Reef Pics, File Size & Print Quality

[captbunzo]

I just wanted to make a quick note again to folks about reef pics, related to the POTM contest. I cannot over emphasize a couple of things.

Resolution is everything!!!

For those who don't know, a digital picture on a camera or computer is stored as a series of dots. These dots (called pixels) are organized into rows and columns and make up the picture. The more dots involved, the better that a picture will print off of a computer. The number of rows and columns of dots is called resolution. We want a high resolution, i.e. lots of rows and columns.

So first tip. In your digital camera, go in and set it to take pics with the highest resolution possible. Yes, the pics will take up more space on your camera, memory card, & computer. But they'll be better pics.

Then, once you've dumped the pics off your camera onto your computer, resist the urge to reduce the size of the picture. And if you do, save a copy of the original pic, just in case.

Lastly, don't get sucked into the hype with these camera phones. Yeah, they are cool and all. However, they have VERY low resolutions and will not produce a good pic, in the greater scheme of things. Sure, they are great for when they are all you have on hand. However, they are not a replacement for a standalone camera.

(At least not yet - give them another 3-4 years. Then they'll at least be better competitors......)

Anyhow, sorry for the rant, etc. I just keep getting these POTM entries that are these little tiny pics. They are going to be tough to make into a calender. I am sure we can work it out - but it means that a monthly winner might not get the whole page to themself if their picture is a tiny resolution.

Just some thoughts. Take it for what it's worth...

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Good informative post. I know that I've been the culprit on occassion.

 

[captbunzo]

You've done better with recent pics, Travis...

For anyone interested in the specifics, here you go.

Ideally, we are looking for print resolutions of about 300 dpi. The term dpi stands for dots per inch. If you count the number of rows & columns squished into a vertical & horizontal inch, that's your dpi. Pictures can be printed with a different number of dots per inch. The higher the dpi, the better quality of the picture. With a lower dpi, the picture will look pixelated.

Here is an exagerated example...

Your overall required resolution for an image depends really upon how big you'd like to print the image. For instance, if you are aiming for 300 dpi and an image that is 8x6 inches.... Then you need a picture resolution of 2400x1800.

To get your picture resolution, in Windows XP you can see it under Windows explorer on the left side under the "details" section. At least this is one way to understand...