Noise from the Basement | Saturday Morning Production's behind the scenes blog.

Mini-Compressor Monday – Spring Edition

Posted on May 29, 2014 by adacc

Hello dear readers,

Here is a list of important, yet obvious, things that I would like to point out in today’s post:

It is not Monday
We have not been around the blog for a really long time
It’s finally Spring!

Here’s one more thing that’s not obvious, but we need to point out. We’ve re-surfaced from our winter hibernation to discover that our birthday post had a minor mistake. We didn’t turn 6. We turned 5. Still, big dreams. We partied like we turned 6, in preparation for next year.

As we are now finished hibernating, I want to share these sure signs of Spring with you. It’s so monumental, Spring is capitalized!

The first is one of DD’s school project and 3 are of our favourite sign of Spring – tulips, taken with my iPhone 4S. In total, this spring album is 13.2 MB.

[flickr_set id=”72157644918012685″]

Using Mini-Compressor, I was able to shrink the 4 photos to 4.79 MB without any quality-loss, making it easier to email these brag photos to anyone still stuck in winter! See for yourselves:

[flickr_set id=”72157644959187783″]

Thanks for stopping in. The rumours of us entering basement rehab were greatly exaggerated.

Posted in Mini-Compressor Monday | Tagged Reduce image size, Reduce photo size, Shrink Snow - not quality, Spring Mini-Compressing | Comments Off

MM – Heart-shaped Delicacy Edition

Posted on February 14, 2014 by adacc

We know it’s not Monday, but if you have any doubt as to what heart-themed holiday it is today, check your local retail store!

This little darling came off our apple tree a few years ago, and I couldn’t resist immortalizing it.

Taken with Sony DSC-W580:

: I Heart Apples
Full Sized Image = 5.54 MB

: Compression Index of 50
File Size = 557 KB

There you go! With Mini-Compressor, you get all the sweetness with no quality loss (even with a compression index of 50)

Happy February 14, everyone!

Posted in Fun, Mini-Compressor Monday | Tagged Cuteness Factor, No quality loss, Photo Compression | Comments Off

Saturday MP celebrates its 6th Birthday!

Posted on February 11, 2014 by adacc

Today, Saturday MP celebrates its 6th birthday. Thanks for coming on this amazing journey with us! Here’s to smaller pictures but not smaller dreams!

: Dream
Full Size = 2.79 MB

: Compression Index = 80
File Size = 1.05 MB

Posted in Business Side, Fun | Tagged 6 candles, Keep the cake coming, Smaller pictures not smaller dreams | Comments Off

MM – More Winter Fun

Posted on February 10, 2014 by adacc

This weekend, the SatMP crew headed to the Flying Canoe Adventure. We bundled up, hoping to see some pretty lights, expecting to jump back in the car after 20 minutes. Instead, we stayed for 3 hours and had a blast! We took in horse-drawn wagon rides, kick-sledding, bannock, music, tobogganing, flying canoes and created endless memories!

I sadly only took 3 pictures on my iPhone 4S:

: Frozen Light 1
Full Size = 0.99 MB

: Frozen Light 2
Full Size = 1.85 MB

: Movement
Full Size = 2.11 MB

Using a Mini-Compressor compression index of 90:

: Frozen Light 1_90
File Size = 484 KB

: Frozen Light 2_90
File Size = 1.03 MB

: Movement_90
File Size = 1.18 MB

Posted in Mini-Compressor Monday | Tagged Not so cold, Reduce image size | Comments Off

Life in the Basement – Olympic Edition

Posted on February 6, 2014 by adacc

It’s on! As they say in these parts, “the puck has dropped”. The 2014 Olympic Games have begun. Go, Team!

While I don’t fancy myself to be an athlete of any sort, I like to think that we basement-dwellers are similar to Olympians (no disrespect intended, of course). Of what little I know about these hard-working athletes, they’re pretty good – some are the best in their fields. Sometimes they win world titles and we don’t pay attention. It’s once every 4 years when we familiarize ourselves with their names and cheer loudly. Then after the flame is extinguished, they fade back into training and winning world titles and we return to our routines.

“How is this like the SatMP?” you ask? Are Chris and I bench pressing and landing jumps in the basement? Are we recovering from surgeries? No and no. Heck, we don’t even watch our diets! However, we work pretty hard here, and other than the soundtracks playing in the backgrounds, it’s pretty quiet. While it’s not world title material, our clients are satisfied with our work. (Our equivalent of going for the Gold, if you will) Then, every now and then, we make an announcement that rocks our world – maybe yours too, but definitely ours. That would be similar to the Olympics, wouldn’t it? Then, we fade back into obscurity and everyone goes back to their routines. Except for us, that routine is to keep getting stuff done – awesomely.

Taken with Nikon CoolPix S31:

: Gold
Full-Sized Image = 3.95 MB

: Gold_90
Compressed Image Size = 1.47 MB

Posted in Fun | Tagged Going for the Gold Everytime!, Working Hard | Comments Off

MM – Ringing in the Year of the Horse

Posted on January 29, 2014 by adacc

This past weekend we celebrated the upcoming Chinese New Year at a Carnival! January 31, 2014 begins the Year of the Horse, which is supposed to be a year for quick successes! We wish you all quick successes in your endeavors.

