Picture Ratio

[Tina B]

I have a Samsung S8 phone.  I am surprised at the quality of photos the phone camera has.  What picture ratio do I choose so I can print at 4x6?  Should be 3:2 right?  So that is not an option.  Options are 4;3, 16:9,18.5:9, AND 1:1      I have no idea as to what to pick.  The default is 16:9 and that does not give me the 4:6 print.  I thought I understood ratios but now I am lost.


TinaB

[pontiac1940]

Shoot in format with largest size,l.e. the most pixels. Crop to 4x6 at 300 or 240 ppi using the crop tool in PSE.

If unable to use PSE, then choose the ratio closet to 3:2. But allow some extra space on edges when shooting since the lab will crop to 4x6 when printing.

Good luck.

Clive

[Major Major]

Tina -

None of those ratios is going to give you exactly what you're after. You're going to have to make some compromise somewhere, and Clive has offered one.

[Tina B]

I followed your advice and set at the suggested settings. I tried a couple of things. First I opened in PSE and did a change size and printed and it was not so good. Then I opened and cropped and that cut off most of the picture where I didn't want it cut off. Then I just did a file print to the printer and let the printer crop to fit. The last one worked ok but I will need to be mindful of where I need the edges to be and allow myself room for cropping. Great ideas from both of you. Thanks

TinaB

[Bailey]

Hi Tina

Just a bit of background info first in case you are not aware.  PPI (pixels per inch) is meaningless for online display.  It's purpose is to size images for printing to a selected size.

A 1000px by 1000px image will look EXACTLY the same in size and every other aspect on a given web page regardless of whether the image is set to 300ppi, 72ppi or whatever because the pixel count doesn't change unless it is resampled.

As Clive is alluding to, ~300ppi is the generally accepted resolution you need to make a good quality print.  But regardless of the ppi setting, all inkjet printers will output a  print at whatever their native resolution is.  Epson printers' native resolution is generally 360ppi, Canon and most other printers have a native resolution of 300ppi.  So if your image's ppi is other than the printer's native resolution, the printer driver will resample your image to the native resolution before printing.

For example, say you have a 600px x 400px image you want to print on a 6in x 4in sheet.  Your printing resolution (ppi) of your image is 600/6 = 100ppi.  If you send the 600px x 400px image to a printer whose native resolution is 300ppi, the printer driver will upsize your image to 300x6=1800px by 300x4=1200px.  Because a large number of extra new pixels has been added you most probably will see a reduction in image quality on the print.

The lesson here is, if you intend to make prints, set your camera to its highest resolution to maximise the number of original pixels in the image.

So the process I normally follow is this:

1.  Select the rectangular marquee tool

2.  Set the tools aspect ratio to the aspect ratio of the paper I will be printing to.

3.  Drag out a selection

4.  Select Image->Crop from the main menu.  This will make a 100% crop of the selection.

5.  Then Select Image->Resize->Image Size

6.  Make sure Resize Image is Unchecked (You don't want to resample the image ideally)

7.  Set the Document Size Width and height values to the paper size.

8.  The Document's ppi is then automatically recalculated in the resolution Box.

9.  If it is around 300ppi or higher, click ok and you are good to go ahead with the print.

Hopefully all this makes some sense

[Bailey]

ooops, I forgot to mention in the previous post.  To get an idea of an image's pixel dimensions you will need to print, simply multiply the length and width of the paper in inches by 300.

So since you wanted a 6" x 4 " print, you will need an image of around 1800px x 1200px (the 300ppi guide is not cast in stone) or larger. 

I'm sure your Samsung S8 camera can produce photos much larger than 1800px x 1200px, so set your camera to the highest resolution, then after step 3 in my previous post, move the selection around the image, if required, to get the coverage you want for the print and then do steps 4 - 9.

[Major Major]

None of that makes a whit of difference. Tina was discussing ratios.

[Bailey]

Thank you for your opinion Major Major

Clive's suggestion is very similar but not exactly the same as the process I use to size prints.

Like Clive, I set my camera to its highest resolution and then set the rectangular  marquee tool in PSE to the aspect ratio of the paper I am going to print on.  So I was discussing ratios but providing more details on my process since it appears the op was having some difficulty initially outputting an acceptable print.

I know my post has helped at least 1 other member and 2 non-members, but if in your opinion my posts are totally off-topic and of no use to the op or anyone else then I am a little confused as to why you haven't deleted them .  But that is your call .

Thank you anyway

---

Hi Tina,

I found this video on how to set the picture resolution on both the front and rear cameras of your phone.

If it was me, I would disregard the aspect ratio options and choose the resolution setting that will give the most pixels on each image.  Maximising the number of pixels gives you much more flexibility when cropping and choosing larger print sizes.

But since you are asking about aspect ratios, I only had a very quick look at the video and looking at the banner frame, 4:3 (12M) for the rear camera will probably be the highest resolution setting.  But for me the aspect ratio in the camera is irrelevant, I would be more interested in maximising the pixel resolution regardless of the aspect ratio.

You can then crop and size the image for printing in PSE as Clive or I suggested earlier.

[Major Major]

Your comments on cropping were pertinent. Your comments on pixels were not.

[Bailey]

Ok Major Major, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one

The reason why my comments regarding pixel size are, imo, relevant is because since we are talking about ratios, 1800px x 1200px (6:4) are enough for a 6" x 4" print but they will not be enough for an 18" x 12" print (also 6:4) where you need 5400px x 3600px.

But in any case, just as I and everyone can decide for ourselves what information is relevant when it is given to us, I am sure Tina is also more than capable of deciding what information is helpful to her and which is not 

 

[Tina B]

I find all of the above information helpful and will use all as a future resource. Not right or wrong just opinions.

Thank you for all the responses all are most helpful

TinaB

[Bailey]

Hi Tina,

No problem.  I am happy all the information is useful to you  .

If you need further help/advice in the future on sizing images for print, or whatever, feel free to post back and I or someone else will try to help.