copy and paste files aren't recognized as valid bitmap files by Paint

• Jun 7, 2017 - 19:32

Some of my files are copy and paste files from original input files. I need to crop them for printing. Paint doesn't recognize them as valid bitmap files and won't open them. Two examples are attached.

Attachment Size
p119 p120 p121a test.mscz 30.63 KB
score1_pag87 audio.mscz 7.65 KB

Comments

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

AHA! A new tool I didn't know how to use! Very KEWL! Very KEWL! 8)

I was copying the original score and pasting it into a new one. The snapshot tool for Paint works GREAT! It also allows me to crop BEFORE I paste. Thanks again, Jojo!

However, Snapshot tool doesn't have enough range to copy and paste a score several pages long, not even in continuous view. I haven't found a way for Paint to add to an existing file, only to paste over it. I use IrfanView for my photo editor. It's free, just like Musescore. It gives me the ability to paste the first page and then paste sequential pages to the bottom. Until I find a workaround in Paint, I can use Irfanview for large scores.

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

I tried to use the Snapshot tool to copy the whole file. It would expand to cover the whole file, but would only paste part of it. It always included the last place I expanded the crop, but would cut off the other end.

To publish in an ebook, I need to be able to stack the pages one after another vertically (paste to bottom in Irfanview). When I save as a png file, it doesn't save as one file, it saves individual png pages. I haven't found a way to stack pages in Paint. Right now, Irfanview seems to be my best option to achieve a vertical score.

In reply to by judeeylander

Wait.. if your goal is to publish an e-book, is there a reason you're attempting to create one big image from the whole score? That is far from an e-book.

Wouldn't Export->PDF be a lot better for that use?
Or use Export->png (which creates a file for each page) and then use those in whatever e-book publishing program you might use?

In reply to by jeetee

In this ebook there are snippet examples and the whole scores they are taken from. An ebook is scrolled down, so the pages of the score must be stacked vertically. It's a public domain book. We try to stay as true to the original as possible. Additionally, for audio listeners, we provide midi files of the snippets and the scores.

In order to prepare a complete audio file for a whole score, the complete score has to be pasted together somehow and appear as one long png in the ebook. Music readers can follow along with the audio. And audio listeners aren't listening to a blank page.

I was trying to use the options provided within Musescore. However, in this particular case, I'll revert to IrfanView to create the long stacked files I need. I'm familiar with it. I haven't used it in this exact way before, but it is a product recommended by Distributed Proofreaders. I've used it to get pictures ready for inclusion in books, and to compare score snippets side by side to make sure I haven't missed anything. Complete long scores are a new task for me. I've finally figured out a way to get it done.

Thanks for all your help!

In reply to by judeeylander

An ebook is scrolled down

Wouldn't that be entirely up to the used e-reader? Some have side-by-side two-page view…

If this format is what the Distributed Proofreaders have settled on and it seems to work out, that's fine. But I personally don't grasp how having the full score as a single image (and thus presumably on a single page) end up as a very very small score to read; rather than just leaving the score pages as real pages; adhering to a normal standard size view experience.

In reply to by jeetee

I use export png for Musescore files. However, I'm not able to crop small pieces or stack scores of several pages within Musescore. I have to use another software then resave as my png for the ebook.

This is a book where I was both the music recreator and the postprocessor.

How Music Developed
A Critical and Explanatory Account of the
Growth of Modern Music

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43467/43467-h/43467-h.htm

In reply to by judeeylander

hmm.. ok this helps in understanding your use case; you might be able to trick MuseScore by changing it's pagesize though. If you can set the page inside MuseScore to such a size that the score entirely fits on it, the export-as-png would likely give you what you wanted.

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

I'm having a problem with long page pngs. I can't view them in Microsoft Photos or IrfanView unless I first open and save them in Paint. I'm thinking the one page png rather than the standard multiple page png is corrupting somewhere. Not drastic enough that it won't open in Paint, but sufficiently enough to not open in other photo viewers. It's one more fiddling around step I'd like to skip if I could....

