HELP? Re-sizing for prints???

[sunny16]

Hi guys!

Let me just clear up that I am a noob.

Now... I took some pics on my dslr for a friend. We went to print them off and the 4x6 prints were pretty much good, but the 8x10 prints were cropped significantly around the edge. Before I saved them onto her usb, I photoshopped them and saved them as a large file (12 max). Is that wrong? What can i do to make sure my 8x10 will print without severe cropping?

Not sure if this matters, but I am using a D5100 and a 50mm 1.8 lens.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Light Guru]

Before I saved them onto her usb, I photoshopped them and saved them as a large file (12 max). Is that wrong?

Having photoshop save then as a large file is not going to change the aspect ratio of the photo.

What can i do to make sure my 8x10 will print without severe cropping?

Simply put if you want a image from a DSLR to completely fill an 8x10 it has to be cropped. When having prints made you should do the cropping yourself so that you have the control over how it is cropped. Or print to an aspect ratio that does not require cropping.

 

[tirediron]

You need to save them in the appropriate aspect ratio. A 4x6 is a 2:3 ratio, where as an 8x10 is a 4:5 ratio. Pretty much every editing application will allow you to save in whichever aspect ratio you required, but you will have to crop since your camera's sensor is a 2:3 ratio.

 

[sunny16]

You need to save them in the appropriate aspect ratio. A 4x6 is a 2:3 ratio, where as an 8x10 is a 4:5 ratio. Pretty much every editing application will allow you to save in whichever aspect ratio you required, but you will have to crop since your camera's sensor is a 2:3 ratio.

How do I do that?

 

[KmH]

You crop some off the long side of the 3:2 (4x6, 8x12, 10x15)
Is the print a horizontal 10x8, or a vertical 8x10?

Since a 3:2 image would be an 12x8 (a 2:3 image would be an 8x12), you have to crop 2 inches from the long side.
That can be 1 inch from each end of the long side, or any other combination that equals 2 inches, like 2 inches from just one end, or 1/2 inch from 1 end ans 1 1/2 inches from the other end.

An alternative is to add some blank canvas to each side of the long side and print on larger piece of paper.

 

[sunny16]

You crop some off the long side of the 3:2 (4x6, 8x12, 10x15)
Is the print a horizontal 10x8, or a vertical 8x10?

Since a 3:2 image would be an 12x8 (a 2:3 image would be an 8x12), you have to crop 2 inches from the long side.
That can be 1 inch from each end of the long side, or any other combination that equals 2 inches, like 2 inches from just one end, or 1/2 inch from 1 end ans 1 1/2 inches from the other end.

An alternative is to add some blank canvas to each side of the long side and print on larger piece of paper.

This is GREAT! Thank you! So I need to give her different cropped versions of each image if she wants a 5x7 and an 8x10? Correct?

 

[Judobreaker]

Also, when saving jpg save at quality 10.
11 and 12 are the same quality but save some extra data... As far as I know they're there for 'experimental reasons', using them only makes your file bigger.

 

[Buckster]

Also, when saving jpg save at quality 10.
11 and 12 are the same quality but save some extra data... As far as I know they're there for 'experimental reasons', using them only makes your file bigger.

 

[KmH]

I photoshopped them and saved them as a large file (12 max). Is that wrong?
So I need to give her different cropped versions of each image if she wants a 5x7 and an 8x10? Correct?

No it's not wrong, but the image quality setting (12 max) determines the file size, not the image size.
Yes, but cropping means reducing image resolution (throwing away pixels). She could gets prints that are 6x9 or 8x12 instead of prints that are 5x7 or 8x10.
Frames are available for all 4 sizes - 5x7, 6x9, 8x10, and 8x12.

File size is independent from image size.
File size is stated as a single number and the units - like 2 MB or 976 kB
Image size, which is also image resolution, is the pixel dimensions of the image - like 3000 x 2000 pixels.
Print size (resolution) requires an added value - how many pixels-per-inch - ppi.

A 3000 x 2000 px image at 100 ppi will be a 30 x 20 inch print. (3000 px / 100 ppi = 30 inches)
a 3000 x 2000 pixel image at 200 ppi will be a 15 x 10 inch print. (3000 px / 200 ppi = 15 inches)

Since pixels / ppi = inches we can do some basic algebra and come up with
pixels / inches = ppi
inches x ppi = pixels

So, if you want a high quality 8x10 print that has a print resolution of 300 ppi you can do the math and see that after croppinga 3:2 aspect ratio original the image has to have pixel dimensions of at least 2400 x 3000 pixels (8 inches x 300 ppi = 2400 pixels).

There is a lot more to making, or having made, high quality prints than all the above, which is in part what paying a pro photograper is all about.
Tutorials on Color Management & Printing
The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
The Digital Print: Preparing Images in Lightroom and Photoshop for Printing

The good online print labs offer color correction, and until you and your friend understand color management let the lab do the color correction.
The print lab's RIP software can also handle the print resolution issue, at least down to the print labs minimum print resolution (usually about 100 ppi).
In other words, a print lab may refuse to make an 8x12 print that has image resolution of less than 800 x 1200 pixels, or an 8x10 that has image resolution of less than 800 x 1000 pixels.

(RIP = Raster Image Processor)