Custom Maps on Oregon

[+paconlacellars]

I have a jpg image that I geo-referenced using Google Earth. The resulting KMZ file displays great on BaseCamp but appears as a black rectangle on my Oregon. I have the map file setting enabled. Am I missing something?

[+paconlacellars]

I have an older aerial image (1946) of the Gowland/Todd area and wanted to geo-reference it so I could load it onto my Garmin to assist in mapping some of the buildings that used to be on the site of the cement plant. I’m not sure why other JPG’s will not work (final KMZ image displays ok on BaseCamp but is a black rectangle on the Garmin). I have save the image using several imaging programs and with every setting option I could find but without success. A raw unprocessed image was the only one that would load successfully.

 

1. View image full screen on image viewer (preprocess the image to size, contrast, density, gamma, etc).

2. Make a screen capture using Snip It or similar tool and save to desktop.

3. Open Google Earth to same location and at similar scale as the image area.

4. Click on Add|Image Overlay and assign a name – no spaces or characters.

5. Browse to your image on the desktop and add.

6. Adjust transparency level as needed and grab the green corner to adjust image to fit. Rotate using the green diamond on the left of the image. You will need to adjust each of the 4 corners several times.

7. When satisfied with the overlay click on Altitude tab and set the Draw Order to ‘0’. Setting above ‘50’ gives the image priority and the map info may not display through the image. Click OK.

8. Image layer should now be listed in the Places listings on the left. Right click on your new layer and select Save Place As… You can save directly to your Oregon if it is connected or to any other folder on your PC.

9. If the image layer is not displayed try checking to see if it is enabled (Setup|Map|Map Information Select Map).

10. The image file can be opened as a layer on BaseCamp as well.

[rsaxvc]

I’m not sure why other JPG’s will not work (final KMZ image displays ok on BaseCamp but is a black rectangle on the Garmin).

 

Could you post one that wasn't working?

[+paconlacellars]

Here is a link to the jpg:

 

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/1918177119-1377120906-79120/

[+Team Periwinkle]

Is your image less than 1 MB in dimensions? I can't be sure, since the file sharing site you posted it at may have reduced the resolution of the image vs. what you made the KMZ from.

 

See my detailed discussion on that topic here:

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=307548&st=0&p=5210779&fromsearch=1entry5210779

 

And I have another discussion on the same topic here:

http://forums.gpsfiledepot.com/index.php/topic,3439.msg19943.html#msg19943

 

If that isn't the problem, then I'm somewhat stumped. Never heard of your particular problem. Can you post the KMZ file somewhere so we can have a look at it?

 

Dave

[+paconlacellars]

Is your image less than 1 MB in dimensions? I can't be sure, since the file sharing site you posted it at may have reduced the resolution of the image vs. what you made the KMZ from.

 

See my detailed discussion on that topic here:

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=307548&st=0&p=5210779&fromsearch=1entry5210779

 

And I have another discussion on the same topic here:

http://forums.gpsfiledepot.com/index.php/topic,3439.msg19943.html#msg19943

 

If that isn't the problem, then I'm somewhat stumped. Never heard of your particular problem. Can you post the KMZ file somewhere so we can have a look at it?

 

Dave

 

Here is the link to the image info: http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/1918167108-1377192254-14076/. I have also included a screen capture from the Oregon. The original image files were deleted so I made another set.

[+Team Periwinkle]

Ok, so that shows that you have less than 1024 x 1024 pixels, so that isn't the problem.

 

Can you post the KMZ somewhere so we can look at that?

[+Team Periwinkle]

The image is 8 bit grayscale. I wonder if Garmin GPSr can't read 8 bit grayscale. The JPEG images in all of my KMZ files are 24 bit color. Anyone have a way to upconvert an 8 bit grayscale into a 24 bit color image? Then create the KMZ with that image and see if it works.

[insig]

The image is 8 bit grayscale. I wonder if Garmin GPSr can't read 8 bit grayscale. The JPEG images in all of my KMZ files are 24 bit color. Anyone have a way to upconvert an 8 bit grayscale into a 24 bit color image? Then create the KMZ with that image and see if it works.

 

This would be my guess as to what is happening.

[+paconlacellars]

I hadn't thought about the 24 bit issue. I went back to the original image (greyscale at 8 bits single channel) and cropped a different area. Using an older version of Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate, I increased the colour depth to RGB-8 bits per channel. Next I set the max pixel dimension to 1024 and reduced the resolution from 1814 ppi to 200 and saved as a Standard Encoded JPG. Geo-referenced on GE and transferred the resulting KMZ file to the Oregon. The image was perfect! Thanks for the help on this - most appreciated!!!

[+Team Periwinkle]

Glad that you got it to work.

 

Just to close out this thread, for others future benefit...

 

The OP sent me the original problematic KMZ and I finally got a chance to try it out on my GPSMap 78sc. It worked fine for me. So my guess about 8 bit B&W was incorrect - at least my GPSMap 78sc can handle 8 bit B&W jpeg images just fine.

 

All's well that ends well...