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Sorry for the long delay in getting back to you. Life happens. :)

p119 p120 p121a.mscz is the long version, notated exactly as in the original book, exported as a png, opened and saved in Paint, and now viewable in Microsoft Photo and IrfanView. It doesn't play right because it needs minor corrections to the notation. It will be viewed in the HTML.

p119 p120 p121aAUDIO.mscz is the long version with corrected notation, exported as a png, opened and saved in Paint, and now viewable in Microsoft Photo and IrfanView. It plays the song correctly. It will be added as an audio track to the HTML with a note that minor notation errors have been corrected for the audio listener.

p119 p120 p121aTEST.mscz is the long version, notated exactly as in the original book, with the last six bars copied and pasted into appended measures. It has been exported as a png, but not opened and saved in Paint, and is not viewable in Microsoft Photo and IrfanView.

Attachment Size
p119 p120 p121a.mscz 23.29 KB
p119 p120 p121aAUDIO.mscz 24.73 KB
p119 p120 p121aTEST.mscz 24.36 KB

In reply to by Ziya Mete Demircan

WOW! Yes, the PNG is transparent. Terminology over my head. But changing it to a white background in IrfanView works wonders! I haven't found a way to change Microsoft Photo to a white background, so I still can't see it there.

Is there a way to export as a png and have it not be transparent? This only happens when I increase the page length beyond 11" or when I copy and paste into the score. The png still has to go through a few more rounds of processing before it becomes a published HTML. I don't want to send transparent images up the line. Best to have everything immediately viewable on whatever photo software they are using.

In reply to by judeeylander

The image can be used anywhere as exported from musescore.
There's no need to do anything extra. (Open in Paint etc.)
If you want to see if the image is visible in HTML, just drag the image into the web browser and it is okay if it looks fine there.

The other part (saving without transparency) is explained in the above message. You can close this feature if you do not want to.

Also: Transparency is a good feature.
Whatever the background color of HTML is, the background color of your transparent image will be the same color.

If you are not going to use the image for printing, you can also lower the DPI value:
(As the DPI value increases, the picture size increases exponentially.)
96DPI is a good figure for the web browser.
150DPI for average printing (newspaper quality).
300 DPI for normal printing.
600 DPI for high quality printing.

In reply to by Ziya Mete Demircan

The postprocessors makes decisions about transparency and DPI. They will use their favorite software to make appropriate adjustments. My job at this stage is to get the scores and audios to them. They combine all the elements into the HTML for uploading. Depending on their level of experience, HTML production can go through two, three, or four more revisions before it finally is published on Project Gutenberg.

I've PPed a few books. I've never dealt with the transparency issue, but certainly have had my fair share of pixels and DPIs.

Thanks for the reminders. Another reason I've backed off on postprocessing. Lots of tiny detail work. I'd rather be playing with music. :)

In reply to by judeeylander

To be clear: the *image* isn't transparent. Just the *background* of the image. And normally, that's exactly what you want when dealing with images representing text or music. That way the background of the web page becomes the background of your text or music. If you turn off that option, your music will have a plain white background that may clash with the background color of your web page which might be an off-white.

Not sure what you mean about having things "immediately viewable on whatever photo software they are using" - if you are producing HTML, wouldn't your users be using web browsers, not photo software? And in any event, all photo software should be able to handle PNG files with transparent backgrounds. If you have a specific PNG file you are having trouble with, please attach that file, and say which program is not displaying it properly for you. but I suspect this will turn out to be a simple misunderstanding of some sort.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Thanks, Marc. I think we've figured this out. I have changed the transparent background in MuseScore preferences. All is working fine now.

I am only producing the scores and audios for a HTML that will include many other things. Other people will be incorporating my contribution into the final product. The other people who need to see PNGs are part of the process, not the actual end product. Several software products can be used to create HTMLs. Each postprocessor uses their own favorite, and before the HTML is made available to the public, it is tested on several platforms. There are so many choices out there. We try to be as inclusive as possible.

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