Comp Question....

[BEEZY]

What advice could you give for taking any high megapixel image with perfect composition, to convert it to a 8x 10 size with out cropping? I have taken so many images, and had to crop just to get a 8x10, or 5x7 size. I want to avoid this if possible. Thanks

[dcclark]

Impossible. You are fundamentally misunderstanding the idea of "aspect ratio".

The aspect ratio of a photo is the ratio of the length of the longest side to the length of the shortest side. For example, a picture which is 6000 pixels on one side and 4000 pixels on the other has an aspect ratio of 6000:4000, which simplifies to 6:4 or 3:2. That means you could print it at any other size which has the same aspect ratio, such as 6x4, 9x6, or 12x8. You cannot physically print it at 8x10 without cropping.

The right solution is to compose and photograph a scene with your intended aspect ratio in mind. If your camera takes photos in 3:2 ratio (as many do), you'll need to leave some blank space to allow cropping.

[OsmosisStudios]

You cant. You have to understand Aspect Ratio.

A 4x6 is a 2:3 ratio. So is an 8x12.
An 8x10 is a 4:5 ratio.

4:5 is almost square (4:4 would be square) whereas 2:3 is very narrow. If you have a 2:3 ratio image (which is what most cameras produce) and need an 8x10, youre either A) going to lose something on the ends or B) going to end up with blank space on 2 sides. 5x7 is the same, though it fits between a 4x6 (2:3) and an 8x10 (4:5).

Some cameras (the D3 series, in particular) allow for a 4:5 ratio in-camera. But even then, all it does is crop off the ends of a 2:3 ratio camera before shooting.

[wulf]

You can. Resize the image so that it is in the right aspect ratio for your chosen output format. Of course, you may not like the results - it will make your subjects fatter or thinner and, if extreme distortion is involved may be far too obvious.

Cropping or padding are the other available options; if you regularly shoot for a particular format, you may find it useful to get a feel for what you need to ignore when composing in the viewfinder but you will still need to crop or pad to reach the desired aspect ratio.

Wulf

[BEEZY]

I guess you learn something new everyday, and this is my lesson for today. I did not know, or think about aspect ratio being a factor in all this. I just invested into a Nikon D300 12.5mp DSLR, and still learning, and growing in my photography. I still have much to learn, but I believe half the battle is admitting that you still have much to learn, if you really want to grow. Thank you all for commenting on a topic I feel should have already been aware of. You know, what you know, and ignorance isn't bliss, it's up to you to get educated. I totally thank you all for todays lesson.


"Truth is the light illuminating my images"


"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." - Robert Schuller

[Benji]

Below is an example of how I compose my portraits in camera so I can get an 8 x 10 out of the file without losing anything of importance. You will lose about 6 mp by cropping in Photoshop and leaving the Resolution box blank. This means a 25 mp file will become a 19mp file. I have printed 20 x 24 color images from a 16 mp file with absolutely no noise. My lab tells me they need a 6mp file to print up a nice color 8 x 10. As you can see I could actually crop in a little closer yet on the 8 x 10 file. I don't just in case the client needs a 5 x 7 from the file as it reverts back to the same aspect ratio as the original.

If you hold the camera horizontally, the 'extra stuff" would be at the left and right rather than at the top and bottom.

Benji