Ever take a photograph to get printed at the lab, and it comes back squished(image above) or cropped completely different from how you cropped it? I'm going to help you prevent that from ever happening again!
So here is my original photo. Nice enough picture of my three munchkins at the nature park, but I want to get rid of the excess sand and water. So in Photoshop, I get out my crop tool and crop it panoramic.
There. Much better, really focuses on them. So I take my card to my favorite lab to get a 4"x6" print made. And what I get back is this:
An image totally cropped in. Or THIS!!!!!
An image where they have been squished! What the heck went wrong?
A full frame image is the same height/width ratio as a 4"x6" print. By cropping an image, I've just made it a completely different ratio. So, the machine printing the image will either crop out parts to make it fit that ratio, or squish or stretch the image to make it fit that ratio. You need to take a few seconds to prepare the image before saving it so that it will print correctly!
HOW TO RESIZE IMAGES PROPERLY!
Step 1: RESIZE THE IMAGE
In Photoshop CS-CS4, select
IMAGE->IMAGE SIZE. (IMAGE->RESIZE->IMAGE SIZE in Elements). The Image Size box will appear. If the image is a horizontal, select the WIDTH and type in the width of the print you want(In this case, we are doing a 4x6, so I type in 6. If the image was vertical, I'd select the height first). By selecting 6", you can see the Height went to 2.477". If I were to leave it like this, I'd get the squished or cropped print.
Step 2: INCREASE THE CANVAS SIZE
This is the key second step. In Photoshop CS-CS4, select
IMAGE->CANVAS SIZE. (IMAGE->RESIZE->CANVAS SIZE in Elements) The Canvas Size box will appear. Make sure that RELATIVE is UNCHECKED.
Now, I will type in 4" for the HEIGHT(or change the width if the image was a vertical). Then I pick my CANVAS EXTENSION COLOR(WHITE or BLACK). Then click OK.
And there you go! The image below is now 2.477"x6", but fits on a 4"x6" canvas! So my print will not be cropped or squished, it will print correctly!
One other thing to mention! 8"x10" is considered a standard size for making a larger print. However, this is not the same ratio as the full frame captured! The same ratio print would be an 8"x12"! So if you print a frame 8"x10", you end up losing an inch on either side of the frame!
The image below was printed 8"x10" instead of 8"x12"and I lost the edges.
CROPPING TO THE RIGHT SIZE
To ensure your print is the exact size you want, use the CROP tool and set a specific size that you want it to crop to!
Pick the CROP tool, then type in the HEIGHT, WIDTH, and RESOLUTION (200-300) that you want. So below, I put in a width of 12 inches, height of 8 inches, and resolution 250. Then I use the crop tool and select the part of the image I want and it's ready to print at the right size!
Then when I send the picture to the lab, and TELL THEM TO PRINT 8"x12", you get a full frame image on an 8x12!
There! Now you should be able to get the exact size prints you want from your favourite lab, with no squishing, stretching, or cropping!
Happy shooting!
Noel Chenier
www.learnphoto.ca
Connect with Noel on:
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TWITTER: @noelchenier http://www.twitter.com/noelchenier
I hope you find these tips useful!
If so, it would be awesome if you would check out my Photography Assignment Generator Apps on the
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Even if you only download the free version that would help get it up the app store lists!
Hello all. Posted some more recent photos taken for the Telegraph-Journal on my student gallery(It's only fair that since I expect my students to post that I post too...don't want to be a hypocrite!) Posted some info on the pix too!
I happened to be looking through images relating to Remembrance Day and came across a few images I'd thought I'd share.
I also came across a picture that I took ten years ago at Remembrance Day ceremonies in Fredericton. It is a picture of 2nd Lt John McNair as he looks towards the sky during the moment of silence. When I look at this picture, I really feel that I captured was this day is all about-the lines on the face, the expression of sorrow as he looks towards the heavens, the rain drops on his glasses, to me, that all says Remembrance Day.
Ever take a photograph to get printed at the lab, and it comes back squished(image above) or cropped completely different from how you cropped it? I'm going to help you prevent that from ever happening again!
So here is my original photo. Nice enough picture of my three munchkins at the nature park, but I want to get rid of the excess sand and water. So in Photoshop, I get out my crop tool and crop it panoramic.
There. Much better, really focuses on them. So I take my card to my favorite lab to get a 4"x6" print made. And what I get back is this:
Then when I send the picture to the lab, and TELL THEM TO PRINT 8"x12", you get a full frame image on an 8x12!
I've set the dates for my next slate of weekend courses. Please take a look and if you are interested in attending, please contact me via the methods below. For those in Fredericton, as soon as I know if there are any carpool opportunities I will let you know.
Since Halloween is upon us, I thought I'd give out some tips on how to get some great pumpkin, costume, and other pix!
To get some great costume shots, I would suggest finding a nice plain wall you can stand the subject against. Then, use a flash bounced off the ceiling to get a softer light that won't cast dark shadows against the wall.
Obviously if you are going to get shots of the kiddies out in their costumes, you will have to use flash as it will be very dark. Use MANUAL shooting mode(M), set the shutter speed to 60th/second and pick an aperture of F8, pop up the flash and use the flash exposure compensation if it's too bright or too dark. If you want to try to get some more ambient light, turn the shutter speed lower(1/15th or 1/8th) to get more light and some funky blur.
If you want some spooky shots, use MONSTER LIGHTING! You want to have a light source that comes from below, either a high powered lamp, flashlight, or your flash. Place it right underneath the subject's face so you get lots of creepy shadows, as get them to make a scary face. If you are using a lamp or flashlight, make sure that you take your meter reading more from the brighter areas(zoom in on them or use your spot meter) if using Manual(M) mode, or if you are using Shutter(TV/S) or Aperture Priority(A/AV) mode you will most likely have to set your exposure compensation(+/-) to the MINUS, probably -1 or -2. Remember to see it back to zero when you are done!
Need to finalize how many people are interested in getting copies of Pixels to Print: The Art of Photojournalism. Due to the number of copies already requested, the price will now be only $20, which will include shipping and taxes. If you would like copies, please let me know how many by MONDAY November 3rd. It will take about two weeks for them to arrive. It would be a nice Christmas gift for anyone who likes photography!
For the latest course info, head to my new site www.learnphoto365.com!
