File Size and Resolution
Let's talk about file size and resolution. But first, let's look at these two images of Brie, one of my past pet sit clients. Upon first glance, these images look about the same resolution. But if you mouse over them, you will see what the difference is when you enlarge them.
Low Resolution High Resolution
When you enlarge a low resolution image, it creates pixelation and the detail becomes lost (blurry). Enlarging it further will make it even more blurry and pixelated.
Resolution is the degree of sharpness of an image as measured by the number of pixels per square inch across and down on a display screen. This is usually called dpi (dots per inch) and the preferred file size for print, and for pet portraits, is 300dpi.
A pixel is basically a dot and these dots make up an image. When an image has a high resolution, there are many dots, or pixels, and you do not see the individual pixels. With a low resolution image, however, it will look pixelated and you will be able to see the individual pixels. The more pixels, the more detail in the image.
Unfortunately, you can not take a small file and make it larger in Photoshop without creating interpolation. Below, is what happens when you try and do that. If you have an image that is 72 dpi and you try and change the resolution to 300 dpi. What you are asking the computer to do, is fill in the missing pixels, which it can't do because that information isn't there. What you get is a very blurry image.
This is Indy on the right at 72 dpi, which is an ideal size to put on the web since computer screens do not need a high resolution. The Indy on the right was amped up to 300 dpi, which caused interpolation.
Shooting With a Digital Camera
When shooting with a digital camera, it is important to shoot at the highest quality possible. Refer to your owner's manual if you are not sure how to set that. You camera might say "Fine Quality" or "Large" or give a dimension. Use the one that is going to produce the largest image.
When you load your image to the computer, it will have a file size. I recommend your images be at least 1MB (megabyte). If your image is in GBs (gigabytes), that is fine too. That means it's a really large image. If your image is in KB (kilobytes), then your image may be too small.
On a PC, you can check your file size by right clicking on the file and looking under properties. This will also tell you the type of file it is, like .jpeg, .tiff, .psd, and so on. On a Mac, you will want to find your file, click on it once, so that it is highlighted. Next, go to File>Get Info. A window should pop up, and you should see a line that tells you the size of your file.
Submitting Your Photo(s)
You can send me files saved as TIF, GIF, PSD, or JPG, whichever is easiest for you. Make sure to send me the original file. You are now ready to upload those to the order form or email them to me at lisak@hippawhooray.com. Make sure your email doesn't resize images and don't drop thumbnail sizes in your email, as that will be the size I receive. Also, please mark in the subject line Photos for Portrait, or something like that, or I might figure it as spam. For this information, go here to Tips for shooting great photos!
