Getting prints from CROPPED images?

[pm63]

Hi all,

Today, I got some 6'x9' prints of my photos. However, I was wondering how it would work if I wanted to print cropped digital images that no longer have their 3:2 width by height ratio? For example this pic:

Obviously, if the printing stretched the image heightwise to make it fit on 6x9, it would look silly, and if it maintained the width to height scale of the cropped image, it would have to leave some blank strips across the top and bottom of the 6x9 paper. What would happen?

Thanks

 

[Mystwalker]

Not sure I quite understand your question.

I work under assumption all DSLR shots come out 3:2 or 6x4, 4x6 ... at least for my 30D it has.

If I want to change dimensions of photo to let's say 11x14 or 16x20 ... I will use Elements to "crop" to those dimensions ... change image size to "300 dpi" ... and I am set to upload to Costco.com. I may lose edges from original, but this is only way I know without totally distorting image dimension (your stretching verbage).

 

[pm63]

What I mean is, the photos when I take them are 3:2, but if I crop them to something completely irregular like the image I posted as an example, thereby losing the 3:2 width by height ratio, what would happen if I printed the image onto 6x9 inch paper?

 

[Big Mike]

If you send a file to a lab and it doesn't fit the ratio of the selected print size...they will usually crop it for you. This will mean that you will loose areas on the edges.
Many people get confused why their 5x7 or 8x10 prints come back with the sides cropped off....it's because the lab crops the image before they print.

The best solution is to be aware of the print size and make sure that your image is sized & cropped correctly. If that means saving one image as several different copies for different print sizes...then so be it.

 

[Big Mike]

what would happen if I printed the image onto 6x9 inch paper?

That depends on the lab or your printer settings.

 

[pm63]

Thanks Big Mike.

So what you're saying is that, with the bird example above which is much wider than 3:2, and 6x9 being 3:2, the lab would cut off the left and right edges of the pic and print it so that it fills the entire print, as opposed to preserving the ratio of the pic and leaving "blank" space on the top and bottom of the print?

 

[Big Mike]

That is typically what a lab would do, yes.

Many of the newer print ordering systems will check the file and wouldn't allow you to order a print that didn't match the file size...or they would force you to crop it...which is good because it gives you the choice. Usually, when a lab does it, it's just a crop that is centered...without a thought about the composition.

If you do want to have blank strips at the top & bottom...then you can add those yourself and save the file that way. Then when you send the file to the lab, the file is the correct size. I've done this before.

The thing to remember is that you don't want to leave this up to the lab. Crop & resize your images before you send/print them.

 

[pm63]

Fantastic, thanks for the help :thumbup:

Might well add black strips to the top and bottom to preserve the image dimensions then.

 

[Big Mike]

I used that method for proofing 8x10 prints on 4x6 paper. For example, the client is requesting an 8x10 print and want to choose from several different photos. I want to show them prints, but I'm not going to make 12 8x10 prints for them to look at...but I also don't want to show them 4x6 crops because those will look different than the 8x10 crops...so I printed 4x6 prints with blank spaces, so that the actual image was an 8x10 crop.
That might have been overkill...I probably won't do that very often.

 

[pm63]

I'll just do it for images I've cropped that are wider than 3:2.

Actually, I just got some prints back... though only 3:2 ones. The lab seems to have given quite harsh whites with skies nearly blown out in some of them... maybe my monitor is colormetrically inaccurate?

 

[Big Mike]

maybe my monitor is colormetrically inaccurate?

Have you properly calibrated your monitor?

 

[pm63]

... I haven't done it at all. That would be the problem then.