| Author | Thread |
|
|
12/17/2004 11:49:03 AM · #1 |
I use photoshop CS (which I just got). I want to crop my photos and have them printed, but I can never seem to get the sizes right. I know that if you use the crop tool, you can specify the size (like 8 X 10), but sometimes when you have to use those constraints, you cant crop the photo in the best way possible. (to look the best, I mean). I am confused about how to crop my pic the way I want it to look and then get it to be the appropiate size for a frame... FRUSTRATING!!
|
|
|
|
12/17/2004 11:53:33 AM · #2 |
Paper sizes and picture sizes rarely agree with each other, so to print images you typically have to do some cropping, unless you want to just do a little extra work.
For example, if you wanted to keep the full frame pic ( probably 8x12 rather than 8x10) you could print it on larger photo paper, matt it yourself and choose a larger frame.
Message edited by author 2004-12-17 11:53:55. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 11:53:44 AM · #3 |
| You can always crop the photo the way you want and then have it customed framed. It's more expensive but if the alternative is a photo that's not what you want then it's worth it. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 12:01:59 PM · #4 |
| You can also crop the photo as you like it, then add a border to tweak it to a more conventional size. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 12:13:54 PM · #5 |
This frustrates me to no end. I take my photos at a 2:3 aspect ratio, and yet it's very difficult to find mattes that are at a 2:3 ratio for larger than 4x6. The system was probably designed by the same people that came up with the 12 hot dogs and 8 bun packaging. When I crop something to 8x10 I'm usually not 100% happy with the result. If only they had a 6.7 by 10 matte on sale somewhere.
|
|
|
|
12/17/2004 12:21:39 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by Juniper366:
am confused about how to crop my pic the way I want it to look and then get it to be the appropiate size for a frame... |
You're not doing anything wrong. When you set the width and height in the Crop tool in Photoshop, and you can't get it to "fit", that's just the way it goes. There just isn't much you can do beyond what has already been suggested (pad the rest of the frame with a border, or try and clone the background in to make it look natural). It is sort of like trying to put "a square peg in a round hole". The best thing to do is be aware of the cropping restrictions, and back up/zoom out a bit so you can crop to your preferred aspect ratio without having to cut off the top of a head, etc.
Personally, I really like the 1.25:1 aspect ratio (4x5, 8x10, 16x20). It is very "professional" looking IMHO to give somebody a set of 4x5 proofs (as opposed to 1.5:1 / 4x6 aspect ratio proofs, which look a bit "amateurish"). Clients see something "different" than the shots they take themselves with their own camera, and it helps to reinforce to them "this is why I hired a photographer". Since I crop nearly all my photos to 1.25:1 (including almost all of my challenge entries =), I took out the focusing screen on my camera and carefully scored two lines on it with an X-acto knife... so I now have thin, black 8x10 "crop marks" in the viewfinder to make it easy to compose the shot and ensure I won't cut anything off when I do my cropping.
There are also companies like BrightScreen who will replace the focusing screen on just about any camera with one that has 8x10 crop marks on it.
Message edited by author 2004-12-17 12:29:40. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 12:33:17 PM · #7 |
I get my printing done at walmart, and regardless of how i crop my photos, they take the image and blow it up to fit the paper (4x6 usually). This can lead to having parts of the image I want to be cut off.
My solution is to make a new image at 4x6 and then drop my cropped image into it. I sometimes leave the to-be-cutoff-by-me part white, but usually paint it black so that I know for certain that i will get what i want.
Walmart also has an online photo bit where you upload your images and then go pic 'em up. I have used their free software to crop and sepia and it works fine.
|
|
|
|
12/17/2004 12:58:18 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by EddyG:
Since I crop nearly all my photos to 1.25:1 (including almost all of my challenge entries =), I took out the focusing screen on my camera and carefully scored two lines on it with an X-acto knife... so I now have thin, black 8x10 "crop marks" in the viewfinder to make it easy to compose the shot and ensure I won't cut anything off when I do my cropping. |
You took the focusing screen out of your 1D Mark II and scratched it with an X-acto knife? Wow! That seems a bitâ€Â¦ ummmâ€Â¦ extreme?
