Printing

[faisal]

A DSLR takes pictures in a 3:2 format...giving me a picture like this...

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7331/14img5954wy9.jpg

But while printing, I'm provided with the options of 4*6, 5*7, 6*8 etc.

I'm planning to print at a size bigger than 4*6 but the problem is if I print at 5*7 or 6*8...my pictures get cropped. This annoys the hell out of me....is there a way around this (apart from framing it while taking the photo)???

[Rooz]

at my printing lab there is an option on the machine where you select the photo and the size you want, (lets say 8x10), then click "edit photo", you can then select an option called "do not crop". this will then print the photo on an 8x10 sheet, (but will not use the whole sheet), and you cut out the edges at home. i do this all the time and have a gilloutine at home to make sure i get a nice clean, straight cut.

otherwise, there is no other option but to crop your photo prior to printing to the exact dimensions and size you want.

[Nickcanada]

yup what he said. ^^^

What I do is crop the image at home so the image is already in the proper format. The photo printers around me also have a 8x12 option. Most of the printers use a roll of paper so it's not a problem for them to print a 8x12 instead of 8x10.

[TenD]

That problem has been around since 35mm film. The frame doesn't fit the sizes of paper we've chosen. I usually had to go to a decent lab and have them print 8x12s for me. Then comes the problem of framing...

[toriaj]

You can always add a white border to your picture in PP to make it fit the 8x10 size, or whatever size you're using, then just cut off the border like Rooz says. I usually just print 4x6s, which already fit the 2:3 size. If I am enlarging, I usually go 14x21, which also fits the camera ratio. Adjust the mat to fit the photo, rather than adjusting the photo to fit the mat. I use americanframe.com or arttoframes.com for my enlargements, both of which print to custom sizes.

[faisal]

Thanks for the advice.....I'll need to find a good shop that'll let me get close to there printing/editing machines....

[Rhys]

20x30, 8x12, 16x24 etc. I'm having a pair of 16x24s done for my state fair.

[faisal]

Thing is I've got an interview on Tuesday with a publishing company for a staff photographer position. I had already printed a few of my better pictures at 5*7 (for a previous interview) without realising my pictures were getting cropped. So now I want to print some more and was wondering about how I could go around the cropping issue.

I can't print bigger sizes cause I can't afford it. I have had no inflow of money since march so any possible outflow goes out of an already depleted bank account and I don't want to make my siblings or parents to do the spending. They've already funded my basic set-up already.

I've gotten myself this book to put my pictures into (the other professional looking ones were just too costly)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51T9YV9m7BL._SS500_.jpg

[Rooz]

fais, your photos are rapidly maturing and just getting better and better all the time.

just my opinion, but if you are going to show a portfolio to a client or anyone outside your family, you should be investing in completely plain, simple albums. to me that album screams "my mom bought me this on special from target and it came with free spiderman undies."

sorry mate, just being honest.

[jetrim]

I had already printed a few of my better pictures at 5*7 (for a previous interview) without realising my pictures were getting cropped. So now I want to print some more and was wondering about how I could go around the cropping issue.

I can't print bigger sizes cause I can't afford it.

Open your images in PSP, Photoshop or whatever you use. Resize them to 4.667 X 7 output. Open a new file at 5 x 7 and paste the resized pic as a new selection or new layer. Merge save and print. Not sure about Photoshop but Paint Shop Pro lets you increase the DPI so there's no loss of clarity when you specify a smaller overall size.

[faisal]

fais, your photos are rapidly maturing and just getting better and better all the time.

just my opinion, but if you are going to show a portfolio to a client or anyone outside your family, you should be investing in completely plain, simple albums. to me that album screams "my mom bought me this on special from target and it came with free spiderman undies."

sorry mate, just being honest.

Hmm...The problem with the plain ones (that I liked) was that they costed 3x times this and would look weird if I used 5*7 pictures on it...it would require me to print atleast 8*10 pictures. Can't afford that right now.

Regarding the photos getting better...I think that's all to to do with the fact that I've got better with my PP skills... ;)