Berengaria
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Post by Berengaria on Feb 10, 2020 14:24:21 GMT
If I'm planning on having my picture printed on paper, canvas, or clothe, I understand I should use a resolution of psi 300. But if I'm not printing that way, but will only be viewing on the computer, does it make any difference which psi I use when editing?
Berie
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Post by Peterj on Feb 10, 2020 15:19:23 GMT
When viewing, including editing, electronically image pixel dimensions are what determines how the image is displayed.
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Post by cats4jan on Feb 10, 2020 15:33:09 GMT
Berie - unless hard drive space is at a premium, I suggest you keep everything at a printable resolution. You never know when you want to go back and print something from the past. Besides, if you get careless about resolution, you may ruin something that you really want to print by saving a low resolution copy over an original. Until I understood resolution, I ruined a lot of originals. Sadly, you can't go back...
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pontiac1940
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Post by pontiac1940 on Feb 10, 2020 16:00:42 GMT
As noted, you never want to overwrite a print file with a web-sized file. But there are some advantages to changing resolution when you are working with fonts. (This does not mean you have to change the overall dimensions of the original images...you might or might not.) Here is a brief discussion on resolution and font size. photoshopelementsandmore.com/thread/5440/font-point-size-web-publishing |
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Post by Sepiana on Feb 10, 2020 18:27:37 GMT
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Post by Peterj on Feb 10, 2020 18:43:16 GMT
Images destined for printing, as noted by others, should always be kept at the original pixel dimensions. However if you want to share an image and you want to reduce the file size changing the pixel dimensions will reduce the file size drastically >>> please save the reduced pixel dimension image as another file.
file size = 5,706 KB pixel dimensions = 4032 x 3024
file size = 269 KB pixel dimensions = 600 x 450
file size = 96 KB pixel dimensions = 300 x 225
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Post by cats4jan on Feb 10, 2020 22:20:38 GMT
When I was concerned about a file being too large to easily email (which isn’t the same problem it used to be) - I used “save for web”. Now I’m too lazy to do that. With my Mac it’s one step to do a screenshot (I can easily make a selection of the screen) — so that’s what I’ve been doing. I lose some quality, but in the situations I use screenshots, it’s not that big a deal. That way, I know my original is never in jeopardy.
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Post by hmca on Feb 10, 2020 23:05:01 GMT
With my Mac it’s one step to do a screenshot (I can easily make a selection of the screen) — so that’s what I’ve been doing. I lose some quality, but in the situations I use screenshots, it’s not that big a deal. That way, I know my original is never in jeopardy. I have found myself doing that recently as well, Janice. Quick and easy and I honestly don't notice a change in quality. |
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Post by Sepiana on Feb 11, 2020 1:41:12 GMT
Images destined for printing, as noted by others, should always be kept at the original pixel dimensions. However if you want to share an image and you want to reduce the file size changing the pixel dimensions will reduce the file size drastically >>> Pete, Glad you mentioned changing pixel dimensions. Although Berengaria 's question is about which file resolution to use in her editing process as she "will only be viewing on the computer", your suggestion hit the mark when it comes to editing. Why? Because some of the Distort filters have file-size limitations. Tpgettys brought this to our attention . . . Where did the Distort Filters go? |
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Chris
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Post by Chris on Feb 15, 2020 9:30:47 GMT
I agree with what has been said. It's always better to keep the original larger file size and export a separate smaller file for web or e mail. Here is an interesting article that helps to clear up some of the mysteries of resolution. creativepro.com/the-truth-about-resolution/What is more important are the pixel dimensions of the image and not the image canvas resolution. For example you could have a 2000 x 4000 image at 1 ppi and a 2000 x 4000 ppi image at 600 ppi. The 1 ppi version will look exactly the same as the 600 ppi version on your screen because they have the same pixel dimensions. Web images can be displayed at 96 ppi at the actual size. So a 2 x 2 inch image on your screen would require pixel dimensions of 192 x 192 ppi. (2 x 96) x (2 x 96). For printing a 6 x 6 inch image at 300 ppi would require pixel dimensions of 1800 x 1800 (6 x 300) x (6 x 300). For printing, I think Lightroom recommends 240 ppi at the actual size. Some prefer down-sampling images to 300 ppi at the actual size to prepare files for a print shop to print. Others prefer not to. I think its a matter of personal taste. I personally don't change the pixel dimensions. As long as the pixel dimensions are large enough, then the printer driver will automatically down-sample to the correct resolution before printing. An exception might be if you are sending a lot of files to the print shop and bandwidth is an issue. Kind regards Chris |
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Post by cats4jan on Feb 15, 2020 10:51:10 GMT
I’ve thrown resolution out the door and think only in pixel size. I look at the pixels and divide each side by 300. That tells me - in a ballpark figure - what the maximum good quality print size I will get.
I know immediately, when I see the pixel dimensions, if it’s going to be a printable item or whether it’s useless for anything other than the screen.
And like I mentioned before, for most web needs, I grab a screenshot- knowing I’m sacrificing some quality for simplicity and ease of use. If it’s important that I have better quality, I use “save for web” where I can be more choosy about size. And again, I look to pixel size for specifics. You can use a rounded figure of 100 to figure out whether you have enough pixels for decent web quality.
The vast majority of users don’t need to get anymore specific than that. I think we are confusing casual photography hobbiests by overthinking this.
dpi ppi - nice to know the difference - but kinda irrelevant as long as you have your 300 pixels per inch to get a good quality print.
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Berengaria
Established Forum Member
Posts: 398
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by Berengaria on Feb 15, 2020 11:59:18 GMT
I agree with what has been said. It's always better to keep the original larger file size and export a separate smaller file for web or e mail. Here is an interesting article that helps to clear up some of the mysteries of resolution. creativepro.com/the-truth-about-resolution/What is more important are the pixel dimensions of the image and not the image canvas resolution. For example you could have a 2000 x 4000 image at 1 ppi and a 2000 x 4000 ppi image at 600 ppi. The 1 ppi version will look exactly the same as the 600 ppi version on your screen because they have the same pixel dimensions. Web images can be displayed at 96 ppi at the actual size. So a 2 x 2 inch image on your screen would require pixel dimensions of 192 x 192 ppi. (2 x 96) x (2 x 96). For printing a 6 x 6 inch image at 300 ppi would require pixel dimensions of 1800 x 1800 (6 x 300) x (6 x 300). For printing, I think Lightroom recommends 240 ppi at the actual size. Some prefer down-sampling images to 300 ppi at the actual size to prepare files for a print shop to print. Others prefer not to. I think its a matter of personal taste. I personally don't change the pixel dimensions. As long as the pixel dimensions are large enough, then the printer driver will automatically down-sample to the correct resolution before printing. An exception might be if you are sending a lot of files to the print shop and bandwidth is an issue. Kind regards Chris Good article about Resolution. Thanks |
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