In addition to those basic photographic standards by which we generally judge images – such as being well composed, sharp, un-blurry, in-focus, and well-lit – there is the matter of image resolution which affects how good a digital image will look when it is printed.

When you are ordering from us online, there will be a graphic Quality Key next to each of your images indicating whether the image is “OK to 4x6” or “OK to 5x7” or “OK to 8x10.” These recommendations are based on image resolution and not on image quality. Pictures that are designated “OK to 8x10” may be enlarged even up to poster size depending on their resolution and image quality.

Please keep in mind that the Quality Key cannot evaluate the photographic merit or quality of your image – it may meet the standards for 8x10 resolution but be blurry and/or out-of-focus and would therefore not make a good print or enlargement.

Following are two charts to help you in choosing appropriate enlargement sizes for your digital images. The first, as its title states, is for “fusspots” who are extremely particular as they judge their printed photographs against an imagined ideal image. The second chart is for the vast majority of us who want excellent results but accept to a much greater degree a certain necessary lack of imagined perfection.

The above are guidelines only. They are not written in stone. Everyone has their own standards of photographic quality. However, as a general rule when you enlarge an image beyond the acceptable range for its resolution, the enlargement will appear “pixilated” and “grainy” – you will see the dots that comprise the image and any straight lines and edges will appear jagged.

This is why it is strongly recommended that you adjust your camera’s resolution to its highest setting. If you have a 6-Megapixel camera and shoot a picture with the camera set at only 2-Megapixel, you will not get as good an image (for enlargements) as someone with a 4-Megapixel camera shooting at its full 4-Megapixel setting. Remember, you won’t see as much of a difference on your computer monitor between images shot at different resolution settings as you will when those images are printed as enlargements (the monitor’s screen resolution just isn’t high enough to show you the true image quality difference).

Image compression is also a factor in image quality. Every camera manufacturer calls the compression settings something different. Frequently they are referred to as Normal or Basic, Fine, and Superfine. It is recommended that when you take pictures that you select the least amount of compression (which is the highest quality setting) as possible. Images shot at highest resolution and lowest compression will give you the best enlargements. They will also take up the most space on your memory card so make certain your memory card is large enough to hold an acceptable number of images at the settings you have chosen. If it does not, you may wish to pick up a larger memory card so that you can fit as many photos as you like at the highest image quality your camera is capable of producing.

Both Digital and Film Cameras generally do not take pictures in the exact ratio of width-to-height to match standard print sizes. So whenever a print is made some of the image is by necessity cropped to fit on the paper.

The same general principle applies to movies you purchase on DVD. If you want the entire image of the movie, then you choose the widescreen/letterbox format which has virtually the complete image but displays it smaller and with black borders on top and bottom. If you want the image to fill your TV screen, you choose the Full Screen format which displays a larger image without any black borders but which is cropped (missing part of the image).

 

To prevent being disappointed in the cropping of your images, please note before finally submitting your order how your images are automatically being cropped. After you have logged onto our online photo ordering system, you have the ability to easily adjust the position of the cropping. For example if you took an outdoor group shot, the automatic cropping might cut off part of one of the subjects standing all the way on the right of the photo but include all of a tree on the left of the image. You can adjust the cropping so that the tree rather than the person is cut out.

You also have the freedom to intentionally and creatively crop an image to enlarge just a specific portion of the image. This comes in handy when you’ve taken a picture with the subject too far away or not properly positioned in the frame. Obviously, the width-to-height aspect ratio of the print size must be adhered to when cropping and there are limitations as to the degree an image can be cropped. In addition, the greater the cropping, the greater a smaller portion of the image is being enlarged which will make the image appear increasingly less sharp, more grainy, and less vivid in color.

253 Broadway (Route 110) Amityville, N.Y 11701 Toll Free: 1 (800) 991-3350 Local: (631) 389-2162

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