Image Formatting. Microsoft Digital Image Suite 10

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Chapter 4: Digital Image Basics

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Image Formatting

When you have a picture open on the canvas, there are a number of ways to re-size or re-orient it.

Changing picture size

When you open an image onto the canvas, the on-screen representation of the image is automatically sized so that it fills the workspace. As a result, a high resolution image, such as 1600 x 1200 pixels, will look as large as a low resolution image that’s only 640 x 480 pixels. For this reason, viewing a picture on the canvas is not a reliable way of judging an image’s resolution.

Whenever you resize an image, consider these three factors:

• Image size, which is the size of the printed image.

• Pixel dimensions, which is how many colored dots (pixels) make up the picture.

• Resolution, which is the density of the pixels in the picture.

The image size is the product of the pixel dimensions multiplied by the resolution. For example, if you have a picture made of 1200 x 1800 pixels and print it at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch, it will print at a size of 4" x 6". Given this relationship, if you change one of the three settings, one of the other settings will also have to change to keep the relationship equal. If you enlarged the picture in the previous example from 4" x 6" to 8" x 12"—and you kept the pixel dimensions the same—then the resolution would decrease from 300 pixels per inch to 150 pixels per inch.

When you resize a picture, it is generally not a good idea to try to increase or decrease the pixel dimensions since this reduces image quality. In most cases, it’s not necessary to adjust the image size, since that can be handled automatically during printing. For high-quality prints, it’s generally good to keep the picture’s resolution at least 300 pixels per inch. But depending on you printer model and the image quality you desire, you may be satisfied with prints at only 150 pixels per inch. For Web use, 72 pixels per inch is usually considered sufficient.

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To resize a picture:

1. On the Format menu, click Resize Image.

2. Click one of the following to lock the setting:

•

Image size

•

Pixel dimensions

•

Resolution

3. Enter amounts for the settings you want to change.

4. Click Done.

Microsoft Digital Image Suite User’s Manual

Chapter 4: Digital Image Basics

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Microsoft Digital Image Suite User’s Manual