Big Prints

[Sue Morris]

Hi Damien - I need ammunition -- I am being told I don't know what I am talking about which would be fair except I am quoting you!! I am arguing with someone about resizing for print ( which it seems no photographers understand) and am being told that no DSLR can print a 3foot image at 300dpi, and that -- Here I will just give the direct quote " upsizing your image is already enhanced editing and not everyone can do it and it often gives not really as detailed results as you think it gives. Yes you can upscale it, but without any sharpening redefining edges process you will still have an effective resolution of the original image." In your tutorial on how aggressively can I crop? you say  "I’ve stated that, loosely speaking, a good quality photo that’s greater than six megapixels can be printed as big as you like – print it on the side of a truck if you like." Can you give me some easy to understand description of what PS does when you are resizing upwards a lot? 

[Damien Symonds]

1 minute ago, Sue Morris said:

"Yes you can upscale it, but without any sharpening redefining edges process you will still have an effective resolution of the original image."

Yes, that's absolutely correct.  No argument here.

https://www.damiensymonds.net/art_resample.html

[Sue Morris]

I asked for easy to understand please. He is saying that this is why you can't print big and you are saying you can so you can't both be right!! Are you saying that PS resampling does this for you or the sharpening that you apply does.

 

[Damien Symonds]

30 minutes ago, Sue Morris said:

He is saying that this is why you can't print big

Of course he's wrong about this. Professional photographers have been printing billboards since the days of three megapixel cameras.

[Sue Morris]

I know he is wrong because I have faith you are right.  Is it the resampling or the sharpening that gives the impression of quality in the big prints?

 

[Damien Symonds]

The sharpening.

By itself, resampling does nothing, just as your correspondent said.

[Damien Symonds]

How did you go?

[Sue Morris]

I just ended up with a headache. He is determined that an image from a 16MP D4 camera can't be printed at 300ppi at 20x 30"  even though he talked about upsizing and others weighed in about resampling etc. I have just left it as a lost cause but managed to get links in to a number of your articles and a challenge for them all to take the sharpening class!

[Damien Symonds]

8 hours ago, Sue Morris said:

He is determined that an image from a 16MP D4 camera can't be printed at 300ppi at 20x 30"  even though he talked about upsizing and others weighed in about resampling etc.

Weird.