Blowing up an image to y X 24ft. (yes Feet)

FotoRave6

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I am looking to get a digital image printed onto fabric in the size y x 24ft. y= correct aspect ratio (in ft). What I do not want is the image to become pixelated so I want to maintain 300dpi or better. Is this possible and/ or what do I have to do to the image to maintain clarity?
 
well that greatly depends on what the original image pixel count is. and 200 dpi would be fine for that large.

Actually, 24 feet? That's like billboard size.... so like 150dpi is standard since the viewer will be so far away. And its unlikely that you have the image quality to print anything at 24 feet and maintain 300 dpi with a regular camera. You would need medium or large format I am sure.

Someone correct me if I'm way off base here.
 
How far away will the viewers be?
 
24 feet is 288 inches. At 300 pixels per inch, that is 86400 pixels dimension. That is far from realistic. Your camera won't take that large. You might be able to create it by stitching a panorama of several images, if your software will handle an image that large (probably won't, Photoshop won't.) And then a JPG file won't hold that large, etc. Also fabric will not support 300 dpi, it is nothing like glossy paper.

300 dpi is for image prints that we inspect holding under our nose (close, like ten inches). 24 foot images is a billboard, viewed from at least that many feet, usually done with a large view camera, but does not need anywhere near 300 dpi resolution.

Sorry, all I know is negatives. I don't know how to do that job. I guess I would start at a billboard shop?
 
Funny because about a week ago I worked for a marketing compagnie which asked me to resize an image for a billboard, the ppi asked was 15ppi, just goes to show you can really cram down on print quality depending on the viewing distance and still make out a good picture.

Btw :

PPI : Pixel density - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DPI : Dots per inch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BOTH ARE NOT THE SAME THING AT ALL

All of it come down to what's the viewing distance and what is the purpose of the print.

Here's a good read for you : Resolution for print viewing distance



For your other question, when you are stretching an image (I will assume that with the size you want you will stretch the image) you want to sharpen it. Because the processing of stretching add pixels that were inexistent to the original image. Edges will be larger and thus blurry, the general image will appear smoother and details might be lost.
 
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Maybe OP wants to make a wallpaper of his photo.
 
Maybe OP wants to make a wallpaper of his photo.

Since he mentioned fabric, I'd bet more on a tapestry of some sort.

In any case @FotoRave6, what EXACTLY do you need it for ? We will be more able to help you if you add more details.
 
Everyone is assuming it is a photograph you want printed, is it?
What is the subject matter? If it could be created by a 3D software it can be rendered pretty much to any size you want.
A quick squint at some google answers seem to imply that resolution is not such a big issue as the billboard owners will supply templates for normal sized images that will then be scaled by the printing process. The aspect ratio seems to be more important element.
 
Your best bet is to speak with a large format printer. It is unlikely they will want to handle an image that big at 300ppi. At minimum, assuming that the smallest side is 24', you're looking at a 20GB file. Not impossibly unruly, but this size is going to push the memory limits of their RIP - the software that schedules and processes jobs in a way the printer can use.

If you're going to "blow up" a conventional image from a high-resolution DSLR to that size using standard interpolation, you'll still get pixelation when viewed up close. Blurry, ugly pixelation. So there's really no practical reason for that kind of resolution if your starting file is less than 2x, maybe 3x what you're wanting to end up with.

You will very likely be limited in materials at this size. The printer is going to have to feed and hold very large sheets of material without having it bunch up. My guess is, if your after a textile like linen or silk, this just won't be available to you.

There are wall paper printing services. This is probably your best bet. I know nothing about what you'll actually end up with, so you'll need to discuss the finished product with your service provider.

This isn't going to be cheap. One wall-paper provider charges at least 5.50/ft^2 at 500-999sq^2. At 24x24, this will be over $3000.
 
If your shortest side is smaller than 24', then it's going to be a lot easier for you. 8'x24' prints shouldn't be too much of a problem if you have the money, provided of course they can deal with your ppi requirement.
 
The ppi requirement determines how much image resolution is needed to print the size the OP wants.
ppi x size = image resolution

If the OP's image does not have 86,400 pixels on the 24 foot side (300 ppi x 288 inches (24 feet)) the print will have to be made at something less than 300 ppi.

Nikon's D810 full frame 36 MP DSLR makes photos that have image resolution of 7360 x 4912 pixels.
86,400 / 7360 = 11.7 D810 frames.

At image resolution equal to the D810, the ppi to print 24 foot wide would drop to - 7360 px / 288 in = 25.5 ppi.
At image resolution less than 7360 px the ppi will be even lower.

If the image was a vector graphic file rather than a raster graphic (bitmap) file the story is different.
 
Everyone is assuming it is a photograph you want printed, is it?
Probably. "digital image" usually means a digital photograph.
I am looking to get a digital image printed . . .
The reason I ask is that not all digital images have the limitations of a camera.
This digital image came from a 3D software called C4D:
shipTPF1_0218.jpg

I can choose to render the scene out to any size:
RENDER1.jpg


If the OP wants a big file it may be possible to reproduce it in similar software.

I did a bit more reading on the subject and it looks like 15 DPI is common for huge prints and billboards.
 
Well sure. And an image from Illustrator could likewise be printed to cover the moon.

Of course with CGI you'll be up against render time. Maybe not with that example, but I have plenty of images that take over an hour at 2K resolution. I cannot even imagine at 24'.
 

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