Dundela Photo Lab

[dundelaphotolab]

[dundelaphotolab]

Understanding Print Resolutions

UNDERSTANDING PRINT RESOLUTION

How Many Megapixels Do I need?

All digital cameras take pictures by chopping the scene you are photogtaphing, into a grid of squares, known as pixels.

How many pixels used depend on the sensor inside the camera, -these are measured in millions, and the number of pixels in the camera is referred to as its 'resolution'.

1 million pixels is known as a megapixel, or MP. Fujifilm cameras currently come in 2 to 14 megapixel versions.

The more pixels used to make a digital photograph, the more fine detail is captured. Where this really matters, is when you print – the more pixels you have, the bigger you can print before the picture starts to look fuzzy (pixelated).

For a digital photograph to look like a 'real' photograph, you need at LEAST 150 pixels per inch both horizontally and vertically.

So, for a standard 6x4 inch print, the minimum number of pixels, at 150 per inch, needs to be 900x600, which is about half a million pixels. This figure will increase as the print size increases in order to keep the quality. Recommended resolution is between 150 and 300 ppi (pixels per inch).

(Incidentally, Dundela Photo Lab images are printed at 400 ppi, giving you more detail than most).

The advantage of having a camera with a higher resolution, is that you have more pixels to work with, which is important when having prints made. You can produce a printout from just about any image, but the more you have to enlarge it, the more you lose the quality. Starting with a higher resolution image means there's less magnification needed to get a given print size.

Higher pixel counts also give you an advantage if you only want to use part of the image, allowing you to crop, or "cut out", and enlarge parts of the photo while still retaining enough pixels for a good quality print.

Minimum RECOMMENDED* megapixels for best quality print size:

MP (megapixels)

PRINT SIZE (inches)

2

4x6      (standard)

3

5x7

4

8x10

5

9x12

6

11x14

8

12x16

*these sizes are a ROUGH GUIDE and are in no way indicative.

PRINTER RESOLUTION

With all this talk on pixels, megapixels and dots per inch, it's easy to see why so many people get confused with resolution.

Many people wonder why everyone quotes a recommended print resolution of 150-300 PPI (pixels per inch) when their inkjet picture has a resolution of 2880 DPI (dots per inch), or higher. This is because inkjet printers use tiny dots of ink in three, four, six or seven colours to produce all the colours of the rainbow using complex 'dithering' patterns. At 2880 Dpi, there are over 8 million dots per square inch.

It takes more than one dot to represent one single pixel. There could be as many as six dots being used to represent a single pixel, otherwise you'd only get a few colours in the final print.

Your local Photo Lab uses special technology with much better resolutions than your ink jet printer. Every dot they produce is a different colour and no 'dithering' is needed, giving a far superior print quality.

[dundelaphotolab]

Avoid Disaster With Your digital Pictures!

Avoiding Disaster with your Digital Photographs – Don't lose them.....

One of the biggest benefits of digital photography is that you can take as many pictures as you want at virtually no cost.

Some people will save film negatives for generations, but when they make the switch to digital, they may never even consider the idea of making a second backup copy of their images.

Todays cvomputers come with such huge hard drives that it will take years to fill them up with digital photos, Is it very easy to store them here, but there is a downside to keeping all your irreplaceable photos and memories on your computer's hard drive.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, OR IS LOST THROUGH ACCIDENT OR THEFT YOU'RE LEFT WITH NOTHING – ESPECIALLY IF YOU PRINT ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF YOUR PHOTOS.

It is always recommended that you print and make hard copies of your precious memories, so here are a few tips on making sure your JPEGs are as safe as they can possibly be....

Backing Up

CDs – You'll be able to fit many images on a single disc. Virtually all modern PC's can burn CD's, or alternatively, ask in store for details of our CD burning service. If you really value your photos, make two copies of each CD you write and store them separately for extra safety.

Recent research shows that CD's are not a permenent storage medium and will degrade over time, so make new copies of ALL your CD's at least once a year.

DVDs – These hold around seven times more data than Cds and are good for higher resolution photos.

External Hard Drive - This enables you to access your images easily if you are using them regularly. It is still a good idea to keep a copy on a CD so that if your hard drive fails, youi still have access to your images.

REMEMBER – THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERMANENT MEANS OF DIGITAL STORAGE.

MAKE NEW COPIES OF ALL YOUR IMAGES AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.

Basic JPEG Care

JPEG files also deteriorate in quality when repeatedly edited and saved. If you are going to edit a JPEG file, it is better to make a copy to use, with a new name, rather than editing the original.

Keep the untouched original exactly as it came out of the camera, and only experiment on the copies. Even rotating an image and resaving can cause a loss in quality.

