How do I find the dpi on a digital photo?

[Monnie]

I've got 4 different photo programs on my computer including Photoshop Elements, but I can't find anything that tells me the dpi on my digital photos. On occasion, I've needed to send a digital photo to someone at, say, 300 dpi -- and the only option I could find was to make a print, then scan it at that resolution and resave on the computer. Surely there's a way -- what am I missing? Help!

[ken1953]

The easiest way to save a picture for email or the web, for me, is to use PSElements...Go to File, Save for email or web and then adjust it for the size you need. In PSE2, it allows me to set it by %age or by pixels. It's actually pretty easy!!! Hope this helps...
Ken

PS...after you save for web...make sure you don't save your original at the web settings. When I close my main pictures, it always asks if I want to save the changes...I always say no!!! Use Save As to make a couple of copies and mess around with the save changes...that way you won't mess up your originals until you learn what you are doing...
Ken

[another view]

I don't have Elements, but if it's like most versions of Photoshop just go into Re-Size. It will show you the pixel dimensions of the image, and also the print size and resolution. That printing resolution is the dpi.

I take it you need to send an image to someone that's ready to print - if this is the case, then you can adjust to 300dpi from there. Not that you'd always need to print at 300dpi, but that's a whole 'nother discussion...

[Norfindel]

DPI only comes into play when printing, that's why image programs won't show this info very frequently. It's only a reference to the printer, it tells "print 300 of this image pixels on 1 inch of paper".
If you change this number on the resize window in photoshop, the image will be resampled to match the quantity of pixels needed to get the print size. For example: 10 inches print size at 300 dpi = 3000 pixels.
Note that, if desired, you can change this number without changing the image itself by using resize and unchecking the resampling algorithm, but in this way the print size will change. For example: if the image was 100 dpi, and you change it to 300 dpi without resampling the image, the image will print 1/3 of the original size, but won't modify a single pixel on the image.
You can also modify the print size in this way, but photoshop will recalculate dpi based on your input, whitout changing any pixel in the image.
Finally, most programs can print images in any size you want, regardless of the number of dpi recorded on the image header.

[Mike Platts]

see attachments...

[JSPhoto]

As Mike shows, just make certain "Constrain Proportions" is checked or it may do some odd things to your photo

JS