Lots of Sizing Questions

[shannonlovebug]

Sorry for so many questions...I am making a book of my daughter's first year (using baby girl book template) and I want it to turn out perfect. I am NOT using photoshop or any other similar program in case that matters.

1- What does this mean...2560x1920x24b...whats that 24b all about?

2- How do I find out how many dpi a photo is? I checked my properties and still cant find that info.

3- A lot of my photos are 2560x1920...I read that this is larger than required so does that mean if I use it in small mold (say like 4 or 6 to a page) its not going to print clearly?

4- I read somewhere that the kb needs to be 880..What if I have a photo with a high resolution (say 1600x1200) and the kb is only 270 is that okay? Will it still be clear?

5- One of my photos is 1040x778 and 32.6kb...how big can I make this and still look good? I currently have it set to a one picture mold with text box underneath so almost a full bleed but not quite. Will this work?

6- Should I just trust that if there is not a red line that it will look fine and not worry about all of the above?

[shannonlovebug]

One more question...

the photo I want to use for my cover is 1964x1576 and 159 kb...Will this turn out okay? It's a full bleed

[Cruiser]

Your size is small but with your resolution, your pictures might print fine. Start your book and bring in some of your pictures to a full page (full bleed) template. If you have a blue line around them, then your picture should print fine. Most of my pictures are at least 2263 x 1709 resolution at 200 dpi. Its the low kb that I'm concerned about in your pictures. The software might cut off some of your tops and sides. You can use the Zoom In or Zoom Out tool to show more of your picture. If you choose a background color it will show when you zoom out.

You may only be able to use your pictures in a multi picture page like 6 to 9 per page. If these are pictures you previously uploaded to a program like Picassa, they most likely will not print well.

I always recommend that folks use a photo processing program like Photoshop Elements 6 to do some photo adjustments. The program is a baby version of the full sized Photoshop. Its that kind of program that shows your dpi and gives you the ability to change the size. Remember, you can reduce a picture but you can't increase it because the pixels are already gone.

If you will post a personal message with your email address, I will contact you offline to see if I can help you out.

[shannonlovebug]

Maybe Mypublisher can answer some of these questions for me too???

Thanks!

[mypublisher]

HI Shannon - as far as resolution, its best to drag the image into the mold and check for the blue line around it. If it is red, it is too low of a resolution for print. If the images came off a digital camera, chances are they will print perfectly well, if you took them from the web, they are generally not print quality. I do hope this helps.

Cruiser also offered some great suggestions!

[smuddlepuddle]

1. 24b = 24 bit. 3 channels (colours) x 8 bits each. It's standard for jpegs so if you don't know what that means then you don't have to worry about it. :)
2. dpi = dots per inch
you didn't mention how large your photos will be printed but this decides the dpi. If you print a photo that's 2560 pixels wide on a 15'' wide photo template for instance then the dpi will be 2560/15 = 170 (1 pixel = 1 dot on a printer). Print it on a 5'' wide template and it will be 2560/5 = 512. your computer will often tell you a ppi (pixels per inch) which in theory means the same thing as long as the picture knows how wide in inches it is (which unless you edit it in PS or something else then it won't unfortunately.)
3. Dunno sorry. Feel free to pester mypublisher about this one as i'm curious myself.
4. 880kb is just a guide but below that seems very low. 1600 by 1200 pixels will give you good dpi as long as you don't print larger than 8-10'' say.
5. That seems way to low for a jpeg so it might be heavily compressed. if you want a dpi of 180, what they recommend, then 5-6'' wide max.
6. yes.

Generally it seems like the file sizes are a bit on the small side for your resolution. If the pics are coming straight from your camera then you may want to check the settings on it to make sure the photo quality is set to fine as opposed to low.

[mypublisher]

Thanks for chiming in!

[shannonlovebug]

Thanks very much!

[mypublisher]

Glad that we could help!!! :)