I have tried uploading 16x16 resolution images but they seem to get scaled up to some unknown resolution making them blurry. (Clearly the resampling algorithm is not nearest neighour - so would be cool if we could select the resampling algorithm used or just let us upload lower resolutions… would that not be good for performance in general?).
I know that images larger than 1024x1024 get scaled down to 1024x1024 but what about small images - what do they get scaled up to?
If I could find the resolution, that roblox uses, of any of my uploaded images I could answer this question myself but alas, I can’t. So if anyone knows this as well please do let me know. Thanks.
Using the same ID as the image that is supposed to be 16x16.
Note how the texture seems a bit off and, perhaps badly compressed…?
I think the reason such small images are so blurry like this, is Roblox goes ham with either the compression or resizing, or both.
Your 420x420 version of this (random note, 420x420 is the intrinsic size of the thumbnail in the inventory viewer!) is much more clear, but I can still see ever so subtle blurry edges.
So my best guess is Roblox compresses images in a lossy way causing them become slightly blurred, this blur perhaps has the same scale, so it’s very subtle and sometimes unnoticeable in large images, but that means the smaller the image, the more space that blurring effect takes up, and in result, the crappier and more compressed it looks.
When you say compression I think about reducing larger files into smaller sizes. So why would 16x16 need to be compressed into a smaller file? Perhaps for this case it is just the resizing algorithm being used that is causing the blur and up until a certain resolution images are not being compressed.
In any case it appears that there is no definite minimum image upload resolution that has no blur. And as you said around 420x420 the blur seems to go away enough so that you can’t see it unless you scrutinize the image. So I’ll be uploading around this resolution - I’ve been uploading with 432x432 and it seems to get the job done.
However, this also raises the question of whether or not fretting about minimising the resolution while keeping the blur unnoticeable, is worth it. Perhaps I should upload at 512x512 and just be done with it - does this difference (from 432x432) affect performance that much for games with a large amount of these 512x512 textures?
The performance hit from having even hundreds of image assets (textures, decals) is completely negligible, I know, I use an insane amount of textures and PBR materials in my places and there is little to no performance impact, most of these images are 512x512 to 1024x1024.
You’ll only be getting any noticeable impact if you just have crap-tier hardware and/or internet (e.g. mid 2010’s mini-PC with intel HD graphics don’t worry I have a better computer now).
And this part, 512x512 is pretty much the standard minimum dimensions everyone uses.
don’t worry I have a better computer now).