LARGE 5D enlargements

<p>So, now that I’ve got a 5D that makes stunning 13" x 19" prints — as big as I can go at

home — I’m naturally wondering, “Just how big <em>can</em> it go?”</p>

 

<p>First, I know that “it depends,” on a whole host of factors. And that everybody seems to

agree that 20" x 30" is a reasonable expectation, but past that gets iffy or controversial. And, of course,

one can do billboards — at <em>much</em> reduced quality, of course, but still perhaps

stunning for the viewing distance. And that posters have lower quality expectations than prints.</p>

 

<p>What I'm mainly hoping for is some guidance as to how to judge the potential of an oversized print

by pixel-peeping. My thinking goes like this: the fireworks image I described in an earlier post looks quite

good even at 100% pixels. Seeing how my monitor is about 100 ppi, does that mean that I should be able

to get an acceptable 29 ^{<small>1</small>}/_{<small>4</small>}" x 43

^{<small>2</small>}/_{<small>3</small>}" print? Or are my hopes

unreasonable?</p>

 

<p>I know, the only way to really know is by actually making a print. But that’ll be quite a job unto

itself, and rather expensive to boot. I'm hoping for some guidance from those who actually make

oversized prints along the lines of “Don’t bother,” “It’s worth a

try,” or “Go for it!”</p>

 

<p>Thanks all!</p>

 

<p>Cheers,</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

Well Ben, on my old Nikon d70s which 6 mp's which is half the 5d which I recently bought,

you can go 27 x 42 inches I did it once came out clean I got mine done at

www.pixleoutpost.com . Depending on the cost I would say go for it.

There is a relatively inexpensive way to get a feel for the the print quality at the sizes you are thinking of. Print a small portion of the image at the expected zoom on a 4x6 photo sheet (WARNING: This step will require a bit of math! :) ). I do this to get a feel for both quality and color when I'm printing on my Canon i9900.

 

Remember one thing: people will instinctively stay back from large images; don't be disappointed with the test print if you can see pixels with the test section of the image when it is 18 inches from your face. Everything will blend together naturally at a normal viewing distance for the size print you are looking to make.

 

I print many images on 13x19 (or 13xwhatever if I'm using a roll) paper in my i9900 and always do a "snapshot" on a 4x6 of a region of the image I'm particularly worried about, whether I'm checking color output or detail in some region of the photo.

 

Hope this helps!

Sorry to chip in: I'm bit confused here - for example, the size of the photo in photoshop comes out as 25"x17" - is this not 100% in print, and if I go beyond this would it not be like magnifying above 100% with loss of resolution? Cheers!

Do some actual tests for YOUR APPLICATION; this is what matters. This is what folks do with cooking, weedkiller, or at a lemonaide stand. Do folks ask others always about how much ketchup one needs on fries too? The customers of ours at the print shop that constantly are confused about enlargements tend to produce the worse images; alot of their brainpower is off on a tangent and thus they dont deliver an image with impact. In a way its real sad; I wonder if its folks are afraid to do tests; or folks just want others to tell them how their ketchup, coffee or hotdogs are to be made. Real samples at different enlargements can be used to see what works.

I also do the "test strip" before printing really large. As described above, print a section of

the image at the final resolution on a letter size piece of paper. Then view it from an

appropriate distance for the size of image you will ultimately want to create.

 

Ironically, I once used this to talk a client OUT of purchasing a print in a very large size that I

didn't think would work well. ;-)

 

Dan

Easy way to do it change picture dimensions to whaterver size (29x43) in photoshop without resizing, just change the picture dimensions. Then crop out 4x6 and print it. This will show you quality, just a crop of it, like printing the 29x43 and cuting a 4x6 section from it.

 

m

Thanks all for the strong dose of common sense. Full-scale crops it is!

 

Cheers,

 

b&

with your viewing distance in direct proportion to the print size, you can print as large as you want. E.g, you can print the size of the Earth and it'll look great from the Moon, etc.

Just a bit of experience: With my previous 6,3MP camera (EOS 300D) I made perfect A3+ prints. With 12,8MP you should be able to make perfect prints, at least 2x the area of A3+ (~48x33 cm).

Hi, just from experience when doing test prints. I find it best only to use the printer that your final enlargement is printed with.

 

Kelly, In your print shop, how much difference do you see in a print that has been uprezed at 300p/dpi, and one at standard file size with a lower dpi printer and how greatly do you find viewing distance effect (pro Q :)?

 

cheers

I have a 5D and an Epson 7600, I did a large panorama on canvas that is 20" x 66". I'm amazed at how much detail was preserved.

`I did a large panorama on canvas that is 20" x 66". `

 

Hi David, just for interest, was this from a single frame or a stitched group ? I`m currently doing a 20x60 with 4 10meg frames stitched the lab is using that printer my 2100 not wide enough

 

cheers

Single frame, cropped to a 3x1 aspect ratio.

 

The actual printed area was approx 24x70 and then some of the photo was "lost" due to wrapping the canvas around stretcher bars.

I regularly enlarge my 5D images to 22X33 inches using Genuine Fractals for exhibition prints and have enlarged some 5D images very successfully to 52 inches. My images are also published as high end posters by W&G in Switzerland. I prepare the data files for the posters which are 60X80cm, 50X100cm and 24X36 inches in size.

 

I have been using Genuine Fractals since 1999. In 2002 I enlarged some Olympus E10 4 megapixel images to 22X29 inches for one of my portfolios. More than one person at my exhibits has asked if the images were taken with a medium format camera. Genuine Fractals did a great job. There is absolutely no way you can tell the prints are from 4 megapixel jpg images.

I definitely second the use of Genuine Fractals for certain applications and enlargements with

images from the 5D. I've been seeing some wonderful prints coming from the 9600 around

40x50. Of course it isn't going to give you detail that isn't there in the first place, but it

makes what you've got hold up a whole lot better.

 

Also, can anyone offer any advice on ketchup quantity? Just how much is too much?