resolution

[OceanRider]

Really getting confused here.

Can any body tell me what resolution does one want to get the digital print printed at? 300 ppi or higher? What if you want it 8x10 or bigger, same resolution?

Also, I have a 20D and I always shoot in FINE LARGE J-Peg thats 3504x2336 pixels in case I need to blow up.

In Photoshop, after you have "tweeked" the final image and are ready to burn it for printing should I resize it at all? Should I save with ppi at 300?

When you resize the original large shot, the above pixels shown you get a total of 23.4 M (?) what ever that means. Does any body know?

Underneath that box there is a box called "Document Size". It has a height of 32.444 inches (width) and 48.667 inches (height). What IS this?? Does this mean I can blow it up 32x48 inches and still keep excellent quaity?

Next is the resolution per inch usually defaults to 72 which I assume you bump to 300 (higher?)or so when you go to get the pic blown up.

My questions are this: Lets say you want to blow the original shot (large,:rolleyes: fine) up to 8x10 and keep excellent quality: what do you do?

Under Pixel dimensions what do I put?=
Under Document Size what do I put?=
Under resoultion what do I put=


Also what the heck is an a3 =(biggest?) a4 =(Bigger) a5 =(smallest) size ??\

I am finding all of these values very confusing.

Any help would be greatly apreacaited.

Joel:rolleyes:

[mphoto]

For a good discussion on resolution and print size see:

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/resolution_and_prints/resolution_and_print_size_1.html

[mphoto]

Let's try that again without the URL being truncated:

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/
resolution_and_prints/resolution_and_print_size_1.html

[Jesper]

Let's try that again without the URL being truncated:

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/
resolution_and_prints/resolution_and_print_size_1.htmlThe URL is not truncated, it's just shortened but you can click on it and it works.


It's all really very simple.

A digital image consists of a rectangular matrix of pixels. It doesn't have a physical, real world size. Printers, monitors and all other devices that can display images do have a physical size. So if you print or display an image on a monitor, it will have a size in inches.

The resolution setting (in dots or pixels per inch) is a hint that specifies how large, in physical dimensions, an image should be displayed.

If you have an image of 3504 x 2336 pixels and you print it at 300 pixels per inch, the size of the print will be 3504 pixels / 300 pixels per inch = 11.68 inches by 2336 / 300 = 7.79 inches.

If Photoshop tells you the image is 32.444 by 48.667 inches, and the dimensions of the image in pixels are 3504 x 2336, it just means that the resolution is set to 72 pixels per inch. It does not mean that you can print it at that size with "excellent quality". How would Photoshop know what "excellent quality" is and what isn't? You can change the resolution setting in Photoshop by choosing Image / Resize, unchecking "Resample image" and changing the resolution setting. It will not modify the image, just set the resolution number, which is not an inherent property of the image itself, it's just a hint as I explained above.

Here is another explanation: Display, Printing, DPI and PPI (http://www.photo.net/learn/resize/)

[OceanRider]

I read this article, and it explained a bit, but not enough. I am still confused. All I wan to know is if I shoot a pic in LARGE FINE on a 8.0 mega pixel camera (3504 x 2336 pixels) what do I have to do to it to get it printed at various sizes. 4x6, 8x10, 11x14 etc.. and keep the quality? I understand the pixels for web use, and I understand the ppi needing to be 300 ( this last article said 360) But I can't seem to see the "document size" in PS Elements and how it relates.

Joel

[Scottes]

I read this article, and it explained a bit, but not enough. I am still confused. All I wan to know is if I shoot a pic in LARGE FINE on a 8.0 mega pixel camera (3504 x 2336 pixels) what do I have to do to it to get it printed at various sizes. 4x6, 8x10, 11x14 etc.. and keep the quality?

"All I want to know..." - Alas, this is not a simple answer. Perhaps the following threads will help:


Here's a little tutorial about Cropping in Photoshop (and should be fine for Elements). It has some info on DPI & Resizing and getting stuff ready to print. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34567

Here's a thread about cropping and resizing and getting ready to print for the first time:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=46936

Another thread on printing with some more info that might be applicable to you: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52048

Also, since this might be applicable, another thread on sharpening & printing: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49115


If you still have questions after digesting all that we'll still be here so ask away.

[OceanRider]

thanks guys....i have read most of this last night, the other I just finished. Helped a little but still not there. I am heading to Chapters for a book......

Joel

[Jesper]

I read this article, and it explained a bit, but not enough. I am still confused. All I wan to know is if I shoot a pic in LARGE FINE on a 8.0 mega pixel camera (3504 x 2336 pixels) what do I have to do to it to get it printed at various sizes. 4x6, 8x10, 11x14 etc.. and keep the quality? I understand the pixels for web use, and I understand the ppi needing to be 300 ( this last article said 360) But I can't seem to see the "document size" in PS Elements and how it relates.

JoelIn Photoshop Elements, if you choose "Resize" in the "Image" menu, you should get the "Image Size" dialog box, which has the two parts "Pixel Dimensions" and "Document Size" as shown in the article I provided a link to (http://www.photo.net/learn/resize/).

The PPI does not need to be 300 or 360. It is only a rule of thumb that for a really good, small print your should make sure that the resolution is around 300 pixels per inch, if it's lower you'll see that the print will be less sharp or you will see jaggies.

To answer your question ("All I wan to know...") is this:

- Make sure "Resample Image" in the bottom of the dialog box is UNchecked.
- Enter the width or height in inches. Note that the Resolution setting automatically changes, but the pixel width and height remain the same.
- Click OK in the dialog.

Note that the width and height must have the same ratio as the width and the height of the image, which is 3:2. That means you cannot resize the image to exactly 8 x 10 inches, because that size does not have a 3:2 ratio. You must crop a bit off the image if you want 8 x 10.

[OceanRider]

ok thanks Jesper. So when I uncheck this resampling box, it will keep all the pixels of the original large, (is this desired?) fine J-peg as shot by camera right? All I need to change is the size I want the picture? I did it to one and it change the resolution to 420 ish for a 5X7 with the box unchecked, is that ok?

Joel
Sorry for these silly questions, I am new to this!

[Jesper]

Yes, if you uncheck the "Resample image" check box, Photoshop will leave the image itself alone (it keeps the size in pixels the same), it just changes the Resolution (pixels per inch) setting so that the image will have a different physical size when printed.

[OceanRider]

but is this desirable? do i ever WANTit resampled?

[Jesper]

Yes, sometimes you want to change the size of the image in pixels. For example, when you post an image on the web or when you want to e-mail it to someone, you probably won't want to post a full-size 3504 x 2336 pixel image. That's far too large to fit on people's monitors anyway. So you'll want to make it smaller, for example 720 x 480 pixels (that's the size I use for my photos on http://jesper.fotopic.net ).