Cropping (moved from other forum)

12/27/2005 07:51:31 PM · #1

How do you crop a photo so you can retain the same printing format? I want to print in 4x6 and all sizes of 4x6 format (6X9, 8x12, etc). If I just crop a photo at random it will need to be stretched to achieve the same print format...so how do I crop a photo correctly if I intend to print in 4x6 and compatible formats?

12/27/2005 07:55:46 PM · #2

12/27/2005 08:05:19 PM · #3

is there anything special about 180 dpi??? Can I go higher? Is 180 the standard?

12/27/2005 08:12:20 PM · #4

Originally posted by specialk0783:

is there anything special about 180 dpi??? Can I go higher? Is 180 the standard?

You can go 300dpi for the best quality, but will have to decrease that # for bigger prints.

Don't know why I had it on 180 dpi for the example.

12/27/2005 08:20:02 PM · #5

What is DPI?

12/27/2005 08:20:46 PM · #6

I dont understand...why would you have to decrease the dpi for bigger prints? Wouldnt you want the maximum dpi possible for the larger prints?

DjFenzl

12/27/2005 08:23:51 PM · #7

It's a ratio

a 4X5 image at 300dpi is the same as
an 8X10 image at 150dpi

if you change the dpi the dimensions will change proportionally (unless you resample the image, resample = bad)

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

12/27/2005 08:24:44 PM · #8

DPI is an abbreviation for Dots Per Inch, and specifies the number of dots in a square inch that make up an image on a printed page. More dots in a square inch mean a smoother image, whereas an image with a low DPI, the dots may be visible to the naked eye.

The number that matters the most is the DPI of your image when it is printed on the largest sized print that you want.

You can find out the DPI of your image when it is on a print by dividing the largest dimension of the image by the largest dimension of the print. For example, if your image is 3000x4500 and you wanted to make a 20x30 print available, your DPI is 150 because 4500 divided by 30 = 150.

Flash

Nikon D700

12/27/2005 09:00:40 PM · #9

Forgive my possible confusion. Doesn't one want the most dpi (as in 300dpi) for each size printed? 4x6 @ 300dpi. 5x7 @300dpi. 8x10 @300dpi. 11x14 @300dpi. and so forth?

Would an original (say 3008x2000 pixels) be cropped (resized) to the desired print dimensions at 300dpi in each instance?

sp edit

Message edited by author 2005-12-27 21:01:19.

DjFenzl

12/27/2005 09:05:05 PM · #10

if you had an image that was 8X10 at 300DPI and you printed it at 4X5 at 300DPI you would in fact be shrinking the image and losing some detail. You could print the picture 4X5 at 600DPI, but not all printers are going to handle that very well and you'll end up losing resolution anyway. Keep in mind a printers DPI and a digital image's dpi are different things.