Never done a 18x27 enlargement, help pixels, crop etc..

[NancyMoranG]

I am really not even sure I will do this, but I was asked to show a couple of photos at my volunteer job. They will blow them up, pay for them and put into their black border frame with white mat.
They will own them but I don't care. (More later)
I don't think they will be clear/sharp enough when blown up. I have the Nikon 7000 and shoot Raw..I am thinking they would have to have been on a full frame for this size?

As you can see, I am totally lost on tech stuff. If I can get help/guidance on:
My camera settings
Then saving it correctly
Then, not cropping as I loose pixels (?)
Then how to get it to her computer without losing quality
??????
Told you I was lost.
Truthfully, I am not being prima Donna here, but I really don't think I take the level of photo that should be displayed yet!

Have camera set on 'normal' under menu Raw processing. What settings should I use if I can enlarge a photo this big?
I know it is a huge question without a lot of details but any help is appreciated. I can go out this week and shoot some of the subject she likes..
Thanks.

 

[KenC]

I don't know your camera, but I'm sure you have enough pixels for this size. It's really a matter of small defects that will become larger: little specks, slight unsharpness, any small errors in cloning or other PS adjustments, etc. If you've looked at the image at high magnification (100-200%) and can't see anything or if the defects would not really be bothersome, then you should be good to go.

 

[tirediron]

Don't forget, the larger the print, the farther away from which it is meant be viewed, so it's actually relatively proportional. That said, assuming you're able to use the whole frame, then you're going to producing an image with a 181 pixel/inch resolution. IMO, that is a LITTLE (but not much) less than ideal. A big part will be your lab, and the quality of their work. I have printed images through my lab at 150PPI with no apparent loss in quality.

Do make sure your processing is spot on, and review the whole image carefully at 150% or better to look for any small defects, processing artifacts, etc. If you're concerned about print quality, you can also go with canvas, which, is sort of the photographer's version of drywall mud. It covers up a LOT of production sins!

 

[KmH]

Do you mean an 18 x 24?

Your D7000 makes photos that would print 16 x 24 without cropping.
The image frame in your camera is a rectangle that has it's long side 1.5x longer than it's short side which is a 4:3 aspect ratio.
A standard print from your camera would be an 8 x 12 (long side 1.5x longer than it's short side), not an 8 x 10 (long side 1.25x longer than it's short side, a 5:4 aspect ratio).

Also 18 x 27 or 18 x 24 would require a custom print since neither is a standard size.
Since the print will have a mat in front of it the image should be printed on paper bigger than the print so the extra paper can be used to keep the print under the mat.
With the 18 x 27 image printed on 20 x 30 paper the short side will have 1" blank borders and the long side will have 1.5" borders.

It's all basic math and the basic geometry of rectangles.
Hopefully the people at your volunteer job will be familiar with the details.

 

[NancyMoranG]

Thanks as always guys. Actually, these will be on a wall that people can walk right up to and see, so I don/t have distance in my favor.
I take this type of photo as far as clarity (or lack thereof) and such. Am going out tonight to try a little higher ISO or time too allow for a little more light and brighten shoreline if I can.
But I just don't think this will be clear when enlarged that big?
Any thoughts?
Its a nice opportunity for me and Ranger likes them, but certainly don't want to be embarrassed. Maybe if I offered to buy some appropriate size frames, go smaller..
I will be back here next year, so maybe this is the kick in the butt I need to get better
Nancy

 

[Derrel]

I would clone out the sensor dust specks in the sky, esp. around the light off to the far left.

That image has a ton of very low-frequency detail...it's almost all dimly-lighted, solid metal shapes...there's nothing to worry about...it's a twilight silhouette....sharpen the crap out of it....send it to print...BOOM! There is nothing to give away the slight lack of sharpness...this looks almost like a painting.

 

[NancyMoranG]

Thanks Derrel.
I am going to bring a copy of the Raw file to her. She will print 1 as a 'test' for me. Then I can decide on if I want to give her more to print.
I keep nit picking and my husband just says 'you're not picking'
Aahhhh.

 

[sm4him]

Nancy, you really shouldn't have a problem, I think. I had photos from my D7000--even cropped photos, that I printed as large as 16x20 on a regular basis, and some I printed poster-size, 20x30, I think (not to mention some printed billboard-size, but as previously mentioned, those don't have to be viewed as close).

I never had a poster-sized print I was unhappy with due to the image quality, and only had a couple of 16x20s that didn't turn out well (and they were ones where I'd just cropped way too much of the original--looked okay small, but not at larger size).

 

[Didereaux]

I am really not even sure I will do this, but I was asked to show a couple of photos at my volunteer job. They will blow them up, pay for them and put into their black border frame with white mat.
They will own them but I don't care. (More later)
I don't think they will be clear/sharp enough when blown up. I have the Nikon 7000 and shoot Raw..I am thinking they would have to have been on a full frame for this size?

As you can see, I am totally lost on tech stuff. If I can get help/guidance on:
My camera settings
Then saving it correctly
Then, not cropping as I loose pixels (?)
Then how to get it to her computer without losing quality
??????
Told you I was lost.
Truthfully, I am not being prima Donna here, but I really don't think I take the level of photo that should be displayed yet!

Have camera set on 'normal' under menu Raw processing. What settings should I use if I can enlarge a photo this big?
I know it is a huge question without a lot of details but any help is appreciated. I can go out this week and shoot some of the subject she likes..
Thanks.

How did this project turn out?

 

[NancyMoranG]

I am really not even sure I will do this, but I was asked to show a couple of photos at my volunteer job. They will blow them up, pay for them and put into their black border frame with white mat.
They will own them but I don't care. (More later)
I don't think they will be clear/sharp enough when blown up. I have the Nikon 7000 and shoot Raw..I am thinking they would have to have been on a full frame for this size?

As you can see, I am totally lost on tech stuff. If I can get help/guidance on:
My camera settings
Then saving it correctly
Then, not cropping as I loose pixels (?)
Then how to get it to her computer without losing quality
??????
Told you I was lost.
Truthfully, I am not being prima Donna here, but I really don't think I take the level of photo that should be displayed yet!

Have camera set on 'normal' under menu Raw processing. What settings should I use if I can enlarge a photo this big?
I know it is a huge question without a lot of details but any help is appreciated. I can go out this week and shoot some of the subject she likes..
Thanks.

How did this project turn out?

Good..they didn't look as bad as I thought considering the size.
Ranger wanted a 'theme' and I did not have enough night shots, so I went with birds of the canal.
She has offered me another 3 month spot for 2016. Am thinking of my theme. We get back there in April to do our volunteer gig in exchange for waterfront RV spot!
Plastic not glass and fluorescent lights overhead don't help, but here are a couple of photos.

 

[Didereaux]

Good..they didn't look as bad as I thought considering the size.
Ranger wanted a 'theme' and I did not have enough night shots, so I went with birds of the canal.
She has offered me another 3 month spot for 2016. Am thinking of my theme. We get back there in April to do our volunteer gig in exchange for waterfront RV spot!
Plastic not glass and fluorescent lights overhead don't help, but here are a couple of photos.

Very nice...a water bird theme. Congrats & Kudos!

 

[NancyMoranG]

It was a kick in the butt for me to get better. Evidently, it also affected hubby. He bought me a 200-500 Nikon for Christmas!!!
Total shocker as he doesn't know anything about photography !