The Problem With Printing 8x10s From Digital Files
The most popular print sizes we want from our digital files are 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10.
Right? But here's the problem: 5x7 and 8x10DON'T FIT when you're taking pictures with a Digital Camera! Here's why.
A digital camera's sensor is usually pretty close to a 2:3 ratio.
My 6 Megapixel Digital SLR has a sensor size of 3008x2000 pixels.
So at 300 pixels per inch - my preferred printing resolution - this camera renders an original print size of 10.
026 inches by 6.
66 inches.
My 6 Megapixel Point & Shoot camera has a resolution of 2816x2112 pixels which translates to 9.
386 by 7.
04 inches at 300 dpi.
So ...
you see the problem.
Neither of these dimensions translates EXACTLY into the required dimensions for an 8x10 - which has, obviously, a 4:5 ratio.
Other camera manufacturers vary slightly from these dimensions, and, of course, the total pixel count is different if you have a camera with a resolution that is greater or smaller than my examples.
But, across the board, this is pretty much what all digital photographers - both amateurs and pros - have to deal with.
So, let's say you've taken a great photo of your entire family, all grouped together for a once-in-a-lifetime shot.
And that you literally filled the frame from side to side with aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas and kids.
After you take the picture, everybody "ooohs" and "aaahs" at the image on the screen of your camera, and tells you what a great photographer you are.
And everybody wants an 8x10print! So you trot down to the local photo store or go to your favorite printing kiosk to get 8x10 copies for everybody.
But when you get your prints back, Uncle Festus (on the far left) has been sliced down the middle so that only his belly shows, and Aunt Bea (far right) has disappeared entirely! When you politely ask the photo clerk what happened, they shrug and tell you they don't know ...
or that (and this is the truth) your file was the "wrong size.
" And they can't fix it! Neither can you - unless you know how to use Photoshop or some other image editing program, and can blend in more floor or ceiling - or whatever - to get the image to the correct proportions.
Of course, you could ask the clerk to give you prints that are wide enough.
But, even if their equipment could do that - and if they knew how (which they probably don't ) then you'd have prints that are 10 inches wide, but only 6.
6 inches deep! Not a size you're likely to find a pre-cut matte for at your local store.
What's the solution? Well, I always try to shoot a little wider than I might, and leave enough space on both sides so that when the picture gets cropped at the lab - which it will if I order an 8x10 - I get what I was hoping for.
In fact, while processing every picture in the computer before they go to my Shutterfly Pro Gallery or my Cafepress site (where I sell my photos), I go ahead and crop to an 8x10 dimension ...
because I know from experience that's the size most people are going to order.
But, hey! I do this for a living! It's become second nature to me.
You can do the same - and in the process make everybody happy with your final prints.
Even Uncle Festus and Aunt Bea!
Right? But here's the problem: 5x7 and 8x10DON'T FIT when you're taking pictures with a Digital Camera! Here's why.
A digital camera's sensor is usually pretty close to a 2:3 ratio.
My 6 Megapixel Digital SLR has a sensor size of 3008x2000 pixels.
So at 300 pixels per inch - my preferred printing resolution - this camera renders an original print size of 10.
026 inches by 6.
66 inches.
My 6 Megapixel Point & Shoot camera has a resolution of 2816x2112 pixels which translates to 9.
386 by 7.
04 inches at 300 dpi.
So ...
you see the problem.
Neither of these dimensions translates EXACTLY into the required dimensions for an 8x10 - which has, obviously, a 4:5 ratio.
Other camera manufacturers vary slightly from these dimensions, and, of course, the total pixel count is different if you have a camera with a resolution that is greater or smaller than my examples.
But, across the board, this is pretty much what all digital photographers - both amateurs and pros - have to deal with.
So, let's say you've taken a great photo of your entire family, all grouped together for a once-in-a-lifetime shot.
And that you literally filled the frame from side to side with aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas and kids.
After you take the picture, everybody "ooohs" and "aaahs" at the image on the screen of your camera, and tells you what a great photographer you are.
And everybody wants an 8x10print! So you trot down to the local photo store or go to your favorite printing kiosk to get 8x10 copies for everybody.
But when you get your prints back, Uncle Festus (on the far left) has been sliced down the middle so that only his belly shows, and Aunt Bea (far right) has disappeared entirely! When you politely ask the photo clerk what happened, they shrug and tell you they don't know ...
or that (and this is the truth) your file was the "wrong size.
" And they can't fix it! Neither can you - unless you know how to use Photoshop or some other image editing program, and can blend in more floor or ceiling - or whatever - to get the image to the correct proportions.
Of course, you could ask the clerk to give you prints that are wide enough.
But, even if their equipment could do that - and if they knew how (which they probably don't ) then you'd have prints that are 10 inches wide, but only 6.
6 inches deep! Not a size you're likely to find a pre-cut matte for at your local store.
What's the solution? Well, I always try to shoot a little wider than I might, and leave enough space on both sides so that when the picture gets cropped at the lab - which it will if I order an 8x10 - I get what I was hoping for.
In fact, while processing every picture in the computer before they go to my Shutterfly Pro Gallery or my Cafepress site (where I sell my photos), I go ahead and crop to an 8x10 dimension ...
because I know from experience that's the size most people are going to order.
But, hey! I do this for a living! It's become second nature to me.
You can do the same - and in the process make everybody happy with your final prints.
Even Uncle Festus and Aunt Bea!
Source...