Exporting from Lightroom question

[Ysarex]

a

Not irrelevant, if you want to keep a client.

What do you see that is different between these two photos that makes PPI relevant?

Joe

View attachment 116950 View attachment 116951

That's not the point - not all clients know how to resize/resample etc in order to make the right spec file for their needs. So you provide them with what they DO need. Also, speed is often of the essence so to say "here's your high (full) res file, from a 36 megapixie D810, sort it out yourself for your website" is not only not helpful to your client, but it is also daft to yourself, as it is likely to get nicked!

That misses the point and doesn't answer my question. Why 72 PPI for websites as opposed to 5000 PPI for websites? It is in fact irrelevant. How is it not?

Joe

Are you being purposefully stupid? 72ppi for a website is fine - 5000ppi is overkill and will give a thief ample opportunity to get a great free print from your work, not to mention be too stupidly big a filesize.

You are confused. You think that changing the PPI value changes the photo file. It does not.

Joe

hi cutey

I noticed you were back -- missed you.

Joe

 

[Ysarex]

unfortunately, I'm not even sure where to begin with this

I sell them to clients of mine (families). I mainly do newborn, children, & family photography. I also do headshots. They all buy the digital files and then do with it what they want...share on social media, print out photos, canvases etc...

The problem with that is that you have no control over the quality of those prints, and your reputation rides on it. I suggest you offer packages tailored around their uses of the files, if you really must licence the digi files, and size accordingly (which is not just to do with ppi/dpi), plus recommend a print supplier whose quality you have checked.

Sounds like you've been exporting final JPEGs from LR and handing those to your customers then letting them fend for themselves from that point. You can continue to do that. It is unlikely your customers will have access to or know how to use editing software to alter the photos before they either upload them somewhere or have them printed. It is also somewhat likely they will have access to editing software like Instagram and Pixlr and PhotoChimp or whatever and be able to trash the photos before uploading them or printing them. As long as they're happy and you're paid what's the harm.

If you want to you can get more involved in how your customers use the photos after you hand them over. What's in it for you? Can you charge more? How much time do you want to invest. What are options?

You could get involved in cropping the photos to appropriate aspect ratios for print output. If they get printed then someone will do that -- the printer operator will take care of it for you.
You could get involved in setting up print output resolution but this is best done when you know the printer hardware in use. You don't know that. This involves PPI -- the printer operator will take care of it for you.
You could get involved in sharpening the photos for output. A photo should be sharpened differently if printed on X printer versus Y printer at Z size versus W size etc. You don't know any of that. The printer operator will take care of it for you.
You could get invloved in sharpening the photos for screen output which should be different than print output. Those screen photos should be a different resolution than the print output photos. That implies two versions of every photo -- one for screen and one for print.
Do you want to do all of this?
Go back over that list and note how many times printer operator shows up. Recommend a good printer to your customers.

Joe

 

[KmH]

Are you being purposefully stupid? 72ppi for a website is fine - 5000ppi is overkill and will give a thief ample opportunity to get a great free print from your work, not to mention be too stupidly big a filesize.

Oh my !!

Actually 5000 ppi would be underkill, because as PPI (pixels per inch) increases print size decreases.
A photo that has image resolution of 6000 x 4000 @ 5000 ppi would make a tiny print - 1.2 inches by 0.8 inches - so much for a "great free print".
To print a 6000 x 4000 pixel digital photo any larger than that the ppi has to be reduced.
To make that 6000 x 4000 image resolution photo a 6" x 4" print the PPI would have to be 1000 ppi.

You clearly do not understand the simple math that goes with print resolution - PPI - nor what does and doesn't affect the file size of a digital image.
PPI (print resolution) is entirely meaningless for the web or electronic display, which Joe demonstrated.
Also - the PPI setting does not affect the image file size.
You might also want to note that the Quality setting of a digital image file won't effect web nor electronic display either, but it will effect digital image file size.

It would benefit you to verify the facts about print resolution and file size using your own photos.
It can be done in just a few minutes.
Make a duplicate of one of your photos.
Leave the image resolution as is.
Radically change the PPI value of one of the photos.
Same them both at the same Quality setting and check the image file size of both files.
As long as the only thing different between the 2 photos is the print resolution value the files will be the same size.

By the way. These days few computer displays have 72 pixel per inch.
But while computer displays are physically limited in size, the display resolution and aspect ratio can be changed on most of today's displays.
Display resolution and aspect ratio both of which will affect the size of the area on the display that is used.

 

[Designer]

unfortunately, I'm not even sure where to begin with this

As I wrote earlier, some of the pros on here would council you to NOT sell the digital files (unless you are compensated fairly) but rather to sell prints, wherein you have more control over the quality and quantity of what is being released. Yes, pros sometimes do sell digital files, but only under tightly-controlled circumstances that are covered in a written contract. Our advice to you assumes that you are in the business, or soon will be, so our counseling you on how best to be compensated for your work is our best attempt at steering you toward profitability.

Furthermore, you should have, by now, realized that among all the posters offering advice or criticism, some are more correct than others.

 

[astroNikon]

Most clients won't know anything about setting PPI when they go "File, Print" from what ever software they are using to view.

likewise, if the OPs market level has competition that does sell images, then it would behest the OP to do the same IF OP is at the same market/competition level. All one has to do is search the internet/facebook for photographers and their "packages" .. all "businesses" probably with no license, business plan, etc etc.

Even the local school portrait photography Studios (plural) which does sell prints and all the other trinkets, also sells digital prints as an option or ONLY option if one wants. People want a digital image. Even the local Wedding Photography Studio has an option for digital too. Either sell them one, or they'll scan it seems to be the winds of change. I wonder what PPI they export to.