How to make a High res image?

[Irishjdk]

Hello all, this is really just a settings question (I hope) I am making a logo to go in front of a film, so it will be very large when done, probably a 4K film. I am wondering if anyone knows the best settings for such a ting? Or if illustrator is better, and if so what would be the settings there? Thank you for your time!

[Mylenium]

You have to create the image at the correct target resolution or larger from the getgo. There is no magic beyond that. The most common broadcast 4k flavors are 3840 x 2160 or 4096 x 2160 pixels.

Mylenium

[Irishjdk]

Thank you. What about the resolution and color mode?

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

Resolution doesn't apply here. That's a print parameter.

If it's a one-off, you can just design at the final pixel dimensions. In a 4K canvas, anything between 1000 to 2000 pixels or thereabout. The DCI 4K standard specifies 4096 × 2160 pixels.

Without knowing the final dimensions, it's probably best to design as vector in Illustrator, so that you can scale freely later.

[Irishjdk]

Thank you, so it wouldn't matter if I left it at the default 75 that it seems to load?

[D Fosse]

72, 300, 10 000, 3.14...doesn't matter. This is a matter of pixels. One image pixel goes to one screen pixel.

[Irishjdk]

Thank you. So what may I ask is the resolution option for? When would it be necessary and what is a good default setting?

[Rob de Winter]

Resolution is used for print. In general, when printing, mostly a 300 dots per inch image is asked for. Actually, the resolution changes when scaling the image in software like InDesign (If you make the image larger, it reduces the resolution, if you make the image smaller, it increases the resolution). If you have to deliver an image to a print shop directly from Photoshop, the best setting will be 300 pixels per inch, and of course the amount of pixels you need. For web mostly 72pixels per inch is used, but actually it doesn't matter there, because every image pixel is placed on a screen pixel.

[Dynamic Office]

Stick to 72dpi,

dpi by definition means Dots Per Inch, so 72 dots per inch of the image.

If you take a 72 dpi image and print it, because it's only displaying 72 dots per inch it will most likely print out very pixilated, for printing, I would use 300 dpi - maybe even higher depending on the canvas size.

but if you're just working digitally you should stick with 72 dpi

[D Fosse]

charlesd8830180  wrote

but if you're just working digitally you should stick with 72 dpi

Yes, 72 is as good as anything else, if you have to put something in there.

But just so we're perfectly clear on this: If it's intended for screen viewing - which it is in this case - the ppi setting is moot and irrelevant. This is why Save For Web and Export just strip this piece of metadata out of the file entirely. It's redundant, not needed.

If, by chance, you change your mind and decide to print such a file, and it doesn't have a ppi setting, Photoshop will assign 72. This is just a default number, again, as good as anything else. You can change it arbitrarily without affecting the image data - it will just print larger or smaller with the same number of pixels.

The reason this is so, is that a computer display, or cinema projector, or TV screen, all have their own native resolution. There already is a pixel grid that the image pixels align to - you don't have to make one up. That's what the ppi figure is - a made-up, imaginary pixel grid.

[gener7]

Wayne Fulton goes in depth on where 72 and 96 ppi myth came from and why it tends to stay around:

"The 72 or 96 dpi numbers are NEVER used to show images on the monitor screen. There is no concept of inches or dpi in the video system. Those logical inch dpi numbers are only used as a crude approximation to size text fonts on the screen. The size results are not very accurate, but we have nothing better for text fonts. These numbers have absolutely NOTHING to do with showing images on any screen, no way, no how, not then, not now, no matter how many times you hear others that don't understand it tell you otherwise (they are also victims, and are just parroting what they heard too)."

Very long story here: Say No to 72 dpi and Say No to 72 dpi - Continued

It's easier to dispel a myth if you know what it originally meant.

Gene

[D Fosse]

gener7  wrote

Very long story here: Say No to 72 dpi and Say No to 72 dpi - Continued

In addition to the present discussion, this should also be very useful reading for those who can't understand why Photoshop displays at "half the real size"(!) on retina / 4K screens. After reading this, I can't imagine how it would be even possible to still not understand it.

I'll bookmark this and keep it ready. It might be needed soon.

[ohs84156984]

?? Outlook for Android

[gener7]

Your Outlook program is not posting your response in the forums. It's best to access the forums directly, not via email.