Printing & Cropping sizes

If you have to crop an image to remove unwanted detail, and you use the crop tool in CS3, does the size you enter make any difference ?

Or does it all depend on the final print size

I edited some images the other day, and cropped them for 6 x 4 in, but when I printed the image out at A4 (roughly 11 x 8) it looked a little pixelated

If I want my (cropped) images to print at the best resolution should I be entering in the crop box, or should I just use the selction tool instead ?

Also what are the common sizes for images larger than 6 x 4, or 5 x 7

Cheers

Steve

The crop tool is better than the selection tool IMO, but you need to be aware of how you're using it.

If you enter values in the Width and Height fields, and leave the Resolution field blank, you're fine - you're not messing with any pixels, you're just trimming away some unwanted detail, like you said.

But as soon as you include a Resolution value, you're actually resampling your image. This is almost certainly what happened in your case. I you crop to 6x4 at 300ppi (for example), then it can never really be any bigger than 6x4 ever again.

In my opinion, you shouldn't crop PERIOD during editing. Keep every pixel your camera took, even if it is unwanted detail. By cropping in too tight, you're leaving yourself open for trouble if you need to choose a different crop ratio later on. Cropping and printing: The 8x10 problem

Beyond 5x7, the common sizes would be 8x10, 8x12, 11x14, 12x16, 12x18. At least, those are the sizes of frames commonly available here in Australia, I'd say it's similar elsewhere.

Damo77 wrote in post #6210648
The crop tool is better than the selection tool IMO, but you need to be aware of how you're using it.

If you enter values in the Width and Height fields, and leave the Resolution field blank, you're fine - you're not messing with any pixels, you're just trimming away some unwanted detail, like you said.

But as soon as you include a Resolution value, you're actually resampling your image. This is almost certainly what happened in your case. I you crop to 6x4 at 300ppi (for example), then it can never really be any bigger than 6x4 ever again.

In my opinion, you shouldn't crop PERIOD during editing. Keep every pixel your camera took, even if it is unwanted detail. By cropping in too tight, you're leaving yourself open for trouble if you need to choose a different crop ratio later on. Cropping and printing: The 8x10 problem

Beyond 5x7, the common sizes would be 8x10, 8x12, 11x14, 12x16, 12x18. At least, those are the sizes of frames commonly available here in Australia, I'd say it's similar elsewhere.

thanks man! I just had an "OOOOOHHHHH" moment... darned resolution value...

Thanks Damien

Ive just checked, and I have never entered a ppi amount in the box, it has always been blank

I tend to crop right at the end, prior to printing/resizing for web etc

Thanks for the sizes, and yes Ive been caught out in the past a few years ago on the 8 x 10 problem, and then again printing at home at A4 size, (but then printing myself its easy to adjust the crop/image for printing

*Sonic* wrote in post #6210080
I edited some images the other day, and cropped them for 6 x 4 in, but when I printed the image out at A4 (roughly 11 x 8) it looked a little pixelated

*Sonic* wrote in post #6210717
Ive just checked, and I have never entered a ppi amount in the box, it has always been blank

In that case, the perceived pixelation in your print may have simply been because your file wasn't quite big enough to print at A4 at appropriate resolution. Is it possible it wasn't exactly pixelation, but rather noise or grain?

*Sonic* wrote in post #6210717
I tend to crop right at the end, prior to printing/resizing for web etc

Yeah, that's the best practice, I think.

Andrushka wrote in post #6210710
thanks man! I just had an "OOOOOHHHHH" moment... darned resolution value...

LOL! You're welcome, mate.

It was a very tight crop, so quite possibly was just a little too much to print at that size

It was more than likely some noise or grain, there was a lot of banding on the print too, but it is a 10 year old inkjet