Questions on framing the subject

[SilverBullet07]

I'm new to digital photography and have questions on framing and cropping.

I've always been tought to fill the frame when shooting so I'm in a habit to fill the frame with what I intend to print. My standard image from my Canon xsi seems to be proportional to an 8x11 which means when I go to crop a 8x10 I end up with about an inch off the photo. I could loose some of what I intended to print because of this.

Now do we need to leave extra room because of this proportional cropping. For instance do I need to make sure to leave an inch or so around what I intend to print to allow me to crop what I need? I guess this is pretty basic but when ever I here fill the frame, that's what I do.

I hope I'm explaining my question well enough. Below I add some photos to help explain my question.


In this photo: I like the photo with the hands in it, although I wished it was more to camera left.





When I crop to 8x10 I end up loosing the hands.




To be able to crop this at a 8x10 my only thoughts are to come out further to allow an inch or so all around. I'm I thinking correctly or is there another technique to crop this down to 8x10 with out loosing the hands?

Thanks in advance.

[wulf]

First, work out how many pixels you need. That depends on the dimensions of the output and the DPI setting. For example, 8" = 2400px at 300dpi or 1200px at 150dpi.

Next, you need to crop to the appropriate ratio (8x10 = 4:5). If you can do this and end up with the correct pixel dimensions, then you benefit from avoiding the potential of losing any detail. If not, try to set your cropping window to at least the pixel dimensions you need and then resize (resample) down. You have more flexibility with a shot like the one above because it is easy to paint in more background if the ideal crop window doesn't fit the image (although the truncated forearm limits you a bit).

You may also want to apply some sharpening after you have resized the image, particularly if you did have to do any resizing.

Wulf

[SilverBullet07]

Originally Posted by wulf

First, work out how many pixels you need. That depends on the dimensions of the output and the DPI setting. For example, 8" = 2400px at 300dpi or 1200px at 150dpi.

Next, you need to crop to the appropriate ratio (8x10 = 4:5). If you can do this and end up with the correct pixel dimensions, then you benefit from avoiding the potential of losing any detail. If not, try to set your cropping window to at least the pixel dimensions you need and then resize (resample) down. You have more flexibility with a shot like the one above because it is easy to paint in more background if the ideal crop window doesn't fit the image (although the truncated forearm limits you a bit).

You may also want to apply some sharpening after you have resized the image, particularly if you did have to do any resizing.

Wulf

When you mention resize (resample) down. My resample options in Paint shop pro are Bicubic, Bilinear, Pixel Resize, Weighted average and smart size. If I choose Bicubic, I have an option to sharpen the photo. Which is the best option?

Also, from what I think your saying, It is best to leave enough room to crop the image out rather then resizing, correct?

[wulf]

Resizing will typically lose some sharpness but your mileage may vary. I have to confess that I rarely print things out so I am certainly not an expert.

As far as the PSP options go, I'm not an expert there either but I know how I would get an answer - I would pick an image, create multiple copies and try all of the options. Even better, pick several images and do the same for each one - different subjects may respond to different treatments. This kind of exercise may seem arduous but it is the route to knowing your tools.

Wulf

[AgNO3]

i've also been told to fill the frame. if you fill the frame, you cant crop in PP. I always give myself a litte room for error.