Just out of curiosity, what material is the screen made of?
|
|
|
|
12/17/2004 01:33:41 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by micknewton:
Just out of curiosity, what material is the screen made of? |
Unobtanium. Pretty daring, Eddy. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 01:42:02 PM · #10 |
For those who do not wish to perform invasive surgery on their cameras, I have found that on the 10D, the amount of cropping necessary to produce an 8x10 image is approximately the distance between the edge of the frame (left or right) and the nearest focusing square to that edge.
If you use that as a guideline and compose with the crop in mind you should achieve the results you are looking for.
-Terry
|
|
|
|
12/17/2004 01:43:34 PM · #11 |
| I have the grid switched on the camera and that gives me an idea of how to compose for a certain aspect ratio. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 01:59:01 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by micknewton:
You took the focusing screen out of your 1D Mark II and scratched it with an X-acto knife? Wow! That seems a bitâ€Â¦ ummmâ€Â¦ extreme?
Just out of curiosity, what material is the screen made of? |
I wasn't too worried, I knew I could buy another if I really messed it up; in the 1-series, the focus screens are designed to be interchangeable. So you can swap in a manual focus screen, a grid screen, etc. There are quite a few to choose from. (The Ec-C III being the standard one).
The biggest challenge was determining where to scribe the lines to compensate for the 1.3X crop factor of the 1D, since the focus screens are the same ones used in all the 1-series cameras (film & digital).
They are made out of laser-engraved plastic, and they are very easy to scratch and get fingerprints on, so you do have to handle them gently.
It is one of the coolest "enhancements" I have for my camera though. I love it!
Message edited by author 2004-12-17 14:10:57. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 07:41:15 PM · #13 |
I am so glad it isn't just me with this problem. I felt so amateurish not knowing how to do it. I guess I DID know how... although performing surgery on a part of my camera I didnt even know came off is probably something I am not yet ready to try :o0 Thanks for the 10D on the outter focusing square! I will try that next time. I love this sight! Thanks everyone!
Jen |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 07:57:14 PM · #14 |
what about the points on the 20d, whats the 1.25:1 lines there?
|
|
|
|
12/17/2004 08:05:44 PM · #15 |
| hsteg, if you've got an 8x10 in the house, just fill the viewfinder with it and that'll give you a pretty good indication. or, fill it with a ruler (12 inch) running horizontally, figure from the 1 inch to 11 inch marks. |
|
|
|
12/17/2004 08:17:20 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by vontom:
hsteg, if you've got an 8x10 in the house, just fill the viewfinder with it and that'll give you a pretty good indication. or, fill it with a ruler (12 inch) running horizontally, figure from the 1 inch to 11 inch marks. |
Jeenius!
|
|
|
|
12/18/2004 01:08:44 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by jimmythefish:
This frustrates me to no end. I take my photos at a 2:3 aspect ratio, and yet it's very difficult to find mattes that are at a 2:3 ratio for larger than 4x6. The system was probably designed by the same people that came up with the 12 hot dogs and 8 bun packaging. When I crop something to 8x10 I'm usually not 100% happy with the result. If only they had a 6.7 by 10 matte on sale somewhere. |
8x12 is a common size and available at any frame/art store.
|
|
|
|
12/18/2004 01:11:52 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
I get my printing done at walmart, and regardless of how i crop my photos, they take the image and blow it up to fit the paper (4x6 usually). This can lead to having parts of the image I want to be cut off. |
If you are cropping them to 4x6 then they will print at exactly that. The part you want to be cut off wouldn't even be in the file you give them.
Message edited by author 2004-12-18 13:13:18. |
|
|
|
12/18/2004 01:28:40 PM · #19 |
When you submit your print order they should have the option to "fit to paper" where you would not get cropping -- from a typical digital cammera you should get an image 4 x 5.333 inches, and a 0.667 white strip on the end you can trim off.
You can also size your image to 4" tall (do NOT resample), and then increase the canvas size to add the blank area (or do what I do, and put some tiny, stamp-sized pictures in there) so you end up with a 4 x 6 file.
There are a couple of online printing services which will produce these "digital sized" prints directly.
Message edited by author 2004-12-18 13:30:22. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/13/2025 07:17:40 PM EDT.
