Month: May 2011

The concepts of DPI and Image Resolution create unnecessary confusion. In this article I will show you how to determine the exact image resolution you require for your print projects. This will give you the knowledge you need to never pay for a larger image size than you require, and thus save you money on your projects.

Is there such a thing as a 300 DPI Image?

Not really. DPI stands for “Dots per Inch” and simply tells you how many dots your printer will print per inch across a page. Digital image resolution on the other hand is measured in pixels. They are two completely different animals.

You need to know the DPI of your printer before you can determine the image resolution you will require for your print projects. DPI varies widely. A very fine 300 or higher DPI is usually used for magazines, brochures, etc. when close up quality is required. A billboard will typically use a coarse DPI, such as 50.

Simple Math

We can use elementary school math to determine the image resolution we need to purchase. All we need to do is multiply the DPI of our printer by the height and width (in inches) of our final print. Continue reading “Understanding DPI and Resolution”

Photographers who are new in the field may encounter a lot of theories, terms and rules. One of the most common among these is the ever famous “Rule-of-Thirds”.

The rule of thirds basically lets us imagine breaking an image into 3 parts, both in horizontal and vertical direction. After doing so, you can see a total of 9 squares equally divided. The points where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect are what we call the points of interest. There should be four points of interest – these are the areas where we put the focal point of an image, or where you might consider placing interesting points from your image. Not only does it add interaction with your viewer, but also the horizontal and vertical lines help you identify where you put other elements in which are also vital in the wholeness of your photo.

A good example of this is to imagine a bee sucking nectar from a beautiful flower. Usually, if your subject is a person or an animal, the point of interest can be found on the eyes or wherever you want the viewers to draw their attention to. For the given example, you can either put the imagined upper left point of interest, on the eye of the bee. This provides proper framing and gives a dramatic effect on the portrait. Continue reading “Rule of Thirds in Photography”