Develop Reference

How to create a sharp image in android

I am designing an android app and I need to implement the following interface. I need a round border around this number. For the round border I am using an image with a circle with a gradient border. For the numbers I am using the textview. The problem that I have is that when I debug it, the numbers extremely sharp and clean but the circle is not that sharp. The borders look quite rough. I took a screenshot of it but on the phone the thing is much more evident. I also noticed this when I was using an image and a background. The picture in the background was much more clear than the image on the screen. How can I fix this.
This is the XML that I am using
<ImageView
android:layout_width="270dp"
android:layout_height="270dp"
android:id="#+id/imageView"
android:background="#drawable/b"
android:layout_centerVertical="true"
android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
/>

Not sure about that image sharpness but you should consider on below points with your ImageView,
Setting the image to the ImageView using android:src="..." rather than android:background="...". src= makes it scale the image maintaining aspect ratio!
You should also use android:adjustViewBounds="true" to make the ImageView resize itself to fit the resealed image.
You can change the way it default scales images using the android:scaleType parameter, use android:scaleType="centerCrop" and see if it gets more clear.

Android: Using 9patch to create a frame around an imageview

I've been trying to create a frame around my imageview using a picture of a wooden frame. I turned the woodenframe picture into a 9patch and its still not wrapping around the imageview.
<RelativeLayout
android:id="#+id/ChosenPic"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="50dp"
android:layout_weight="3"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:padding="10dp" >
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/imageView1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="center"
android:baselineAlignBottom="true"
android:src="#drawable/ic_launcher" />
<ImageView
android:id="#+id/ImageView02"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_gravity="fill_vertical|fill_horizontal"
android:scaleType="fitXY"
android:src="#drawable/woodenframe" >
</ImageView>
</RelativeLayout>
So this is the ninepatch and i want it to fit around a picture of my choosing no matter the size.
EDIT:
This is what i want.

You have two options. I recommended the first one.
First option:
Put each image view in a separate LinearLayout and apply the 9patch to the LinearLayout it self not the image view
Second option:
Use or set the background resource of the image view in Java to the 9patch resource or the background attr in xml to the 9 patch resource and the src to the image it self.
Note that it better to use a Layer-List and add a combination of two shapes or whatever rather than using a 9patch resource.
Reference:
https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/resources/drawable-resource.html#LayerList

The "nine-patch" frame image that you upload is not a proper nine-patch.
First, it is a jpg. The extension should be .9.png.
Second, the contents are not correct. Specifically:
You need to have a 1px transparent border around the entire image. I do not see that in your jpg, though that just be an artifact of exporting it as a jpg.
You need to define a stretchable region by drawing black pixels in that 1px border. I see no black pixels defining such a region in the uploaded image.
I highly recommend going back and reading the nine-patch documentation again, and trying the draw 9-patch tool for creating a proper nine-patch.

Your 9-Patch is not configured correctly.
It isn't enough to just rename your file. To get it working properly, you have to define certain areas that should be stretched to fit the dimensions of your view.
You can also define paddings for that 9-Patch to inset the content when applying the 9-Patch to your view.
There's a handy tool called "Draw 9-Patch" in the android SDK that helps you defining these areas:
http://developer.android.com/tools/help/draw9patch.html
To start it, simply run the
draw9patch.bat
located in
...\sdk\tools\

Confusion about drawable sizes

I made this button:
http://i.stack.imgur.com/QkrMD.png
But the image is much bigger than it should be (it should be a quarter of its current size). I made various sizes of the image and put each into the respective drawable folder.
The size of the icon should be:
http://i.stack.imgur.com/12E8r.png
How do I scale the image down to the size I need to do be (as it is in the regular drawable size)?
<Button
android:id="#+id/button"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="3,056"
android:drawableLeft="#drawable/ic_arrow_up_b"
android:background="#color/gray"
android:padding="15dp"
/>

I don't think you should use a Button in this case. You should use a ImageButton. Maybe they work the same but if you are putting an image in a button, using ImageButton makes a lot of sense.
If you use an ImageButton, the image is always stretched to fit the size of the button. That means if you want to make the image smaller, you just make the button smaller.

9patch images stretching incorrectly

(The black lines are not visible so I just made a replica of it in photoshop and enhanced the black lines for you people to understand. )
( The black lines are photoshopped. JUST so they look a bit visible here. )
Suppose, this is the 9patch image, i have broadened the 9patch black line in photoshop so its clearly visible.
This is how it is going to stretch. The logo remain in its original dimensions, only the blue space will stretch.
In the 9patch software, the X and Y coordinate results were perfect and they stretch the way they should.
However, when I insert this in my xml code, I get this result.
WHY is the logo part stretching ?
WHATEVER the dimensions of the layout may be, the logo should be in its right size , while the space around it SHOULD adjust , but its not happening so.
Edit::
The images in the jar preview fine, but when I actually use that resource in some layout, I get the incorrectly rendered result.
The xml code for the button :
<Button
android:id="#+id/button1"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="#drawable/button_normal" />

You do it wrong, To make a 9patch using photoshop:
1- add a new transparent 1-pixel in each image side (left, right, top and bottom)
2- draw the scaling and content in that transparent pixel (black color #000000), not over the image content it self.
3- save it as your_image_name.9.png

This is my version: logo.9.png
As you can see, it works just perfectly
Make sure you put it in the /res/drawable folder and it ends in .9.png

9-patch Android not showing margins

I'm trying to make a 9-Patch image to use for Android application.
Here is a screenshot from 9-Patch tool with my image:
I'm adding on layout this image:
<Button android:id="#+id/tiny"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_alignParentTop="true"
android:layout_centerInParent="true"
android:text="Text"
android:textSize="8sp"
android:background="#drawable/arrow_active" />
(Image is located in "drawable" folder and image name is "arrow_active.9.png" )
Here is a screenshot from eclipse:
On real device I also don't see the arrow of image.
I'm tried with ImageView and Button, layout is TableRow.
Also I tried with smaller image:
On real device I see black pixels added by 9Path tool.

Try this tool...
It is graphically well, and auto generate images for all buckets. You can set streatch regions and content padding from it..