crop size, print size, capture size

<p>I am new to digital, so please excuse what is probably a rudimentary question. Clearly the images that come off my camera are not equivalent to 8x10 proportions. They are wider. Yet when I crop, 8x10 is the largest option I get, and more importantly 8x10 seems the most common print size, next up being 11x14. If I want to print the entire caputured image, do I go with 11x14, or is there another size that is optimal to suggest in the "custom" crop and/or print size? I am using a Canon t3.<br>

<br />Thanks!</p>

<p><br />Tim</p>

<p>You're discovering the huge disconnect between camera sensor sizes and what are the common print & frame sizes. Your camera has a 1.5 aspect ratio (22.2 / 14.7) so you want to print to a piece of paper that has same if you do not want to crop (personally, I read all the time about people not wanting to crop but maybe I suk but I almost always need/want to crop to drive the viewer to the image). An 11x17 piece of paper is 1.51 or anything in the 4x6 (8x12, etc etc). I often use 13x19 paper w/ an 11x17 image</p>

<p>I dont know what you mean when you say 'I crop' because that means you're using some piece of software to do it and it should allow custom crop ratios or freeform cropping.</p>

<p>8x12 and 10x15 are now very common digital print sizes, and match the native 2:3 aspect ratio of your Canon T3. Frames, not so much, although you can find them.</p>

For small prints, 4x6 will fit your aspect ratio perfectly.

 

For medium prints, try A4 size paper.

 

For a larger print, a 12x18 inch print will fit nicely on 13x19 inch paper.

 

Printing 8x10's from 2x3 cameras requires either cropping of the image or a lot of extra blank space on the paper.

<p>This is all great and very helpful. Thank you so much!</p>

<p>What software are you using?</p>

<p>+1 to the above. Also, what frames have you got in mind?</p>

<p>This might help, my Photoshop (other programs should work similarly) workflow for getting digital image with the 2/3 ratio proportions ready for printing:</p>

<p>First off, I leave the original intact, all the modifcations are done and then I "Save As", saving a copy, in a folder identified as print ready.</p>

<p>1. Open the image in Photoshop, typically a jpeg, created from a digital raw file, with no cropping.</p>

<p>2. Set current tool to Rectangular Marquee (hotkey M), with Style "Fixed Ratio", and width and height set as I'd like, say Width: 8 and Height: 10 (units doesn't matter, just the ratio).</p>

<p>3. Set the boundary of the Rect. Marquee by clicking and dragging. If you want to go as far as the current image edge in one direction, click slightly beyond the image.</p>

<p>You can drag the resultant boundary to finetune, and when the boundary's reasonably close to the image edges it will snap to the edge (with PS default settings).</p>

<p>4. When you're satisfied, go to Image pulldown menu, then "Crop".</p>

<p>Note, the following is not really necessary, you can print the image now. I sometimes just do. But if you want to save a copy, it's nice to have the image resampled down to print resolution, say 300 dots per inch.</p>

<p>5. Go to Image pulldown menu, then "Image Size". As long as you're going to be reducing image size (which is typical), choose at the bottom: "Bicubic Sharper".</p>

<p>6. Then, set document size units to "inches", and resolution to "300" (DPI. This can vary: 240 DPI is generally accepted mininum. If the image is large enough to produce 300, it's the norm.</p>

<p>7. Then set either Document Width to 8 (inches), or Document Height to 10. This will show a change in the Pixel Dimensions.</p>

<p>What you're basically doing is setting up a resampling, reducing pixels in such a way that you'll arrive at an image that will print 300 dpi and be 8" by 10".</p>

<p>8. Click OK. You've now resampled your image. Unless you don't care to save the original, be careful <strong><em>not</em></strong> to "save" from here on. Use "Save As" (in file PullDown), and save a copy if you like.</p>

<p>You're also ready to print now, it should print 8x10 inch, at precisely 300 DPI. ;)</p>

 

<p>Thanks Mendel for your detailed response. I am still using the proprietary software that came with my camera. I am sure it doesn't have near the capabilities of Photoshop, but it works for me now as I learn. It is called "digital photo professional."<br>

I will print your response and save for when I get the real thing, and in the meantime try to translate your instructions into the workflow of my current program. I am sure there are many similarities so maybe I can get somewhere.<br>

I really appreciate you taking the time to share those details with me!<br>

Tim</p>

<p>No problem. I'm just getting into printing myself, working things out.</p>

<p>Timothy, Photoshop is available for a 30 day trial download anytime you decide to 'go big'. Warning, though, it can be addictive.</p>

<p>Timothy, If you cant afford Photoshop or don't fancy shelling out horrendous amounts oif money, then try the 'GIMP' Linux , Open Source software very similar to Photoshop and does much the same thing only it is free!!</p>

 

<i>"then try the 'GIMP' Linux"</i><br><br>... which isn't exclusively a Linux program, but also available for Windows.