner file size?

if you did enlarge a smaller file size image with less dpi, that could explain why it “looks terrible”….

Enlarging in a software imaging editor/photoshop, adds pixels to the image to fill the increased dpi space.

From the zazzle help files—-

1. Zazzle Help Center
2. Selling
3. Managing Your Zazzle Store

Image Asset Sizes Needed for Your Store

If you’re a new Creator or Maker and you’re building out your storefronts for the first time, don’t rely on the default image sizes to represent what it is you’re selling. Spruce it up as a way to brand your store and yourself! Tell a story with the images so customers will want to learn more about you and what you create.

Below are the image sizes we suggest you use so you can have your store looking in top-tip shape:

Banner

The main banner to your store should be at least 2280 pixels wide by 630 pixels in height (e.g. 2280 x 630).

Your banner should give some ‘texture’ as to what your store is. A pattern or repeating image works well, as does a photo of objects that you don’t have to see in their entirety to know what they are. The reason for this is that your banner scales depending on the device it’s viewed on. 

[Zazzmatazz]

Hi. Thanks for your reply.

I have been a professional Photoshop user since 1996. The file I created in Photoshop was created at 4438x1198px, and at 300dpi. This is double the recommended minimum. It was tried as both a png and max res jpg. I have noticed that Zazzle compresses it to 2280x630, but then when viewed on a Mac the banner is scaled back up to 5000px across. That means that creating the banner oversize makes no difference, as the banner is automatically being enlarged anyway, on the browser. What I uploaded was pin sharp and double scale.

I have now realised that all stores on Zazzle have fuzzy, pixelated banners, which is a shame.

[idraw · Accepted solution]

@Zazzmatazz 
Trying to help you sort this out. Took a screenshot of your public storefront banner (this is what shows when viewed on my mac, with 37 inch tv monitor, firefox browser) Your store banner  image is definitely not pixelated. Thinking back, I bought my first Mac (quadra 660av/pizza box) in Feb 1994, along with Photoshop 2,illustrator,wacom tablet) Then Computer City went out of business. Time flies. Hope this screenshot helps..... Possibly take a step back and double check your mac monitor display settings?
your store banner as viewed on my mac with Tv monitor.

[Zazzmatazz]

Hi thanks for the input - I have woken up this morning (I'm in the UK) and had a look. Something a little strange has happened - the banner is indeed looking improved. Not perfect, but way better than it was for several days after I uploaded it. So I've now been thinking about how they've coded all of this and I think there is a very low res temp version used upon initial upload during periods of heavy traffic.

This is common on some graphics handling code - take YouTube, for example, this is exactly what YouTube does. A 4K video won't be 4K for a few days. I should have realised.

The banner you have screenshotted was almost illegible just yesterday, so something has happened at Zazzle's end - which, as I say, I think is down to a low res temp having been used initially. I do wish I'd screenshotted the really bad one now, but it all seems improved now anyway.

The banner you screenshotted was my personal account banner - which is now full bokeh, if you look at my Chili Vivid store you'll seee it's actually a little different. But thanks for the input anyway.

I've now double-checked the store banner on both my retina display and my 14-inch Chromebook, and it is improved on both. It's significantly better on the Chromebook though.

Anyway, thanks once again for the input, apologies if I came across as sniffy, with your background you'll know, like me, that you develop a hyper-critical eye when you see your work reproduced and one pixel out of place can seem to be a foot across.

[Zazzmatazz]

I have dealt with the situation for now by doing what a lot of other people seem to have done, which is to have a deliberately out of focus bokeh-style background.

The banners I create for my YouTube channnel, conversely, stay sharp throughout the process, and remain sharp no matter what device they are viewed on. So something is amiss, I feel.

What I have done is not a fix, it is a workaround, and a substandard one at that. My starting image most definitely was not one that I enlarged, the entire thing was created at double-pixel dimensions in Photoshop.

I am using a 27 inch Mac Studio Monitor. The banner is displayed on there at 5000px across or so. What size original art would you recommend I create in order for it to remain pin sharp when viewed on my Mac?

Thanks

[LMGildersleeve]

Out of curiosity, did you use a png or psd file extension?

[Zazzmatazz]

Both png and jpg. I don't think Zazzle accepts psd, but maybe it does. I found the jpg to be better quality than the png for the banner. However, having reviewed several different stores' banners now on my laptop as well as my 27 inch Mac monitor, it seems clear to me that Zazzle graphics are optimized for laptops (14 inch) and will self-destruct when viewed on a 27 inch Mac Studio monitor. This is down to the website code's graphics handling. YouTube banners don't break up on a big screen. I may look into whether I can try SVG files, to see what happens there.

[ColsCreations]

Have a look at this thread, which in turn references this one.
About halfway down the Image Size thread, discussion turns to store banners seemingly being converted to .webp format. One person, if I am interpreting her response right, says that saving her image in that format before uploading worked for her.

I looked at your store last night and saw the same banner as screenshotted by iDraw.  It did not look blurry or pixelated at all to me on my Windows laptop, 1920 x 1080. (And, off-topic, but I really liked that banner, so "crisp" and unclutterd!)

Since you mentioned your monitor is 5,000 wide I was like WHOAAA and looked it up. Then went down a rabbit hole learning about "retina" displays. I do believe you are correct in that it's your monitor - especially since you said other people's store banners look blurry to you as well - and that it's because Zazzle is not processing the banners and coding the display of them to account for the pixel density of such monitors, which is quite reasonable as I don't think they're very common yet. I'm no expert, didn't even know what a "retina" monitor was until tonight, but it does seem like there is nothing you could do on your end as no matter how big you make the image on your end to look good on your monitor, you have no control over how it's being sized and displayed by Zazzle. But maybe take comfort in the fact that according to statcounter.com, almost 70% of desktop users worldwide are using monitors at 1920 or less so the banners should be looking good for the majority of viewers. 😉

[Zazzmatazz]

Hi, thanks for the reply - it seems a couple of things were happening: firstly, Zazzle was using a low res temp version of my banner for a few days (like YouTube does with video) - and yes, you are correct, I have a 27 inch Retina Display and it is ultra-critical when it comes to image reproduction, which I suppose it was designed to be. But it seems improved now.