sizing digital Image to print 4x6, 8x10 etc.

DIRT · May 31, 2005

***stupid question follows.***

how would I size a digital image so that if I print it it will not be cropped in standard sizes like 4x6 and 8x10? I just cant figure it out. I dont want to squeeze it or compress its perspective.

Digital Matt · May 31, 2005

What software are you using? There's lots of ways in Photoshop, if that's what you have. I prefer to make a new document in the size of what I want my print to be, ie 8x10, 5x7, etc, 300 DPI.

Then I select all and copy from my photo and paste into the new document. Move it around until the desired crop is obtained. If needed, you can transform it to resize it smaller or larger. Select the move tool and hit ctrl+T, or, go to the edit menu, and select free transform. A bounding box appears around your image. Grab a corner, hold shift to contrain proportions, and drag either in or out to resize it. Press enter on the keyboard when you are done. Flatten and save.

DIRT · May 31, 2005

Allways a great help, Thanks Matt.

Daniel · Jun 1, 2005

Digital Matt said:
...done. Flatten and save.

What exactly does 'Flatten' do? (Sorry to hijack your thread)

Big Mike · Jun 1, 2005

Daniel said:
What exactly does 'Flatten' do? (Sorry to hijack your thread)

Flatten means to make all of the layers into one single layer. Using multiple layers in Photoshop is a great way to edit the image but it makes the file size very big. Once all the editing is done, flattening all of the layers, greatly reduces the file size.

Christie Photo · Jun 1, 2005

I've been using the crop tool. I set the desired width, heigth, and resolution.

SLOShooter · Jun 1, 2005

A good non-desctructive way to do is:

Select the marquee tool
Select constrain width/height
Put in your constraints
Make your selection
Create a new mask layer, it should mask everything but your selection
You can now just hit the eye to turn the crop on or off
Also if you unlink the image and the mask, by clicking the little chain symbol that is on the masking layer you can move the mask around whle your image stays in the same place

If you want to add a border to your image to "fill" in the rest of the space to a desired ratio. Then just get out a calculator and figure out what you have to add to one side or the other and then hit canvas size, and add it on. Then you'll have image in the middle with color border to the right size.

M @ k o · Jun 6, 2005

Great info. Being new to the digital world I too was wondering how am I going to print my shots. I already have about 30 photos that I'm going to have to print in the next couple of dayz. But, I was wondering if I can take the memory card to a 1 hour photo lab and get them printed that way. It doesn't have to be anything professional just need to get them developed.

Do I really have to go through all these steps you all have mensioned before getting my shotz on paper? I was actually going to do the online photoz ready in one hour thingy @ WallyWorld, but not quit fimiliar with that either. So, what getting at is that my shotz out of my 20D should be like, pull the card out take it to a 1 hour photo place and get them to print them in 5x7's. ?????

Meysha · Jun 6, 2005

If you just give them your un edited photos - the printer person will chose the crop to apply. And you could end up with something you don't want. You could take it to one of those places where they have the machine where you yourself can choose the crop. In Australia in the Kmart places they're called "Image Magic" (i think) and you can just chuck your memory card in and crop and pick size, even do a bit of colour correction, red eye too i think.

M @ k o · Jun 6, 2005

Meysha said:
If you just give them your un edited photos - the printer person will chose the crop to apply. And you could end up with something you don't want. You could take it to one of those places where they have the machine where you yourself can choose the crop. In Australia in the Kmart places they're called "Image Magic" (i think) and you can just chuck your memory card in and crop and pick size, even do a bit of colour correction, red eye too i think.

Thx Meysha, your right about that, I might as well do that myself on one of them Kodak machines. It'll be alot of standing to do over 30 photos or so but at least I'll now exactly what I want done to them. Wish I had one of them machines at the house....lol . Thx again Meysha, and I've really been enjoying your photos you have been producing the last couple of dayz, your really good with that camera, hope to be just as good one day.

cya

Meysha · Jun 6, 2005

Thanks Mako.

Wish I had one of them machines at the house....lol

It's possible!! Thanks to the wonders of technology! You can buy a printer.
I only have a little Canon Bubble jet brinter but I can get some really crackin prints out of it. Fair enough they're not photo print standard but with the right paper and a bit of patience getting the computer's colour calibrated to the printer they look really good.

Or you could just do what the other people suggested of doing it on your computer and emailing them off to a company to print.

Edit: Ha ha ha!! I wrote brinter. hehehe I obviously meant printer, but I think it looks cute so I'm not gonna change it.

M @ k o · Jun 6, 2005

Meysha said:
Edit: Ha ha ha!! I wrote brinter. hehehe I obviously meant printer, but I think it looks cute so I'm not gonna change it.

LOL

I have a bretty good DELL 922 AIO photo printer that does a pretty good job on photo prints. I bought some KoDAK Premium photo paper which came with a free Kodak photo printing program, gives you a link on the package, real easy stuff too. I found that it prints better than my other programs I have. You specify what kind of Kodak paper your using, and I guess it calibrates the amount of ink to use. The other program I was using was spitting out to much ink and looked like crap. So, I like the Kodak program when I print at home. I just don't have the time to do several photos in one sitting and would like to just drop my card off somewhere like I do with my film.
I'll just have to see what works best I guess. Anywayz..... cya and thx again. And your welcome.

fadingaway1986 · Jun 7, 2005

On our machine at work (i work at a kmart), there is an option "do not crop" this will just leave you with lines (usually white) down the sides of the photos... Although - that said - if you are using a 20d (i think you said that) - 4x6's should already be the right size... but your 5x7's would either be cropped or have lines - and you would just have to cut them... Otherwise - the machines are pretty easy to use.

M @ k o · Jun 7, 2005

fadingaway1986 said:
On our machine at work (i work at a kmart), there is an option "do not crop" this will just leave you with lines (usually white) down the sides of the photos... Although - that said - if you are using a 20d (i think you said that) - 4x6's should already be the right size... but your 5x7's would either be cropped or have lines - and you would just have to cut them... Otherwise - the machines are pretty easy to use.

Gotcha , Thanks for the info.

raider · Jun 7, 2005

Christie Photo said:
I've been using the crop tool. I set the desired width, heigth, and resolution.

I've seen where people talk about "cropping to an 8x10" - I just never noticed where you set these parameters you mention. Are you using the crop button or file->crop or does it matter? I'll have another look when I get home.