Need to pick your brain? Upsizing images & max print size...

HBSA

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Hi Folks


I have some artist clients that want me to take photos of their paintings. They want to use the photos to do reprints of certain artwork. This means the paintings need to be reprinted in sizes of up to 1.5m by 2m using my photos.

Another client (kitchen designer) wants me to supply photos of their designer kitchens which they want to use to print and place on the side of mini-vans / car-bus type vehicles. I guess this can be as wide as 2.5 - 3meters!

As you can see, I need to provide photos that can be reprinted at very large sizes... what is the best way to go about this without negatively affecting the quality of the prints? What software (preferably free) can do this?

I use a Nikon D90 (12MP). Can I provide services to such clients using the D90 as my camera?

What is the maximum print size the D90 can produce, and what is the best software for up-sizing photos?

This is a completely new area for me, so any feedback and direction is very much appreciated.

Thanks
 
You do not need to "upsize" your photos: just provide your image files to a print service, and specify the print size you want, and they will print them at that size, which the highest resolution possible (resolution/print quality is forced by the number of pixels in your image and your print size, you don't have control over it).

At 12 MP, you can print a 24"x36" print (sorry, using imperial units) with a resolution of about 117 dpi. For prints this large, that's probably more than enough. A 2 meter x 1 meter print would be about 62 dpi, and I'm not sure what service you'd use to print that!

Remember that very large prints are meant to be viewed from a distance, so you don't need a very high resolution -- 100 dpi is probably just fine.
 
If you want to get deceit resolution at that print size, say 120 ppi or higher, either you or your print supplier will have to resize your image. You can do this in a program like Photoshop by resizing the print dimensions, setting a resolution (120ppi for instance) and allowing resampling. Resampling is a process that adds pixels when upsizing or removes pixels when downsizing.
 
if you had to blow it up yourself (assuming the printer doesn't have the appropriate tools), you can use Alien Skin Blow Up. They make some amazing software/plugins to enhance PS.

It's not free, but if you are getting paid it is worth the investment.
 

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