printed picture size

[deerhunter_98520]

I took a picture this fall that I want to get enlarged for a Xmas present..its 3000x4512...how do I figure out how big of a picture I can print before it gets distorted

[Bean Counter]

What is the intended viewing distance? This is important. Highway billboards aren't shot with a 100 megapixel camera. their acceptable detail coupled with it's viewing distance and size means you can cover it with an 8-10 megapixel camera easily. Next time you're in a Wells Fargo Bank they have those huge stage coach wall murals just walk up too one and watch the details get uglier the closer you are.

By your given dimensions I Assume it was shot in portrait orientation and not landscape? If the image is intended to preserve/show off lots of fine details you will need more ppi, or pixels per inch. Could need as many as 300ppi, or 10x15 inches. If it's a portrait of a kid  or something of the like then 150ppi or even less could be plenty and allow a much larger print. That would be 20x30". 

Did you shoot the photo in RAW? What photo editor are you using? I can cheat when I use Lightroom. It upsamples quite impressively. Pardon the pun but need more details. 

[deerhunter_98520]

I ended up just going with a 14x20 and it turned out pretty good....my better half doesn't have much patience and wanted to get it done    I didn't use the highest setting for image quality...I didn't realize it till I got home after I took all the  pics  I'm very new to the DSLR and still have so Much to learn....I don't have a photo editor....its just a pic I took out lookin for elk and wanted to blow it up for a Xmas present....and I have no idea what RAW is 

[Bean Counter]

To shoot in raw means to capture every single pixel worth of data that your sensor records. Ever wonder why your 14 megapixel camera puts out 2-3 megapixel photos and not 14 megapixel photos? Jpegs are compressed files that will sample a large field of consistent values, say a blue sky, and just define that field with the same one color. By shooting in RAW you literally preserve details you didn't know were there, such as detail in the shadows that can be recovered in post processing. With Jpeg they will often be gone or have tons more noise upon recovery.

If you don't have time to figure any of this out and don't plan to buy a photo editor in the near future, you could shoot RAW + JPG. Every time you slam the trigger you will get both a RAW file and a JPG. That way, if you shoot a real keeper from now until when you chose to learn more, you can always come back to it when you get the chance and in the mean time will continue to have your camera do your sharpening, saturation, etc all for, one nice benefit of jpegs (in camera processing).

[deerhunter_98520]

Thanks for that explanation...makes a lot more sense now...I just need to find someone around here that knows a lot about them to show me how to use all the settings...I'm slowly trying to learn and would love to get into editing and taking some nice wildlife photos...I went up during the rut looking for elk in the Olympic national park and it was just as much fun as hunting for them

[runamuk]

Oh heck you dont need to learn all the settings just the ones for what you are trying to shoot.  Thats an awesome picture and you might look into lightroom for editing to start its actually not too bad even though I still dont really like its handling of files in my computer.  Lightroom has a great feature for preparing an image for printing its even better when you have your own printer or in my case I had access to the printer in the photo lab.  It was fun 11x17 is pretty standard for the high quality prints.  Other places use the old standby print sizes 11x14 8x10 etc.  You can also alter the image size using the white border.  have fun and be prepared to need a computer upgrade if you get hooked photo storage and editing uses a ton of space and your life is easier if your computer is set up for it.

[huntnphool]

Oh heck you dont need to learn all the settings just the ones for what you are trying to shoot.  Thats an awesome picture and you might look into lightroom for editing to start its actually not too bad even though I still dont really like its handling of files in my computer.  Lightroom has a great feature for preparing an image for printing its even better when you have your own printer or in my case I had access to the printer in the photo lab.  It was fun 11x17 is pretty standard for the high quality prints.  Other places use the old standby print sizes 11x14 8x10 etc.  You can also alter the image size using the white border.  have fun and be prepared to need a computer upgrade if you get hooked photo storage and editing uses a ton of space and your life is easier if your computer is set up for it.

 Just be aware that your camera does not shoot 11x14 or 8x10 format, so if you use Costco, KMart, Target or Walgreens type places for printing, your image will be cut down to fit their formats. If you want your entire image printed you might try places like http://perfectposters.com

 They will print your full image, the way it was captured with the camera and appears on your computer screen, without cropping off the ends.

[runamuk]

Oh heck you dont need to learn all the settings just the ones for what you are trying to shoot.  Thats an awesome picture and you might look into lightroom for editing to start its actually not too bad even though I still dont really like its handling of files in my computer.  Lightroom has a great feature for preparing an image for printing its even better when you have your own printer or in my case I had access to the printer in the photo lab.  It was fun 11x17 is pretty standard for the high quality prints.  Other places use the old standby print sizes 11x14 8x10 etc.  You can also alter the image size using the white border.  have fun and be prepared to need a computer upgrade if you get hooked photo storage and editing uses a ton of space and your life is easier if your computer is set up for it.

 Just be aware that your camera does not shoot 11x14 or 8x10 format, so if you use Costco, KMart, Target or Walgreens type places for printing, your image will be cut down to fit their formats. If you want your entire image printed you might try places like http://perfectposters.com

 They will print your full image, the way it was captured with the camera and appears on your computer screen, without cropping off the ends.

yeah I guess I left off a bunch of how to edit and prep for print.  I am not a photographer so I only use that info when I am actually making something like a print.

[deerhunter_98520]

Here's another I printed out...I used Walmart to print it and I did have to crop it...I'll look into lightroom....I keep seen that name come up so I'll give it a shot....I'm mostly going to be taking wildlife pics and pics of my kids so whatever settings at best for those is what I need to learn....I need to get a bigger lenses also I only have the 18-55 that came with the camera

[deerhunter_98520]

[huntnphool]

Nice shot, look up "the rule of thirds"

[deerhunter_98520]

Thanks....do you use manual focus over auto focus? I found myself going back and forth and had some great shots out of focus and didn't realize it till I had them on a big screen...I'll loom hat up now thanks 

[runamuk]

I only use manual focus and I constantly mess with f stops and shutter speed but I am always experimenting.  I dont own a dslr but do have a raw shooting ultra zoom and I only shoot lets just call it portrait style.  no landscapes no wildlife really.  I make art I dont claim to be a photographer.  Lightroom works seemlessly with photoshop but is much cheaper and offers all the basic editing so unless you want to work with layers and effects its a good starting point.
My last photography professor loved it and how it catalogs images I hate it makes me nuts and I end up with everything triplicated so I can find stuff. 

[boneaddict]

Both.  It depends on how busy it is around your subject.   Depth of field etc. or where you want your focus point to be.   I usually keep on auto then switch to manual.   Faster on pulling the trigger that way

[deerhunter_98520]

I think that was part of my problem...if you see in the first pic there's some roots in the middle of the pic out of focus....I was hiding in a huge root wad of a fallen tree taking pics through little openings and the camera kept trying to focus on that instead of the elk