Photography Tips and Tricks

Have you ever tried to print a digital picture and it came out horrible looking? This can be caused by several factors. Here is how to make sure that every print looks fantastic.

Resolution

The resolution of a digital picture is important to how good the image looks when it is printed out. Resolution is how many dots or pixels there are in an image. The more dots you have the better your picture will look. Basically, the higher the resolution is set on your camera, the sharper your pictures will look.

To get the best resolution possible for your digital camera, set it to its highest-resolution setting to get the sharpest detail. This will take a lot of memory, so you will want to use a memory card to store all of your pictures.

Enlargement

Resolution is also important when you enlarge digital photos to print. If a photo is low resolution, then the more you stretch it out to enlarge it, the more pixels or dots you will see in the printed image. Take a look at the digital picture above. It was enlarged much larger than its resolution allowed. The pixels are almost all you can see.

Here is a basic chart to help you decide how much you can enlarge a certain resolution size:

3 MP or 2100 x 1400 can be enlarged to 11” x 14″

4 MP or 2500 x 1600 can be enlarged to 20” x 30″

5 MP or 2500 x 2000 can be enlarged to 20” x 30″

6 MP or 2900 x 2100 can be enlarged to 30” x 40″

Paper Quality

Your choice of printer photo paper can also have an impact on the quality of your print. Always be willing to pay more for quality, because, really, you get what you pay for.

Pick a paper that is archival because it will last longer and won’t yellow or fade. Also make sure to choose a heavier weight paper. It is more durable and will hold the ink better.

If you combine all of this knowledge when printing your next digital photo you will end up with beautiful prints.