Resizing / Printing Images Question

Hello
I have a number of bird images that someone would like printed off and framed as a gift suggestion from them.
They liked the images based on what they have seen in emails.
Before sending the images in emails, I cropped probably every image and changed the file dimension sizes to a smaller size for easier viewing.
The email images are all quite sharp.
All image editing and size changes for the email images was done in Lightroom.

So, I started to resize one of the images in Photoshop CC to a 4x6 inch size with a resolution of 300 px/in and right away I noticed that the eye of the bird is no longer as sharp as it was prior to changing the image size.
I see that the resolution was at 72 px/in in the smaller version of the same image.

300px/in is the suggested resolution for printing but, that doesn't work with this particular image and I suspect I'm going to have this same issue with the other images as well.

Is there some way to keep the sharpness of the smaller images when resizing the images to 4x6 format?

I have all the original raw files of the ones I want to print off but is there some way I can do what I want to do without having to reedit each image I want to print off?

canongear wrote in post #18688469
Hello
I have a number of bird images that someone would like printed off and framed as a gift suggestion from them.
They liked the images based on what they have seen in emails.
Before sending the images in emails, I cropped probably every image and changed the file dimension sizes to a smaller size for easier viewing.
The email images are all quite sharp.
All image editing and size changes for the email images was done in Lightroom.

So, I started to resize one of the images in Photoshop CC to a 4x6 inch size with a resolution of 300 px/in and right away I noticed that the eye of the bird is no longer as sharp as it was prior to changing the image size.
I see that the resolution was at 72 px/in in the smaller version of the same image.

300px/in is the suggested resolution for printing but, that doesn't work with this particular image and I suspect I'm going to have this same issue with the other images as well.

Is there some way to keep the sharpness of the smaller images when resizing the images to 4x6 format?

I have all the original raw files of the ones I want to print off but is there some way I can do what I want to do without having to reedit each image I want to print off?

Export them from Lightroom at the size you want.

john crossley wrote in post #18688519
Export them from Lightroom at the size you want.

Thanks for that.
I usually don't go back to an image in Lightroom once I'm done with it and thought I would have to reedit each one thinking that the prior edits wouldn't still be showing.
Thankfully they are.

I'm going to have these images printed off at my local camera shop so, do I need to change the resolution from 72 to 300 or is that 300px/in suggestion just for printing an image directly from Lightroom?

canongear wrote in post #18688585
Thanks for that.
I usually don't go back to an image in Lightroom once I'm done with it and thought I would have to reedit each one thinking that the prior edits wouldn't still be showing.
Thankfully they are.

I'm going to have these images printed off at my local camera shop so, do I need to change the resolution from 72 to 300 or is that 300px/in suggestion just for printing an image directly from Lightroom?

call the camera shop and ask them.

canongear wrote in post #18688469
Is there some way to keep the sharpness of the smaller images when resizing the images to 4x6 format?

I gotta throw your question back at you!
Ask yourself "What do I mean by 'sharpness of the smaller images"? if the original image was 3000 x 2000 pixels

• the sharpness of a 15" x 10" image made from 3000 x 2000 pixels is 20 pixels per inch
  
• the sharpness of a 5" x 3" image made from 3000 x 2000 pixels is 60 pixels per inch
  

canongear wrote in post #18688469
I have all the original raw files of the ones I want to print off but is there some way I can do what I want to do without having to reedit each image I want to print off?

If you have the RAW files, there is no 're-editing' in order to create a JPG file which is 1500 x 1000 pixels vs. one which is 3000 x 2000 pixels.
If you mean the pixel editor changes that you did to the JPG file (assuming you started with 3000 x 3000) in order to make the 1500 x 1000 pixel version, you simply edit the JPG file with a command like 'Resize' and tell it 50% (1500 x 1000 is 50% of 3000 x 2000)

canongear wrote in post #18688725
Wow, that was so helpful.

Your attempt at biting wit aside, calling the printer is the correct answer.

I have outsourced traditional offset, flexography, digital toner based, inkjet, dye sub, screen printing, and more for single sheets, short run books, catalogs, stationary, point of purchase, banners, trade show booths and so on.

Call the printer.

canongear wrote in post #18688585
I'm going to have these images printed off at my local camera shop so, do I need to change the resolution from 72 to 300 or is that 300px/in suggestion just for printing an image directly from Lightroom?

75 dpi (DOTS of ink per inch) vs. 300 dpi is meaningless to any photo printer...the 'dpi' only means something to an offset printing press operator as it defines the coarseness of a 'dot grid' which is used to print a phot for a magazine or brochure with an offset printing press. (Your newspaper photo is perhaps 75 dots of ink per inch, while National Geographic photo is perhaps 300 dpi).

The '75' or '300' which is embedded in the JPG file's DPI data record is ignored by any inkjet based printer...that photo is printed at 5760 x 1440 dpi if you had specified highest print quality at time of output, which is the spec of the Epson XP-850 home photo printer, for example.
And 5760 x 1440 dpi applies to both a 6" x 4" print and to a 19" x 13" print from the same printer.

canongear wrote in post #18688469
Hello
I have a number of bird images that someone would like printed off and framed as a gift suggestion from them. They liked the images based on what they have seen in emails. Before sending the images in emails, I cropped probably every image and changed the file dimension sizes to a smaller size for easier viewing. The email images are all quite sharp. All image editing and size changes for the email images was done in Lightroom.

