image size

[kathrynb71230739]

I shoot in RAW on a Canon 600d which is 12mp and although my images are good, they are very small in size (about 30X40cm), is this right? If i want to achieve images that can be printed bigger do i just need a camera with more MP's (I will be getting a 5D mark IV this month) or am i doing something wrong when i am processing the files?

Thanks

Kathryn

[John Waller]

Focus on pixels rather than cm.

The 600D has an 18 Mega Pixel sensor (5184 x 3456). That's plenty for lots of details and enormous prints.

How are you importing them in to Lightroom? Are you sure you're not viewing thumbnails rather than the full Raw file?

[kathrynb71230739]

Thanks John! You’re right the pixels are more so I will ignore the size in cm’s.

when I zoom in more than 100% it still looks good but I just wanted to make Sure before I order a print that comes out blurry!

im just importing into photoshop using the RAW converter, definitely not the thumbnail!

[dj_paige]

At 150 pixels per inch, you could print at 34.56 in x 23.04 in, that's pretty big.

[kathrynb71230739]

Thanks dj, it’s weird it is that resolution but the image size is listed as 10x17 inch!

[dj_paige]

kathrynb71230739  wrote

Thanks dj, it’s weird it is that resolution but the image size is listed as 10x17 inch!

Did you crop the photo?

[Just Shoot Me]

From some of your comments it looks like you have the camera set to capture images in the 16:9 ratio. Check your settings in the camera and set it to capture images in the native ratio of the sensor which should be 3:2.

But if you are shooting RAW they should already be in the 3:2 ratio.

So maybe you are somehow cropping the images to the 16:9 ratio. Your comment about 10 x 17 inches.

With a native 3:2 ratio you should be able to print 12" x 18" on 13" x 19" paper with a 1/2" border on all sides. That's at a PPI/DPI setting of 288. If you went to 180 PPI/DPI print you could go to 28+" wide x 19+" tall.

You need to read up on printing and viewing of images. The larger the print the viewing distance increase and with that the PPI/DPI needed is reduced. That is why a billboard look sharp from hundreds of feet away.

[Jao vdL]

You need to read up on printing and viewing of images. The larger the print the viewing distance increase and with that the PPI/DPI needed is reduced. That is why a billboard look sharp from hundreds of feet away.

This is a very important comment. I have printed images from a 12 MP camera at 6 feet long and they hang in a office hallway and similar places. People that view the prints all remark on how incredibly sharp and detailed they are. I can easily see the limitations since I know what to look for but normal people don't walk up to half a meter distance and pixel peep. They stand at a distance where you can see the whole thing and take the whole image in and are amazed. Yes, higher megapixels mean in principle more detailed prints but you have to take into account how people view the images. Note that a modern 4K television set only has 8 megapixels of resolution and people put 60" versions of those in their homes and can't see the pixels.