Printing picture with Nikon D50

[petershin_95]

Hi guys. i have a quick question.
I am interested in printing a certain picture, but i was wondering, what is the largest size picture i can print with my Nikon D50 without any pixelation problems?
i've been printing 8 x 10 and they look great, but now would like to see how much bigger i can print without looking funny.

Please let me know. thanx guys.

Peter

[Photo-John]

Peter-
Image setup is the key. I've made 24x36 inch prints from 4-megapixel cameras. So I don't think you have anything to worry about. If you want to do a test, enlarge the image to the size you want, crop out an 8x10 piece, and print that. That will tell you about the quality.

I use Photoshop bicubic interpolation to resize my images and usually set them up to print at about 250 dpi (file resolution).

Let me know if you have more questions. Basically, your camera will be fine for almost any print size you want. But you may need to learn to set up your files if you want to get the best quality.

[petershin_95]

Peter-
Image setup is the key. I've made 24x36 inch prints from 4-megapixel cameras. So I don't think you have anything to worry about. If you want to do a test, enlarge the image to the size you want, crop out an 8x10 piece, and print that. That will tell you about the quality.

I use Photoshop bicubic interpolation to resize my images and usually set them up to print at about 250 dpi (file resolution).

Let me know if you have more questions. Basically, your camera will be fine for almost any print size you want. But you may need to learn to set up your files if you want to get the best quality.

ic...24x36 is the exact size i would like to print.
Do you happen to have any links so i could learn of how to set up to print such size?
Thanx...

Peter

[Photo-John]

I don't have any links. But I'll be happy to help and then this can be a link

What software do you have? How do you plan to have the print made?

[petershin_95]

I don't have any links. But I'll be happy to help and then this can be a link

What software do you have? How do you plan to have the print made?

right now i use Photoshop CS2.
Thinking about getting the print done at a camera shop, maybe have ritz print it for me?
looking to be printing 24" x 36" prints.

[WsW-WYATT-EARP]

interested to see how this is done ... this thread will become a bookmark for me ....

[Photo-John]

What do you want to do with the print? For something that size I'd go with a really good fine-art printer. I wouldn't trust Ritz if it's something that's important to you.

CS2 is perfect for setting up the photo. I like to set up my image files at 250 dpi for printing. Since printer output resolution is generally around 300 dpi, setting them up at 250 allows for a little "hardware interpolation." I think that smooths things out a little and looks better than sizing at 300 dpi. Your D50 files are approximately 8x12 inches at 250 dpi and they'll be 83 dpi at 36 inches. That's not enough for printing. But if we resize with Photoshop bicubic interpolation, it should print fine.

I just tested it with a test file that I set up at 2000 x 3008. I did the resizing in two steps to keep it smooth. If you make a change that big in one whack it often gets kinda weird. First I resized from 83 to 150 dpi. Then I resized to 250 dpi. After that I viewed at print size. That's important since looking at your images at 100% will always make it look worse than actual viewing size. You'll also want to sharpen your image before printing. I sharpened mine at Amount: 300 / Radius 0.8 / Threshold 3. For sharpening I view at 25% or 50%. If you view your image at print size, it's often a weird ratio that Photoshop doesn't display well. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.

After you get it resized and sharpened, save it as a TIFF. It's gonna be a huge file - about 150 megabytes. But that's what you want for the best quality print. A maximum quality JPEG is actually fine these days. But TIFF is still the best way to do it if you want to be sure you're getting the absolute best. You should also learn a little about color management to ensure your color is as good as it can be. Often a printer will be able to provide a "printer profile" that will ensure your print matches what you see on your computer screen - given your monitor is also profiled.

Ok - that's all I've got the energy for right now. I'm sure you'll have questions. I'll do my best to answer. I hope I can help you learn to do this yourself. Sounds like you've got the right equipment. And it's better to teach a man to fish...

[petershin_95]

What do you want to do with the print? For something that size I'd go with a really good fine-art printer. I wouldn't trust Ritz if it's something that's important to you.

CS2 is perfect for setting up the photo. I like to set up my image files at 250 dpi for printing. Since printer output resolution is generally around 300 dpi, setting them up at 250 allows for a little "hardware interpolation." I think that smooths things out a little and looks better than sizing at 300 dpi. Your D50 files are approximately 8x12 inches at 250 dpi and they'll be 83 dpi at 36 inches. That's not enough for printing. But if we resize with Photoshop bicubic interpolation, it should print fine.

I just tested it with a test file that I set up at 2000 x 3008. I did the resizing in two steps to keep it smooth. If you make a change that big in one whack it often gets kinda weird. First I resized from 83 to 150 dpi. Then I resized to 250 dpi. After that I viewed at print size. That's important since looking at your images at 100% will always make it look worse than actual viewing size. You'll also want to sharpen your image before printing. I sharpened mine at Amount: 300 / Radius 0.8 / Threshold 3. For sharpening I view at 25% or 50%. If you view your image at print size, it's often a weird ratio that Photoshop doesn't display well. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.

After you get it resized and sharpened, save it as a TIFF. It's gonna be a huge file - about 150 megabytes. But that's what you want for the best quality print. A maximum quality JPEG is actually fine these days. But TIFF is still the best way to do it if you want to be sure you're getting the absolute best. You should also learn a little about color management to ensure your color is as good as it can be. Often a printer will be able to provide a "printer profile" that will ensure your print matches what you see on your computer screen - given your monitor is also profiled.

Ok - that's all I've got the energy for right now. I'm sure you'll have questions. I'll do my best to answer. I hope I can help you learn to do this yourself. Sounds like you've got the right equipment. And it's better to teach a man to fish...

cool thanx. ill do that method. would do it now but my comp is being repaired.
thanx for all the help.
where would you recomend getting the picture printed? there are local shops around my house but not too sure how good they are.

Peter

[Photo-John]

where would you recomend getting the picture printed? there are local shops around my house but not too sure how good they are.

Is this a nice landscape, portrait, or something else where final quality is really important? If so, then I think it would be worthwhile getting it printed at a pro lab on either a high-end inkjet like the newest Epsons, or a digital optical printer like the LightJet or Chromira. I don't know what's available in your area, but with digital you can usually upload or FTP large files and get the print shipped to you. Here are a few labs that I've used and know to do excellent work:

Picture Eelement
Calypso Imaging
Pictopia

If you don't feel like you need the best, then try some of the more consumer-oriented online services like Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Printroom.com, Shutterfly, etc. And you can also try your local Ritz. I don't know how the quality will be, though.

[petershin_95]

Is this a nice landscape, portrait, or something else where final quality is really important? If so, then I think it would be worthwhile getting it printed at a pro lab on either a high-end inkjet like the newest Epsons, or a digital optical printer like the LightJet or Chromira. I don't know what's available in your area, but with digital you can usually upload or FTP large files and get the print shipped to you. Here are a few labs that I've used and know to do excellent work:

Picture Eelement
Calypso Imaging
Pictopia

If you don't feel like you need the best, then try some of the more consumer-oriented online services like Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Printroom.com, Shutterfly, etc. And you can also try your local Ritz. I don't know how the quality will be, though.

cool thanx a lot. Ill def. check out the sites. Thanx for all your help.!

[WsW-WYATT-EARP]

some great info here !!

THANKS JOHN !!!

[Photo-John]

some great info here !!

THANKS JOHN !!!

No problem. I aim to educate! And fine-art photo printing is what I did before we built PhotographyREVIEW.com. I used to work for Calypso Imaging. And the guy who owns Pixel Element was the digital department manager at Calyso.