Resizing photos down for printing

[Keith Baran]

Hi all,
I want to get some photos printed. They were shot as .JPG highest resolution, now I want 5x7 prints made. The original file, for example is W=3872 pixels L=2592 pixels. I am using PS CS2. I obviously do not understand what I am reading because I cannot resize and image to print 5x7. I get close to but never 5x7. I have the "constrain porportions" radio button checked and I enter 7.0 inches in the width section and my height turns to 8.264. Each photo's numbers are a bit different but the ratios never work out. One of the dimensions is always over or under what I need (5x7). Would someone please enlighten me, I know this just complete ignorance on my part.

Thanx

 

[astrostu]

You have to crop. I'm not sure how you're getting those pixel dimensions in the first place since most cameras shoot in 4:3 or 3:2 aspect ratios, and the dimensions you quoted are more like 1.4938:1. So it seems like you've already done some cropping.

You just have to take it further in order to get the right aspect ratio to give you a 5x7 photo. I suggest shrinking down to 5" on the smaller side (in the case you quoted) which will give you 7.469" on the longer side. Then you can choose what you want to crop off to make it 7".

 

[Alfred D.]

It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, really.
Something's got to give.

 

[Rhubarb]

In PS select the crop tool, in the 'tool bar' enter 7 in & 5 in respectively for landscape or 5 in & 7 in for portrait. Enter the resoultion, typically 300ppi for printing.

Then crop away and you will be left with a pic the perfect size and aspect ratio. Bonza!

 

[JerryPH]

I don`t really resize the pic for printing, I just make sure it has the right ratio (height vs width for the pic I want). The printers I send the pics to usually size it down. That way I have no concerns about quality.

Of course, in PS CS3, there is a crop to size option that could be easily used.

 

[andrew99]

In PS select the crop tool, in the 'tool bar' enter 7 in & 5 in respectively for landscape or 5 in & 7 in for portrait. Enter the resoultion, typically 300ppi for printing.

On my system (CS3 on Windows), I have to enter "7 in" and "5 in" to specify inches, or else it defaults to pixels. Which is weird, since it should be a relative size, anyway.

 

[Alfred D.]

On my system (CS3 on Windows), I have to enter "7 in" and "5 in" to specify inches, or else it defaults to pixels. Which is weird, since it should be a relative size, anyway.

Why should they be 'relative'? You want 7 by 5 inches, don't you? Those are absolute values.

 

[andrew99]

Why should they be 'relative'? You want 7 by 5 inches, don't you? Those are absolute values.

I want the aspect ratio for 5x7. Inches on a computer screen seem pretty arbitrary, since Photoshop doesn't know what size screen I have.

 

[Keith Baran]

Thanx to all,
after I piosted I found in the help menu of cs2 "resize wizard". But I've been using what Rhubarb first suggested and that is entering in the dimensions in the tool box and croping the image.
Lots to learn

 

[Sandspur]

I do this a lot! ... just the way Rhubarb said.

It's also a fine way to go UP in size - because you're allowing the Crop Tool algorithm gods to control the interpolation process.(Believe me! I have absolutely no idea how or why this works. I just know it does ... and NO, I DO NOT want to get in a debate about it!)