Setting Background on iPod

[ChrisBrash]

I've got a 60 gig iPod and I've got Rockbox working fine (for the most part). I've put WPS files on there, games, fonts, etc... The problem I'm having is with the backgrounds. I'm supposed to make a 16-bit bitmap image at 320x240. I've got a few images I'd like to use that I've resized and cropped to fit, but I can't find a program to convert the jpg files (originally taken on my digital camera) to 16-bit bitmaps. I'm using 64-bit Vista and the version of Paint that comes with it only saves as 24-bit bitmaps. Anyone know what I can use? No, I'm not buying some expensive program (Photoshop, etc...) just to add backgrounds on my iPod. Anyone know something I can use? I've tried searching Download.com and Sourceforge already.

[soap]

A - 24 bit ones should work.
B - irfanview for Windows is small and might do it.
C - GIMP is larger and free and works on Windows and will do it.

[ChrisBrash]

Thanks! The manual said it had to be 16-bit but you're right, it does work with 24 bit also. Thanks!

[MajiKool Dragonâ„¢]

32 bit works on my sansa

so i'm guessing those work too.

[spike66]

I have a question regarding this, as far as I know, but I'm aware I well might be wrong, Rockbox converts 24 bit bitmaps to 16 bit... so, is it better to use 16 bit files instead of 24 bit (i.e WPS's bitmaps)? in terms of processing requirements, memory usage (since obviously 16 bit files are smaller than the 24 bit), etc

[karashata]

I would think you could save a little bit of memory by using 16-bit images since they'd be slightly smaller due to less stored information, and that also might boost WPS load time by a bit since it wouldn't have to convert them to 16-bit from 24- or 32-bit.  On the other hand, however Rockbox converts the image "on-the-fly" as it were might produce a slightly better looking image than some image manipulation programs would save it as (I recall someone saying that a 24-bit image looked better converted down in Rockbox than the same image saved as 16-bit by the program the person used to make it...)

[Llorean]

Okay, here's a bit more accuracy:

1) Whether it's 16 or 24-bit or whatever, once the image is loaded it's in "screen" format. What that means is that it gets converted once, when it's loaded, and stays converted. Keeping the files as 16-bit will save you disk space, but not RAM. That means the first time the WPS is loaded (booting Rockbox, or when you change WPSes) it has to go through the  conversion, but not every time you go to the WPS screen.

2) If you convert to 16-bit on your computer it CAN look better. There is nothing Rockbox can do to the image that your computer can't do equally well, or better. Rockbox, though, may use a different dithering technique, and some people may find that a 24-bit image converts better when Rockbox handles it than it does when their computer handles it. All this means is that they picked a bad program or settings on their computer. The computer will always be able to match or surpass Rockbox for image conversion.

[spike66]

Very clear... THANKS!

[karashata]

That certainly clarifies things, thanks Llorean.