So, I started to resize one of the images in Photoshop CC to a 4x6 inch size with a resolution of 300 px/in and right away I noticed that the eye of the bird is no longer as sharp as it was prior to changing the image size. I see that the resolution was at 72 px/in in the smaller version of the same image. 300px/in is the suggested resolution for printing but, that doesn't work with this particular image and I suspect I'm going to have this same issue with the other images as well.

Is there some way to keep the sharpness of the smaller images when resizing the images to 4x6 format? I have all the original raw files of the ones I want to print, but is there some way I can do what I want to do without having to reedit each image I want to print off?

In one word, no. You need to restart this process with the raw image; you cannot recover the pixels you threw away when you resized the e-mailing. Develop the full-size image as you wish and save as a TIF with a new name. Only then should you resize the image for printing. And yes, you need to do this with every impage you wish to print. Remember, you threw away LOTS of pixels by resizing, and you can't get them back.

Just to clear up confusion and apparent conflict between what I wrote and what Jeff just wrote...
Assuming your RAW file was 4500 x 3000 pixels to start with...

• if you started by outputting a 3000 x 2000 pixel JPG, it is reasonable to then resize that first JPG to make a 1500 x 1000 pixel JPG
  
• if you started by outputting a 1500 x 1000 pixel JPG, it totally UNreasonable to then resize that first JPG to make a 3000 x 2000 pixel JPG
  

When I export from LightRoom, I'll always export a full size jpeg and then a resized one if required. There's usually going to be situations where someone will request that print at a larger size....and not to get into resolving detail at certain viewing distances....I am pretty certain my images will be sharp if coming from original size and being printed at any common paper size (with today's cameras, you get more into seeing if dot pitch is acceptable if going above 20" prints from full size image).

canongear wrote in post #18688585
Thanks for that.
I usually don't go back to an image in Lightroom once I'm done with it and thought I would have to reedit each one thinking that the prior edits wouldn't still be showing.
Thankfully they are.

I'm going to have these images printed off at my local camera shop so, do I need to change the resolution from 72 to 300 or is that 300px/in suggestion just for printing an image directly from Lightroom?

If you are going to print 4x6, then 4x300 x 6x300 = 1200x1800...

So take your full size image, use the cropping tool set to 1200pixel x 1800pixel, and crop the image to what you want to print. The result will be a 4x6 at 300dpi, which should be sufficient for any printer, especially for a 4x6. Ignore DPI, and instead worry about what the final resolution of the resulting image to be printed is. A good guideline is Hx300 x Wx300, where H and W are the print dimensions.

canongear wrote in post #18688585
Thanks for that.
I usually don't go back to an image in Lightroom once I'm done with it and thought I would have to reedit each one thinking that the prior edits wouldn't still be showing.
Thankfully they are.

I'm going to have these images printed off at my local camera shop so, do I need to change the resolution from 72 to 300 or is that 300px/in suggestion just for printing an image directly from Lightroom?

The thing about LR is it does a good job at resizing and sharpening for media type.For printing you need to over-sharpen compared to screen viewing. So that comes with some trial and error if you do it by eye using USM or whatever other method you use. If you do a search there are plenty of videos on that.

If you want to use PS PK Sharpener became free a few months ago. It was $100. This is the same group created the export resizing and sharpening for LR.

http://www.pixelgenius​.com

Ignore DPI. That is for offset printing presses. PPI is what you are working with and suggested sizes were posted. Sometimes DPI is listed but they mean PPI. Canon's DPP is one. Don't know why but after all these years they still call it DPI.

You don't need to switch back and forth from 72 to 300 PPI or whatever you settle at. Once you find your printing sweet spot leave it there. PPI has nothing to do with screen resolution.

One image is at 0 PPI and the other is 1000. Can you see any difference.

I edited a sentence near the end of the last post. Once you find your printing sweet spot leave it there.

digital paradise wrote in post #18689206
One image is at 0 PPI and the other is 1000. Can you see any difference.

Hosted photo: posted by digital paradise in
./showthread.php?p=186​89206&i=i24389809
forum: RAW, Post Processing & Printing

Hosted photo: posted by digital paradise in
./showthread.php?p=186​89206&i=i178748303
forum: RAW, Post Processing & Printing

According to Photoshop they are BOTH at 300PPI.

You don't mention what the size was for the Emails, assuming these were around 72-100ppi (for HD screen 1920 by 1080 pixels) to give good display on most monitors then I would wouldn't expect a need to resize them to make 4x6 prints. But if you want to print out 10x8 or similar then you would be needing to add non existent pixels to print at 300ppi (3000 x 2400 pixels) hence the softening of the image.

The best method is during export from LR of the original file define how many pixels you want and ignore the PPI setting it is not used in most export operations. Work out how many pixels you require by multiplying the print size by required resolution. Note this is NOT same as cropping an image and the whole picture will be resized by lightroom to fight the pxiel dimensions your define. If you require different sizes of print then export for largest size print there is no need for different Jpegs for each size of print as the printers will manage the reduction in size.


HTH