Working with digital images

[snapper]

Hi,  can someone please tell me, what is the minimum MP needed in order to be able to crop pics to 4x6 and 5x7 size? I currently have an old (almost 5 years), 2.0 MP digital camera and the jpeg pic files I crop with it pixilate (is that the right term?). What should the dpi and/or "resolution" be in order for the prints to be high-quality (i.e., not look "fuzzy"). TIA (thanks in advance)...

snapper

[ShutterbugGail]

Welcome to the Q&A Board Snapper,

Boy, that's a difficult question to answer because it depends on how much you crop.

With a two megapixel camera you should be able to get an excellent 4x6" print and a good 5x7" print. But if you crop too much then, yes, your prints will become pixelated. In my experience, no matter what dpi your printer is set on, it will not eliminate that problem (there are some photo printers which have settings to help reduce the fuzzy look but they aren't always effective).

A few suggestions:

- Make sure your camera is set to it's highest resolution and quality. Digital cameras have two separate settings to select image quality.

- Try to move in closer to your subject when taking a photo. This will reduce the need for you to crop

- When you must crop, keep it to a minimum


Related reading:

Megapixels
http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-a-megapixel/

Print quality
http://www.digicamhelp.com/working-with-digital-images/printing-resolution.htm

[kara haupt]

Thanks for replying. What I was trying to find out is what MP I should get in a NEW camera in order to be able to get high-quality cropped pics. I don't print my own pictures, but I crop and resave jpeg files using a photo editing software, and I was also wondering was what dpi I should resave in in order to get the best-quality pictures. Thanks again!

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi Kara,

Based on what you've said, I'd recommend a 4 or 5 megapixel camera. There are also 7 & 8 megapixel consumer level cameras but they may be an overkill for your needs since the largest print size you mention is 5x7." The more megapixels the better, particularly if you crop images a lot. Make sure, too, that you buy a digicam with a quality lens.

My 3 mp digicam creates jpeg images at 72 dpi and my 5 mp camera creates images at 300 dpi. They both print very well, even when reasonably cropped. I use a photo ink-jet printer and use premium photo paper.

Many people recommend saving an image between 200 - 300 dpi for printing. To be honest, I see no differences in my prints done at 72 dpi and 300 dpi.

As I've mentioned many times at the Q&A Board, to get the best prints, always set your camera to it's highest resolution and quality settings.

[snapper]

Thank you, that's exactly the information I needed!