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Has anyone solved the problem of aspect ratios?

ie - most professional print formats are based on traditional sizes, which are in turn based on 35mm film. I would like to print my images as framed and cropped by me, not as dictated by tradition or by a machine.

Has anyone else found this to be an issue? How have you resolved it?

stormseye wrote:Has anyone solved the problem of aspect ratios?

ie - most professional print formats are based on traditional sizes, which are in turn based on 35mm film. I would like to print my images as framed and cropped by me, not as dictated by tradition or by a machine.

Has anyone else found this to be an issue? How have you resolved it?

I use paper big enough to print the image then cut the paper to size. after printing. It's a problem if you want to use a standard size frame, but I only do this for prints that I want to have professionally framed.

Thanks Nigel.

I had the same problem. Sometimes my composition that I strategically worked on would be ruined if I cropped 8x10.
In Dec I purchased the Epson 4000 so I can print on any size paper instead of those standard 8x10 etc by traditional photo printing companies.

But before I had my own archival printer, I was told to take a digital 8x12 and add canvas widths--- photo software option, not actual canvas --
to match the size of the standard paper say 11x14. so that would be 1.5 inches either side on the width to go from 8 to 11 and then 1 inch either side on the length to go from 12 to 14.
That way when you have it printed, you will get your 8x12 and then you just crop off the white borders you added to make it 11x14. You can also leave part of the white border so you have a place to sign it and extra to run over the edge of the overlaying matte.

Cut your matte to fit the picture size of 8x12 on the inside, but the outside dimensions is what you keep to match standard frame size.

I'm just getting used to doing all this myself so glad you posted this message, it gave me a chance to think of the sizes and how I would print one of my 8x12's and crop it from an 11x14 papersize

Ruth

stormseye wrote:Has anyone else found this to be an issue? How have you resolved it?

Yeah I have!.
General advice for new digital users that are going to use an external lab to make copies: Note that the standard way can be changed to what your camera is (3X4 probably). 35mm are 3X2, so the result they´ll give you will be cropped. If nothing can be done, my advice would be:
a) Send them to hell and do it yourself! or
b) Modifiy your copies to make them fit the labs standards.

And you can Imagine I learn that "the hard way"....

matiasasun wrote:do it yourself! ....

Thank you, Ruth and Matias!

You are right, and doing it yourself seems to be the order of the day!

This information is based on the Canon Digital Rebel which is a 6.3 megapixel digital camera:

There is no "quick and easy" way to explain this, so feel free to read this explanation as many times as you need to

This is a topic that can get quite confusing some times. At its highest resolution, the Rebel takes photos at 3072 x 2048 pixels (if you multiply 3072 times 2048, you get roughly 6.3 million - which is why the Rebel is a 6.3Mp camera).

3072 by 2048 is a 1.5 to 1.0 ratio (3072 is 1.5 times 2048). This works great for 4x6 prints, since 6:4 is a 1.5 ratio, just like your camera. So when printing a 4x6, you won't lose a thing. The thing that hurts is the fact that different picture sizes are different ratios. For example, an 8x10 is 1.25:1 (10 is 1.25 times . A 5x7 is a 1.4 ratio, an 11x14 print is 1.25 ratio.

What this means is, when you print just about any "typical" sized photo other than a 4x6, you are going to have to crop something out. This is where you run into trouble, because if you submit a regular 3072 x 2048 picture to Walmart or Costco, the 16 year old "lab expert" behind the counter will do the cropping for you. If you want to take it out of their hands, you'll have to crop them yourself.

This can get to be a pain in the butt, because if you want a 4x6, a 5x7 and an 8x10 of the same photo, you'll have to submit it three different times to the lab. If that's the case, you're better off putting the size in the file name, to prevent any confusion.

To crop to a specific size, open a photo in PS and select the crop tool (press the C key). At the top left of your screen you can specify the horizontal and vertical crop size. You may need to right click on the box to change from pixels to inches, but set it to 8x10 or whatever you need. Now, click and drag across your picture, and the crop tool will maintain the proper ratio.

Regarding your varying file sizes...Even though each picture you take is 3072 by 2048, the size of the file actually varies depending on the data that is saved. White is the absence of data, while black or other colors requre more data. What this means is, take a photo of someone standing in front of a white wall, and the file size will be way smaller than a picture of the same person standing in front of a scenic backdrop.

Now THAT was helpful. I'm finally starting to get a handle on sizing. Thanks.

You will find that a 10 x 12 will generally be better than say a 11 x 14 as you will have to crop.

glad to help

well looks like just over 1 year later your printflash website has gone belly up