Us here, we’re enjoying our success, though it hasn’t been quick –we’ll be celebrating Saturday Morning Productions’s 6th birthday in February… (Think of all the things you’ve worked on for 6 years). Here’s when we thank our Mini-Compressor customers and wonderful clients for helping us to build our success story!

Anyway, back to the Carnival.

Among the many martial arts demonstrations, dances and contests, hands down, our favourite performances of the weekend were the Lion Dances. They were so awesome and lifelike! They inspired DD to imitate it at home with her stuffed lion, complete with throwing candy and a scroll. Awwwwww. Equally as cute were the Junior Lions with their out-of-sync way of ringing in the New Year and spreading cheer!

Onto the pictures: here are 8 (8 is lucky) photos of the festivities, taken on my iPhone 4.

Click to view.

[flickr_set id=”72157640287967556″]

Total Album Size = 19.4 MB

If I was the sharing type, I’d compress these with a simple right-click and email an album half the size, with – say it with me now – little quality loss. How’s that for “junior lions”?

[flickr_set id=”72157640297938673″]

Total Album Size = 10.8 MB

We hope you enjoy your Chinese New Year’s Eve, and party like it’s the Year of the Snake!

Posted in Fun, Mini-Compressor Monday | Tagged Compressing Photos, Junior Lions, Lions, The harder I work the luckier I get, Year of the Horse | Comments Off

MM – A warm up tale

Posted on January 13, 2014 by adacc

Those of you in this part of the world will know Edmonton was lucky enough to escape that nasty phenomenon known as the Polar Vortex(TM) 2014 that happened last week. However, those of you who know of this part of the world will know we’ve suffered through sub-zero temperature for weeks now (with no catchy brand-name, other than the tag known as “Winter”)*.

The SatMP family ventured out of the basement and took advantage of the mild temperatures by visiting the Deep Freeze Festival. It was a lot of fun.

Here are 3 notable shots taken with my iPhone 4: a Norse god Snow Sculpture and 2 of ‘the kids’ experiencing a traditional Quebecois Cabane a Sucre.

Norse Guy
Full Size = 1.99 MB

Yum
Full Size = 2.01 MB

Cabane a Sucre
Full Size = 1.86 MB

Like the time it took for that maple syrup to be slurped up, it also only took seconds to compress the photos (with no quality loss**):

Norse Guy_90
Compressed Size = 1.13 MB

Yum_90
Compressed Size = 1.07 MB

Cabane a Sucre_90
Compressed Size = 0.97 MB

We hope you’re find ways to keep warm in your parts of the world!

* And those of you know really know Edmonton, know that we’re wise enough to both embrace Winter as well as curse it. Go Festival City!

** In fact check out the fuzzy horn things on Norse Guy’s helmet. Still impressively fuzzy.

Posted in Mini-Compressor Monday | Tagged Keeping Warm, Sugar!, Viking Helmets R Us | Comments Off

2014!

Posted on January 6, 2014 by adacc

Happy New Year, everyone!

January is the first month of the New Year. The word January comes from the Latin word janua which means doorway. Those of you versed in Roman gods may be familiar with Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions.

January, my friends, is the year’s doorway, an entrance into a bright new beginning!

What does that mean here at SatMP headquarters?

Not a whole lot.* Yes, we received some new toys over Christmas including a shiny new kitchen appliance. On that front, we plan on cooking up the good times. We’ll continue cooking up great things in the basement as well (Mini-Compressor is always ready to ship). Stay tuned for continued greatness.

* We owe respect to those of you who have take an “out with the old and in with the new” attitude. We’re just not about to change anything good for the sake of changing.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

MM – In the Spirit

Posted on December 9, 2013 by adacc

One thing that I love about Mini-Compressor Monday is looking through our expansive photo archive for ‘just the right’ photos to share. Today’s medley features trees and greenery from Christmas present and past. And let me tell ya how quickly nostalgia sets in for those of us with young children!

: 2006 – Tree

: 2006 – Stuffies

: 2007 – Festival of Trees Wreath 1

: 2007 – Festival of Trees Football Wreath

: 2007 – Festival of Trees 1

: 2007 – Festival of Trees 2

: 2007 – Festival of Trees 3

: 2007 – Festival of Trees 4

: 2011 – Ornaments

: 2013 – SatMP Tree

: 2013 – Tree at Jubilee Auditorium

Total album size: 20.5 MB

Cameras: vary from Canon EOS 20D to Konica Minolta DiMAGE G530 to Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 to iPhone 4S*

Even by using a Compression Index of 90, the total album size was a manageable 13.4 MB with very little quality loss.

The largest pictures were the ones taken in 2006 by a photographer friend. She used her Canon, which produced awesome results, but translated to huge file sizes. To reduce the file sizes for sharing (you know, grandparents and cousin…), I bumped the compression index down to 90 and 80. You can still see the pudginess of that little girl’s wrists and the little boo-boo on her left wrist. For the stuffies shot, you can still see the individual furs on that penguins earmuffs. What more could you want for festive pictures?

Don’t believe me? Here they are side-by-side: