Pattern Sizing for bitmaps to fit your hoop size

How do you decide the size of a bitmap pattern to fit your hoop?

What is the ideal format for a bitmap (.bmp) pattern on your hoop?
Before moving a pattern to your hoop you’ll want to make sure it’s saved in the correct format (.bmp) as a bitmap, and that the image isn’t too large to be easily visible when the hoop is in motion. Remember, all bitmaps/patterns need to be inside of a folder/mode for it to be able to be displayed on the hoop.

Bitmaps images are measured in pixels by width and height. (pixels are sometimes abbreviated as px or pxl) When saving a bitmap file to use as a pattern, you may first need to edit, resize/scale down, and resave the image to fit the display of your hoop size. Using an image editor (Paint, Paintbrush, Pixlr) you’ll be able to both resize/scale the pixels of the image, as well as save it in the correct .bmp format.

Check out this Help doc to see How to save an image as a bitmap using Pixlr.

The # of LEDs in your hoop represents the largest bitmap width (as measured in pixels) that can be displayed on your hoop at once, without getting cut off.. If a bitmap is wider than your hoop, the extra part of the image will get cut off. If you are trying to use high resolution images you’ll need to scale them down quite a bit. The length of your bitmap doesn’t matter as much.

To estimate a good pattern width as a starting point, divide your LED count by 3.
We’ve established a general rule of thumb for bitmap sizing that can easily apply to most patterns. Take the number of LEDs in your hoop (see LED count charts in tabs below) and divide it by 3. Why 3? Because for someone standing in front of you looking at the hoop, in general they can only see about 1/3 of the LEDs at one time.

Ex: A hoop with 90 LEDs divided by 3 gives you a bitmap width of 30 pixels wide that would display on 1/3 of your hoop. The image would repeat 3 times around the hoop. You can definitely experiment with patterns more or less wide than that, but in general it’s a good rule to follow if you’re trying to shrink a large image down to display on a hoop.

Check out the LED Count chart to find your hoop size

Hoop on left: 26″ hoop with standard LED density (80 LED count). Hoop on right: 28″ hoop in HD LED density (130 LED count)

Hoop in photo on left is a bitmap/pattern that is 26 px wide (26×26), which is about 1/3 of an 80 LED count hoop. The same 26 px wide bitmap/pattern is used on the HD hoop, which has a 130 LED count. The pattern appears smaller and repeats several times around the hoop.