72 dpi work for a little picture?

[lordbongo]

I have a few pictures that are 72dpi b/c my old camera was not functioning properly. Unfortunately these pictures are some of the first pictures of my daughter... taken immediately after birth... so I'd really like to use them.

As long as I don't see a red line (so I make them small enough that doesn't happen) will they not be too blurry??? :confused: :confused: :confused:

Pls help - I've put so much work into this I'm sooo nervous of screwing up!


Thanks in advance

Lisa

[mypublisher]

Hi Lisa,

To ensure that your images are printed to our highest standards, it's crucial that they conform to the following specifications:

--- FILE FORMAT ---------------------------------

Your images must be saved as JPEG files (file ends in .jpg or .jpeg)

--- IMAGE SIZE ---------------------------------

Image size requirements (in pixels) ultimately depend on the desired printed size.

The software will warn you if you have used a photo that has insufficient resolution for the size you have chosen. These images will be outlined in red as opposed to blue. Reduce the size of any red outlined images (by using the Zoom Out button) until the outline turns from red to blue; otherwise, images will not print clearly and may appear pixelated.

If, on the other hand, your images slightly exceed the specs, or are used in a smaller size in the book (in a four per page layout for example), your software will downsize them accordingly – no adjustments are necessary.

The following image sizes (in pixels) represent the minimum dimensions for the largest images (one photo per page) in each of our products:

- Paperback PocketBooks: 1500x1150 pixels
- Classic Hardcover Books: 2150x1700 pixels
- Deluxe Hardcover Books: 2850x2225 pixels

The maximum dimensions are:

- Paperback PocketBooks: 2250 x1725 pixels
- Classic Hardcover Books: 3225x2550 pixels
- Deluxe Hardcover Books: 4275x3338 pixels

--- RESIZING ---------------------------------

If you have a lot of large images that exceed the maximum specs listed above, you may want to consider resizing them with a third party image editor prior to bringing them into your software.

While your software is capable of sizing the images accordingly when the book is purchased, resizing them first using a dedicated image editor will give rise to better performance while making the book, as well as faster uploads.

--- USING THIRD PARTY IMAGE EDITING SOFTWARE ---------------------

If you are using photo editing software to create or edit your images, please keep these points in mind:

~ Use sRGB or RGB when enhancing photos – no CMYK.
~ Use sRGB or RGB for black and white photos – no Grayscale.
~ Remove any vectors, slices or layers from your images.

IMPORTANT: Please allow a 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch 'gutter' around all sides of these images to allow for cropping. Without this allowance, any text or image elements near the edges of the image will be cut off when the book is printed.

--- ASPECT RATIO ---------------------------------

If you want to use square images in your book, we recommend that you use a third party image editor to create a rectangular document that maintains a 4:3 aspect ratio, using at least the minimum specs listed above.

You can then place the square image into this rectangular document, allowing a border or background to occupy the remaining space in the rectangle.

Inserting this rectangular image with the 4:3 aspect ratio into the templates in your softwarewill ensure that images with differing aspect ratios are printed without distortion or cropping. This also holds true for any image whose aspect ratio differs from that of the book – ie, panoramic or widescreen images.

--- VIEWING IMAGE DETAILS -----------------------------

To verify specific information about your images, you'll need to take the following steps. Please note that you cannot do this from within your software– this information can only be acquired from the original image file.

PC Users

~ Right click on the image
~ Left click 'Properties' from the menu that follows
~ Left click on the Summary tab
~ Left click on Advanced

Mac Users

~ Right (or ctrl) click on the image
~ Left click 'Get Info' from the menu that follows
~ Left click on the 'More Info' arrow

From here, you can view an image's pixel dimensions.

Best Regards,

MyPublisher

[kmk_01kmk]

You probably want to be more concerned about the picture's dimension in pixels, not necessarily the DPI. If there aren't enough pixels, MyPublisher will highlight the picture in red.

Here's a link Cruiser posted which clarified DPI to me:
http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/mythdpi.html

If the dimensions are too small you may not be able to put them 1 picture on a page, but you very well could still be able to put multiple pictures on a page. If you can make nice prints with your jpgs, you should be able to use them.

[MyPublisherQA]

If there is no red outline when the images are placed then it should be fine! No need to think in terms of DPI and resolution, just drop in images and check for a red outline.