If you create a masterpiece, it's better to save it in a format that doesn't deteriorate, such as TIFF.

[dundelaphotolab]

Tips For Taking Better Pictures

Getting To Know Your Camera

When you buy a new digital camera, spend a little time acquainting yourself with its features. Choose the 'AUTO' setting, and most of your photos will turn out fine, but learning about the different camera modes will give you much more control, and be invaluable when you start taking photos.

FLASH SYMBOL  -on,  - off,  A - auto

Learn how to use the flash, and whether you need to switch it off, or on. Don't just rely on the automatic flash all the time, as sometimes it can produce better pictures by turning it off or on. For example, when outdoors, it can be good to turn the flash on to light up your subject if it is in the shade, even though the automatic flash would be off, due to the rest of the scene being brightly lit.

RED-EYE REDUCTION 

Red-eye is caused by the light reflecting off the subjects' retina in dim or dark settings. Look for the red-eye reduction setting on yourflash and, if possible, ask your subject not to look directly into the camera lens.

** from experience, the absolute best method of preventing red eye in compact cameras, is to NOT use the zoom, indoors with flash.

MACRO SYMBOL 

this setting is used for taking close up shots, such as flowers and insects and will allow you to get in really close to your subject without it going out of focus.

LANDSCAPE SYMBOL

Choose this setting for landscape pictures, to make sure both foreground and background stay in focus. Also use this setting for taking pictures through glass (eg window) to prevent the camera occassionally locking focus on the glass itself.

PORTRAIT SYMBOL 

This setting is great for close up images and will give a softer effect to the background.

MORE TIPS

Don't take the photo too far away, making your subject too small to be obvious focal point, and don't try to fit too much into one picture.

On the other hand, when printing, due to sie differing shapes of camera images and print sizes, leave a little room around the edges of your picture, to allow for overspill.

Focus your attention on the background as well as the subject...... do you really want that telegraph pole sticking out of someone's head?

When taking a picture, make sure the main subject is dominant, and not lost amongst the background.

Try turning the camera around, would a photo look more interesting if it was taken vertically rather than horizontally, or even at an angle?!

Move the subject around inside the frame, don't always keep them in the middle of the shot.

Your photos can be cropped when printed to produce a more interesting layout or bring more attrntion to your subject.

Always make sure your batteries are charged – digital cameras are much harder on power than previous, non digital cameras and as such, MANY cameras are not suited to alkaline batteries. Battery failure can also cause memory card damage, or loss of images.

Keep a spare memory card in your camera case – theres nothing worse than running out of space when you're on holiday. Nowadays, memory cards are comparatively cheaper than the cost of film, and they are, of course, re-usable!

[dundelaphotolab]

Welcome to our Dundela Photo Lab blog!

  Hi!, welcome to our Photo Lab blog,

Here we will provide current and updated information on:

services,

special offers,

reminders,

whats on in our area,

we will also be hosting a monthly photographic competition, where you can post your pictures here, with the winner each month receiving a free enlargement!

we will have a Q & A section, to answer any photographic related queries, hopefully improving your picture taking skills!

ABOUT US:

With our long established on site photo lab, we can take care of all your photographic requirements.

With our delivery service,across the country, taking care of - businesses, photographers – both professional and amateur, students, and of course, the happy holiday snappers!

Our keen and knowlegdable staff are always at hand for technical and artistic advice, with over 20 years of experience in the fields of photography, developing and printing.

Using state of the art machinery, and quality materials, to make the BEST quality photographs / prints for you

From simple ID pictures, to worldwide visa/passport photographs,

young children, babies? No problem! Child photos are one of our specialties!

a complete developing & printing service of your Digital camera pictures, or

colour negative film, black & white and even transparency ( slides)!

copies of old prints, slides, negatives,

photographic reproductions of paintings, certificates etc

giclee service for the more discerning artist / photographers!

a restoration, touch up manipulation service to 'repair' or adjust your images,

- have that crease or tear taken out, (even remove an an ex!) giving your much cherished memories a new lease of life!

Something special? Ask us what we can do to personalise your pictures,

- from beautifully crisp, clear enlargements, to poster prints, adding borders or text, canvases, montages, mousemats, coasters or even keyfobs!

Our list of services is extensive, in fact what we dont do isnt worth doing!!

Accidentally deleted or lost your photographs on memory card? Not a problem!

With our image recovery software we can recall those lost or damaged images!*

*99% success rate (approx) – provided no more photographs have been taken on the card.

We service a number of chemists / photo shops in the greater Belfast area, from the city centre, to Glengormley, to Holywood, so if the Belmont road is not convenient, give us a call, there may be an outlet on your doorstep!