Print quality

[allyd13]

I'm so new to this so bear with me... My question for you is... some of my old photographs that I LOVE and have manipulated just playing around online were taken before I started learning more about photography. So when they were put on my computer no data really carried over. I know they are not big enough to print big sizes ..maybe up to 5X7. I'm trying to learn more about resolution and pixels and all of that....is there anyway I can change these old photographs to make them bigger sized print worthy or just changing that info in photoshop just making it blurry. How do I tell. This might be confusing and you might not understand what I'm asking. I just want to be sure that if I changed something, it would print well on higher prints such as 8x10 or 20x30. I don't know much about this. I'm not printing with my own printer. I will be doing this through Shutterfly.

[Krusty79]

There is software that will upsize your image so you can make bigger prints. What are the dimensions of your current files? Do you know how many megapixels your camera had?

[allyd13]

Krusty... I took it with a Canon Powershot G10 so I think that camera has 14 megapixels?? But this was before I paid attention to file size and anything and knew anything about resolution and pixels, etc. So I think the settings weren't correct. Some of the pictures are saying this in Aperture....1199 × 1600 (1.9 MP). Which is bad I know... So I have all these awesome pictures and I feel like it's a waste.
I finally have a Nikon DSLR so I'm trying to learn because I want my photos to print big so I can sell them. So what can I do?

[ishootRAW]

According to this, you will only be able to print a 5x4.(300dpi). If you run it through a good upscaler (perfect resize comes to mind, but there are a bunch of them) you might be able to get a 5x7 or stretching it, a 8x10. Is for settings: Largest RAW file your camera will do. Set it here and never touch that menu again.

[allyd13]

Thanks, IshootRAW. That's a great chart to have!

[Doug Sundseth]

One thing to remember is that where you place your print in part determines what resolution you need. If the piece will be seen primarily from (say) 5-10 feet, like a photo over the back of a piece of furniture, you don't need anything like the resolution of a photo that will be seen at 1 foot (like a photo hung in a hallway).

Depending on placement, that 1.9 MPx photo should have no problem working at 8x10, and quite possibly significantly larger than that.

[allyd13]

Doug,
I haven't started shooting RAW yet...I will do that eventually...right now its on the largest JPEG and staying there. If I keep it there for now and take my pictures say at the highest there is...does that mean I can print anywhere from small to huge and it will always look good...or or small prints do I need to go smaller res, etc.

[Doug Sundseth]

I've never had a problem printing smaller unless there's a small regular pattern (like a screen). That can sometimes give you a moire pattern that varies with the printing resolution.

You can't get larger without losing resolution, but 240dpi is normally plenty for even very close viewing. Printing here in the US is very cheap if you choose your printer correctly. I suspect you can get test prints in S. Korea cheaply enough that you can give different sizes a try even on a budget.

[sharse]

Am I correct in my understanding that the quality of my print is determined by the amount of megapixels and where I've set my dpi?

I have a Canon T2i which offers me 18 megapixels. When I shoot RAW my file sizes are around 24MB. If I shoot in JPEG mode, I'm getting around 2.5MB. Does that not matter? If I have two of the same shots, one is 24MB from shooting RAW, the other is 2.5 from shooting in JPEG, if I send each to the printer at 300dpi should I expect to see the same quality?

[kcoppock]

Originally Posted by sharse

Am I correct in my understanding that the quality of my print is determined by the amount of megapixels and where I've set my dpi?

I have a Canon T2i which offers me 18 megapixels. When I shoot RAW my file sizes are around 24MB. If I shoot in JPEG mode, I'm getting around 2.5MB. Does that not matter? If I have two of the same shots, one is 24MB from shooting RAW, the other is 2.5 from shooting in JPEG, if I send each to the printer at 300dpi should I expect to see the same quality?

Apples and oranges. You can't send a RAW to your printer directly. RAW contains significantly more information (typically 12 to 14 bits per pixel versus 8 bits JPG) and is completely unmodified (hence the RAW). That means it has no sharpening applied, no contrast adjustment, no saturation adjustments, etc., so straight off the camera, it will likely look WORSE than the JPG. Not necessarily, but it's pretty likely. However, in processing the RAW, you're able to process it however you like without the camera doing the decisions for you (sharpening amount, white balance, noise reduction, etc.). In the end, you'll be sending JPGs to the printer 99% of the time; the question is whether you let the camera do the conversion or you do it yourself.

Also, the dpi SETTING you choose is irrelevant if you're requesting a certain printed size. Just send the file at its original resolution, and the dpi will be determined by the pixel dimension divided by the inch size (e.g. 2400 x 1600 photo at 6" x 4" would print at 400 dpi).