Need some help on printing

[Evertking]

I took some pictures of my kiddos and my skipped my computer and put the pictures on my phone, edited and took to Walmart and the kiosk said the were low res,but I went ahead and printed cause I was short on time and they turned out awful. Look fine in the phone and camera(5D).
Im very new to this. If I want a large 8x10 print of my kids what do I need to do to ensure they look right like on the screen?
The picture says it 2048 x 1491 = 3.1 mp

 

[Ysarex]

I took some pictures of my kiddos and my skipped my computer and put the pictures on my phone, edited and took to Walmart and the kiosk said the were low res,but I went ahead and printed cause I was short on time and they turned out awful. Look fine in the phone and camera(5D).
Im very new to this. If I want a large 8x10 print of my kids what do I need to do to ensure they look right like on the screen?
The picture says it 2048 x 1491 = 3.1 mp

1. Use the full resolution capacity of your camera -- a 5D image is 5634 x 3752 pixels.
2. Calibrate the computer display that you use to edit the photos.
3. The screen on your phone is not calibrated and therefore images on the phone screen do not look right.
4. Stay the h*ll away from Walmart.
5. Here's a decent budget printer: Quality Prints | Photo Books | Cards | Home Decor | Photo Gifts : Mpix

Joe

 

[Designer]

..what do I need to do to ensure they look right like on the screen?

Calibrate your computer display and then do your editing on that. Even then, printers may not have the printer profile that matches your editing software. I think it may come down to some trial and error. Send the same file to several different printers. You will probably see some differences in them. Pick the one that looks closest to your computer display.

BTW: there will be a noticeable difference anyway due to the differences between backlit display and a paper print, but try to judge the colors without being overly influenced by the apparent brightness. If you need the prints to be lightened up, don't be afraid to boost the brightness on the display so they will look closer to what you see on the computer display. You'll essentially end up with two different edits; one for print and another for sharing online.

Just to throw more confusion on this; after you get your computer display calibrated, there is absolutely no guarantee that everyone else's computer display/phone display will look like yours, but make yours correct, and theirs should display fairly close to yours.

Don't forget to make prints for the grandparents and install them in frames for them. Hopefully you will know their general taste in picture frames so they will enjoy hanging them on the wall. If you don't do this for them, they might not get them framed up real soon. (I can write this because I know something about being a grandparent and receiving photographs.)

 

[Evertking]

OK My wife tells me that some of the images she didn't take from the computer but downloaded from Facebook. That's is the problem, right?

 

[Ysarex]

OK My wife tells me that some of the images she didn't take from the computer but downloaded from Facebook. That's is the problem, right?

That may be the resolution problem. In other words the Facebook images had been downsized to a lower resolution for screen display.
Other problems are:
Using uncalibrated equipment.
Thinking that uncalibrated equipment somehow looks right.
Using Walmart.

Joe

 

[Evertking]

Can someone help me understand this..

Take this picture of my wife.. I understand that I need about 7 megapixels for a good sharp 8 x 10 but this image of my wife is only 2.9 taken with my 5 D and a picture of my Son taken with my phone is 16 megapixels.
So a picture taken with my phone will produce a better print than my camera??!! I'm so confused.

 

[table1349]

Where did the photo come from? Saved from the camera or some web site. The 5D has a max resolution of 4368 x 2912 and a max file sized of 12.9megs if you are shooting raw. What file format is your camera set to? Raw, or one of the jpg sizes. A 2.9mg file in .jpg sounds like a small fine or medium regular setting. You want to shoot at max resolution in either raw or fine .jpg.

"My photos have too much resolution" has been said by no photographer ever.

 

[Evertking]

Here I will include the raw file..

Well, this is was the raw file. My camera is set to just RAW.. my computer is messed up at this time (kids had a spill) but was able to get the raw files on my phone. Is my phone compressing the raw files into jpeg?

 

[table1349]

That is not a raw file, that is a jpg. Your phone doesn't know what a raw file is. Raw files are proprietary files that require a proper program to interpret the data. You are trying to print from some thing that has come from something else that went through a third thing to land on your phone. You need the original file that came straight from the camera.

 

[Evertking]

I'm confused.. a picture off my smartphone is 16 mp and a picture of my camera is 4.2 mp??!!

 

[table1349]

I'm confused.. a picture off my smartphone is 16 mp and a picture of my camera is 4.2 mp??!!

Yes if you don't have the file format set right. You need to read the manual. Start on page 50 for file formats.

 

[Evertking]

Thank you.. I see and understand what is going on now. Thank you very much.

 

[Evertking]

So when I transferred the picture to my phone and opened up with whatever app, it turns it to jpeg.

 

[table1349]

Probably. Sticking them on a phone or some other device besides a memory card or jump drive serves absolutely no purpose if you are wanting to print.

 

[KmH]

Raw files that have been processed through a Raw converter are 16-bit depth files.
Your DSLR can't show you the Raw file on it's rear display either. It shows you a JPEG Basic (about 1 MP) the camera makes that is embedded in the Raw file.
The rear display on your 5D doesn't even have pixels. Instead it has TFT liquid crystal display dots, and it only has approximately 230,000 of them - about = to 1/4 of a MP.

RAW files also can't be displayed online, because online is limited to a color bit depth of 8-bits.
Your phone's display also has a limited color bit-depth.
JPEG is limited to an 8-bit color depth.

Tutorials on Color Management & Printing