Scale image while maintaining aspect ratio

Coroner

This question has been asked many times before I know. Though none of the times it has been asked has a solution been given that works (for me anyway).

I have an ATI Mobility x600 64mb video card in a Asus W3V laptop. I want to scale the image on the laptops dislpay while maintaing the aspect ratio. For example, I want to run a program full screen at 640x480 res. The only options in the ATI driver is to center the image or to scale image to fit screen. Centering the image only displays 640x480 worth of pixels no scaling but correct ar - very small image. Scaling the image streteches the image to fill the screen, so 4:3 640x480 becomes 16:10 640x480 - extremely stretched horizontally. Now, apparently there is another option that should be available that scales the image while maintaining AR.

I have tried the ATI Cat 6.1 mobility modded drivers, Omega Cat 6.1, and the Mobility Radeon drivers that came with the laptop. None of them have this 3rd almost mythical option. I have checked my BIOS (there was a suggestion somewhere here that it could be in there) and updated to the latest available - no video options in BIOS at all.

There has to be a way to do this, previously I had a nvidia card which had this option. It is extremely usefull if you run a lot of programs that only work in 4:3 resolutions - 640x480, 800x600 etc.

Is there a reg tweak, driver hack, or modded drivers out there that will fix this. I can't believe a modern card like an x600 wouldn't be able to do this.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Partizan

If I understand correctly you want to scale the image so the upper and lower corner will be cut away?

Give me an example of a program that works only in 4:3 resolution, and I'll try to find a solution.

Have a 1280x800 notebook with x700 handy



Regards, Partizan

Coroner

I don't want to cut the corners off. I want to run an app, say 640x480 res full screen, but keep it 4:3 AR - not stretch it horizontally to 16:10.

Plenty of progs run 4:3 resolutions - Diablo, Diablo 2, Baldur's Gate series, basically any game that doesn't support widescreen! Having a 4:3 resolution stretched to 16:10 is just horrid.

Partizan

Stupid me, formulated it wrong. You want to see the full picture, and left and right parts of the screen will be black?


Regards, Partizan

Coroner

No worries. Yep that's it - black bars at the sides.

Partizan

Try if this helps:

1) Right click desktop, select 'properties'.
2) Click 'settings', then 'advanced'.
3) Click tab 'displays' then 'panel'
4) Untick the 'Expand to full panel size' checkbox and tick "Expand while maintaining aspect ratio" checkbox. If that doesen;t help, untick "Scale Image"

Coroner

If I do that it doesn't scale up the image - so if runnin a 640x480 res app on a 1280x768 screen - it's really tiny picture. The panel only uses 640x480 pixes of it's full 1280x768 size. So you end up with really small image and huge black areas around the small picture.


Need the 3rd option - scale image and maintain ratio - or something like that it is called.

Partizan

Didn't that help?

4) tick "Expand while maintaining aspect ratio" checkbox.


Ok, have to go to bed now. Will install Baldurs Gate in the morning and try it myself

Coroner

I didn't see "Expand while maintaining aspect ratio" checkbox. I'll re-install cat 6.1 mobility modded drivers again and see if it shows.

Thanks

Coroner

Am running CCC so that panel setting isn't there. I have found "Notebook Panel Properties" in CCC though. Only options are "Scale image - full panel size" ,which is pretty useless as it doesn't keep AR , and Use centered timings, which is not so great either as you end up with a tiny image at 640x480.

Which drivers are you running?

Thanks

Partizan

I have Omega 6.1 on my desktop and on my notebook. Using them since the beginning. Omega drivers still have the "old" control panel, which IMHO ist way better than CCC.

Omega drivers also include Powerplay, so they are perfect for notebooks too . And with ATI Tray Tools it's a winning combination.

Here is also the pic:



If you are planning to install Omega (this would also be my advice), after uninstallation of old drivers don't forget to clean your system with Driver Cleaner.


Regards, Partizan

Coroner

I tried omega before, unfortunately they don't have the option either, all they have is the option to stretch. No option to scale while maintaining AR. This is crazy, such a basic function it should be there. I hope ATI hasn't neutered the X600 to not do it.

Thanks

Partizan

With Omega it should work, as seen in the picture. Did you try this option?

I am installing X-Wing Alliance now, to try it myself.

REgards, Partizan

Partizan

You obviously didn't try this option with Omega, because it works. Later I will post some screenshots, I have to go to work now.

Regards, Partizan

Coroner

I did try this option with omega cat 6.1, as I mentioned above.

See screenshot as proof - so I 'obviously' did try them.....
Thanks for trying to help anyway, appreciate it.

Partizan

I wonder how come I have the option "Expand while maintaining aspect ratio" and you don't.


Regards, Partizan

Partizan

Interesting, I bet you have a driver conflict.

Coroner

Clean install of windows. I think the driver detects X600 and doesn't allow that option. I think I'm going to contact ATI and see what they say.



Anyone else here have this problem or know about it?

LeanWolf

I have the same as you Coroner, only the single option. Latest Omegas
I have an old mob. radeon 9000 with a panel of max res 1600x1200

Partizan

Hmm. It looks like x600 doesen't have this option. You can also try reading this forum.

Regards, Partizan

Occultist

It works with omega IF you use the 'classic control panel', as a user showed above on a a screenshot. The same option doesn't work from within ati tray tools though

xen_chris

For my X1150 series it worked. (see attached file). http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5269/deskih4.th.jpg
The topic helped me alot because i didn't know how to make Starcraft run on fullscreen.