Converting Photographs to ECW File Format
Prior to adding a new photograph you into QuickMap must firstly convert it from its current format (eg. Tiff, jpg, giff etc.) into an ECW format. This is achieved by running the ECW Compressor 2.6 software; installed as part of the image install program. Run the ECW software from the Start>programs>Earth Resource Mapping menu. If this software is not installed then it can be installed from the Program folder on the Air Photograph CD-ROM by double clicking on ecw_compressor_2.6_rc1_20020926.exe and following the install instructions.
When you run the ECW compressor software you will be presented with the following screen
Enter the input and output file names and specify any compression required. Once the photograph is in ECW format it can then be added into QuickMap.
NOTE:
JPG and many derivatives of TIF use Lossy Compression - Lossy compression is based on the theory that some details and changes in color cannot be detected by human eyes. Removing some details from images will reduce image size without reducing image qualities significantly.
There is no loss of resolution when converting to ECW format. Image quality issues (eg clarity) can be minimised by choosing a less vigorous compression value when converting.
Note also if you convert the TIFF/JPG images with real world files then the registration information will be written to the ECW file and read by QuickMap without the need for manual registration.