Is there a simple answer for enlargements?

F-Stop

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I have an uncropped photo from my D80. I'm wanting a 30x20 printed. I'm exporting from Lightroom and I have access to CS3 extended.

Is there a simple answer? After much research, I'm beginning to think no.

Do I export from Lightroom at 300dpi and let my printer do the upresing for me? Please help. lol
 
Hi Fstop
I'd do the resizing in photoshop, for a 30x20inch you don't need 300dpi, large prints should be viewed from a distance, you could go as low as 150dpi, just put a sofa in front of it, so no-one can get too close.

Cheers

Dave
 
For my design work I use a Photoshop plug-in called Genuine Fractals.

It's $160 or you can use the 30-day trial (it watermarks your image but this can be cloned/healed out).

I've recently enlarged an image from a D50 (3008x2000 pixels) up to A0 (841 ×1189mm or 33.1×46.8 Inches)

That's a pretty huge enlargement but GF works a treat. Obviously I need to keep things at 300dpi so this software is invaluable but as Dave says, you may not need 300dpi.

Panzer
 
Thanks for tips guys...

I just read that my printer uses the RIP software for enlargements and whatnot. I'm thinking that I should just export to a JPEG or TIFF at their recommended 254dpi and just let them worry about the upresing?
 
Thanks for tips guys...

I just read that my printer uses the RIP software for enlargements and whatnot. I'm thinking that I should just export to a JPEG or TIFF at their recommended 254dpi and just let them worry about the upresing?

Any thoughts? I've since read that the RIP technology is pretty slick.
 
The Rip software is very good, I knew a bloke that used it for printing to canvas etc.
 
I decided to let the printer worry about the upresing... I'll let you guys know how it turned out if anyone is interested. :)

That should get you as good a result as any. You don't need to fuss about upressing the shot yourself :)
 
I have a 30 x 20inch enlarged photo infront of me now, done several more too. It's easily & effectively done simply by using the "image size" tool in photoshop (Cs3 has the best of the Photoshop family algorhythms for upsizing).

After resizing apply the sharpening

simon
 
That should get you as good a result as any. You don't need to fuss about upressing the shot yourself :)

Cheers. Hopefully I'll find out this week. :)

I have a 30 x 20inch enlarged photo infront of me now, done several more too. It's easily & effectively done simply by using the "image size" tool in photoshop (Cs3 has the best of the Photoshop family algorhythms for upsizing).

After resizing apply the sharpening

simon

Yeah, I started to use this process with CS3 Extended's bicubic smoother, but instead decided on the approach a few posts back. If that doesn't work, I'm giving the upsized in CS3 a shot. :)

Thanks for comments guys.
 
I don't know if this helps but I've a copy of Michael Reickmans, and Jeff Schewe Video from Camera to Print. In this the discuss a number of aspects relating to printing.

The gist of the part on resizing for printing is "leave it to the printer" . The software is designed for that job. Doing the resizing elsewhere simply adds additional pixels not information. Seems logical. I've had several images printed up to 20 x 30 on photographic printers, and always left the printer software to do the work. Never had any problems
 
Any thoughts? I've since read that the RIP technology is pretty slick.

Hi F Stop

Certain printers have RIP software and, if the printer supports, will upscale by default anyway.

However, as mentioned above, for anything too large then Genuine Fractals is the way to go.

The largest I have printed (was this week actually) was 1m x 22m as a constant sheet. This was upscaled using GF also.

Cheers

Lee
 
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