Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2017 June 26

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June 26

three panel pictures

I am not sure if this question should be in this section or in science or even humanities, but here goes. It seems to be quite popular these days to post pictures that are three panels (usually in thirds) with the two outside panels being blurry and the center clear. I assume that the purpose is to highlight and focus one's attention on the center panel. Personally, I find this to be extremely distracting and annoying. Where did this idea originate and why might it be so popular? 198.72.29.37 (talk) 16:00, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

It is screen filler. If I take a square photo (as an example) and you view it on a computer monitor or a television, you will see black space on both sides. To fill it, extra stuff is added to the sides. Now, I've provided the filler to be used and I hope it looks better than black bars. A similar effect is common with video. Someone shoots a video with they phone upright. The video is tall and narrow. If shown on a television, it will have black space on both sides. So, they stretch out and blur the video and place it behind the original video is filler. That filler is used to cover up the black space. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 16:06, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

Is there a term or even an article for this? Or should it be mentioned in the article on pillarbox or letterboxing, pillarboxing and windowboxing? ---Sluzzelin talk 16:11, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

It would seem to be a version of pillarboxing, where instead of black bars they put a blurry copy of the main image there. I have no idea why they think this is better than nothing. Is there a poll that shows people actually prefer this ? I am reminded of the quote: "Don't speak, unless you can improve on silence." It might be a generational thing, with kids now at that point where any visual is seen as better than darkness. Still, you'd think they would put a list of upcoming events, an ad, or something of some use to somebody there. StuRat (talk) 16:17, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

Thanks everyone. Like StuRat, I must be old school or something. I would prefer the black bars to the distracting blury bars! 198.72.29.37 (talk) 17:15, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

I asked this question a year or two ago and I believe the answer that I got was also pillarbox. After a little searching... It seems it was almost exactly 2 years ago: link. †dismas†|^(talk) 22:05, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

My elder son, who is a professional TV cameraman and video editor, explained this is caused by people taking photos on their smart phones in the upright position, and people like him have no way of making it fill a screen for a news story, without stretching the image laterally, which is inappropriate. So they have to improvise. His advice: "Always take photos/video with the phone in the horizontal position". When I queried the "always" bit, he said "ALWAYS, Dad". -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:05, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

Ask him why they have to put blurry bars to fill up the screen as opposed to black bars. --Viennese Waltz 08:26, 28 June 2017 (UTC)

If you just had the vertical image in the middle of the screen, the bits on the left and right would be black, by default. That looks naff, and appearance is everything on TV, so ... -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:59, 28 June 2017 (UTC)

So you think a blurry version of the center image is better than blackness ? Can you explain why ? We just don't understand this. StuRat (talk) 03:00, 29 June 2017 (UTC)

No, it is not I who am claiming it's better. I'm just reporting what the TV people who make these decisions do, and we all know how high their aesthetic standards are ...............................  :) -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 05:07, 29 June 2017 (UTC)

That's sure to produce really wonderful pics of the bases of the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, CN Tower, etc. :-) StuRat (talk) 05:24, 27 June 2017 (UTC)