photo contest file size

<p>i received a phone call today from the director at a new medical clinic in my area who is organizing a photo contest. her idea is print the top three finishers in each of the seven categories and hang them throughout the new facility. all photos have to be taken locally.</p>

<p>the question she asked me and what i'm asking you is this: what should be the recommended / minimum file size required for submissions? she plans to print the winning images at 24x36 (poster size). i did search briefly when she called and i'm thinking .jpeg files 1800x2700 pixels @ 300 dpi should be the minimum? or is this not enough to get decent quality 24x36 prints? most of the info i found also stated the file should be 10 or higher quality.</p>

<p>the director wants to keep this contest open to all amateur photographers in the area and is concerned that if the minimum photo requirements are too specific/complicated/high, people may shy away from submitting their work. i figure 1800x2700 would let anyone with a 5mp camera or better enter images. </p>

<p>any thoughts? and thanks in advance for any insight.</p>

<p>Seth, I assume that the printing will be done professionally? If so, the printer is the one who should determine the image size, resolution and file format for the submissions. I suspect that poster-size might be a little ambitious for the image size you propose, considering that, at 300 dpi, the actual image size for a 24X36 print would be 7200X10,800 pixels. That's assuming the director is planning on high quality prints, and not actual posters.</p>

<p>Printing an 1800 X 2700 pixel photo at 300 dpi nets a 6" X 9" print.<br>

Printing 1800 X 2700 at 24X36" yeilds about 75dpi, way too low resolution for any useful prints.<br>

You will be hard pressed to get exhibition quality prints 24X36 out of a 5MP camera, IMHO.</p>

<p><Chas><br /></p>

<p>seth,</p>

 

<p>24″ × 36″ is a very large print. It’s not humongous, but it’s getting there.</p>

 

<p>With excellent technique, you can get a not-bad poster that size out of a point-n-shoot 5 MP camera, but you will never, ever, get a quality print that size

out of one. Even if all the stars align perfectly, the image will still be fuzzy.</p>

 

<p>Even the top-of-the-line digital SLRs of today will only print that size at about 150 ppi,

which is about where prints stop and enlargements / posters start. That’s not to say you

can’t get stunning results at that size from a $3000 DSLR, but it <em>is</em> to say that

you’re encroaching on the territory of medium- and large-format photography.</p>

 

<p>May I suggest? Keep your 1800 × 2700 pixel <strong>minimum</strong> requirements,

but only plan on printing at 12″ × 18″. And don’t advertise the final print

size; that way, if the winning photograph can’t handle much more than an 8″ ×

10″ print, you haven’t screwed the pooch. Conversely, if you <em>do</em> get

something from a very patient and skilled amateur with a homemade large format film camera, you

can go ahead and print even bigger than 24″ × 36″. (Much, much bigger, in fact.)</p>

 

<p>On the other hand, if there’s a space that simply needs actual prints that size, then put out a proper request for artists and be prepared to pay market rates. Find another space where you can showcase local amateurs.</p>

 

<p>Cheers,</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

<p>thanks for the replies. i'm finding i need to do some more research on this topic. i've never printed any of my images, so i really have no clue. for laughs, i uploaded a jpeg image to mpix.com that was 3800x2500 @300 and it said i could print up to 24x36. how do they offer that size? wouldn't it look terrible?</p>

<p>i think i'll call the director back and let her know if she really wants to keep this open to ALL amateurs, she needs to rethink her plans for printing the winning photos.</p>

<p>Have a 16x20 print made and take it in as a sample. For most hospital settings, this is probably big enough. I decorated my sister's entire clinic this way and she loved it even though we thought we would have to go bigger also.</p>

<p>Any 8MP camera has some room to crop and still make a decent 16x20. And it won't cost too much for the amateurs on a budget.</p>