D7000 - Larger Image Size

[jenkins]

<p>Hello All - I have somebody that want one of my pictures for a large wall print and I am not sure how large I can go, I don't have exact measurements at the moment but I would like to know this anyway and can't find any information.</p>

<p>It was shot with a 16-85mm, not cropped, I don't print very often and wondered what the best way to supply the file would be, out of Lightroom what would be the best resolution 240 or 300 or more?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>If by "resolution," you mean "dpi" ... don't worry about it. The only thing that matters is the actual pixel count. For a large wall print (how large is large ... a couple of meters across, or half a meter?), it's safe to say that you want to simply deliver every pixel you actually have in the original file. Whether or not to <em>add</em> pixels ("up-rezzing") through re-sampling that involves interpolation (the creating of new pixels in between the "real" pixels), or whether to allow whoever's going to make the print to do that will depend on who's making the print, and how they do it. <br /><br />The lab that's doing the printing will probably be able to mention if they prefer a TIF or a JPG, and if they're particularly fussy about whether it's in sRGB or some other color space. Safe, usually, to make sure you're in sRGB, and to have LR spit out a JPG with minimal (or no) compression, to retain as much detail as possible. Just let the file render at the original's native pixels-wide-by-pixels-tall, and get all of those pixels over to the printer. <em>They</em> will know the best way to scale the file to suit their printing requirements. When your customer orders the print, they're going to specific how many actual inches tall/wide they want the print, and the lab will make it happen. Make sure that if your customer doesn't want a 2x3 aspect ratio (say, a 20x30 inch print, but instead a 16x20 or some other shape that doesn't match your file's shape), that they understand some cropping has to happen.</p>

[jenkins]

<p>Thanks Matt that's all pretty straight forward then, could I print at a meter without up - rezzing? Not that I know how to do that anyway.</p>

<p>To roughly what size is the maximum print size with a d7000 presuming the image is good enough? When do you need to up -rez?</p>

<p> </p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>There are so many variables that impact the answer to that question, Simon. Assuming we have a well-exposed image that isn't suffering from camera motion blur, lots of noise teased up in the shadows, heavy JPG compression artifacts, etc ... then the main thing is to understand the distance from which the print will be viewed.<br /><br />If it's an over-the-mantlepiece thing, where the people viewing the print are a good meter and a half and some away, then you have a situation quite different from a gallery wall hanging scenario, where critical people are going to almost literally have their noses pressed up against it.<br /><br />With a fairly well-made, uncropped D7000 image, I wouldn't hesitate to have a good lab print 30x40 inches for the usual viewing circumstances that such a large print tends to support. That's a large print, especially when you're done mounting/framing, etc. <br /><br />A 20x30 should come across very nicely. Either way (20x30, 30x40, etc) the lab is going to use their own specialized software/hardware to render your smaller number of pixels into a larger pile of pixels that their printing hardware will actually be laying down on the paper.</p>

[jenkins]

<p>That answers my question very nicely Matt thank you very much.</p>

[cindygillespie]

<p>Simon... as Matt has said "With a fairly well-made, uncropped D7000 image, I wouldn't hesitate to have a good lab print 30x40 inches for the usual viewing circumstances that such a large print tends to support. That's a large print, especially when you're done mounting/framing, etc. "<br>

Well... I do this a lot for my customers using the D7000. I have never had a issue with a print going 30x40 uncropped... some portrait and some vehicles and nature. <br>

Good luck !!!!</p>