Photo formats and sizes for printing. Comparison of photo formats with A4
I propose to consider what kind of animals these are - JPG and RAW photo formats, what they affect and when you should pay attention to them. What is the photo size and file weight, how they are measured and what they depend on.
Almost all photo cameras can save photos in JPG format (even phone and tablet cameras). In all SLR and non-SLR cameras, as well as in advanced compacts, in addition to JPG, there is at least RAW and RAW +, and sometimes TIFF.
To deal with the formats, first you need to agree on what is meant by the concepts of "size" of a photo and "weight" of a file (photo). I propose to consider these concepts on more tangible objects ... for example, on goodies.
1 | What is a pixel:
The size of objects is measured in meters, the size of a photo is measured in pixels (px). If you measure the size of this vase with berries, then it will be about 10 centimeters high and 13 centimeters wide ... approximately. That is, we are accustomed to measuring objects in centimeters (meters, kilometers, and so on). If we talk about the photo of the same vase, then the original size of the photo is 7360 pixels (px) wide by 4912 pixels (px) high. This is the maximum photo size my Nikon camera is capable of. To place this photo on the site, the size of the photo is reduced to 1200px by 798px (why, I'll tell you a little later).
What is a pixel? Photographs taken with digital cameras or digitized on a scanner are a combination of tiny colored squares - pixels. If you zoom in on any photo, you will see these pixels. The more such pixels in the photo, the more detailed the picture.
A fragment of the photo magnified a thousand times - squares of pixels are visible. 2 | Is it possible to convert pixels to centimeters:
This is exactly what happens when you need to print photos on paper. One more indicator is needed here - the pixel density (resolution) that the printer (or other photo printing machine) can print. The printing standard for photographs is 300 dpi (dpi is the number of dots per inch). For example, for printing in beautiful glossy magazines, photos with a resolution of 300 dpi are used.
So that you do not puzzle over dividing the photo size by resolution and do not convert inches to centimeters, any photo viewing and editing program (for example, Photoshop) has a function to view the size of the photo image in centimeters. You will need it to understand what is the maximum size of a photo in good quality (with a resolution of 300 dpi) that you can print on paper or other material.
For example, this photo of Frangipani tropical flowers can be printed in the size of 61 cm by 32 cm.
Photo size in pixels and centimeters in Photoshop To find out the size of a photo in pixels and centimeters in Photoshop, you need to press the key combination Alt + Ctrl + I or go to the menu Image (Image) Image size (Image size).
Let's get back to the reality of digital photos - to pixels and photo sizes in pixels. What happens if you reduce the number of pixels in a photo? The answer is that the quality of the photo will deteriorate. For example, I took the photo of the same bowl of berries at the beginning of the article and reduced the size of the photo to 150 pixels wide. With such a decrease, the program destroys some of the pixels. The photo has become miniature:
Now let's try to "stretch" the photo to the entire page:
Stretched picture looks blurry and fuzzy As you can see, the detail is not the same, since some of the pixels (and details along with them) are missing.
Of course, if you use this thumbnail as a small icon or a small image in a Power Point presentation, it will look quite normal, but for printing in a half-page magazine it is clearly not suitable.
3 | What photo size (how many pixels) is optimal:
If you plan to someday print a photo, then save photos in the highest possible resolution, which only your camera will allow (carefully study the instructions for your camera to correctly adjust the photo size).
In some cases, you need to reduce the size of photos. As I wrote above, for the site, I reduce the photo size to 1200 pixels on the long side. If you upload a photo in full size, the pages of the site will take a very long time to load, and many visitors may not like this (not to mention Google and Yandex search engines).
The size of photos is measured in pixels (px). The size of the photo on the monitor screens depends on the number of pixels, and what size the photo can be printed.
4 | File size or "photo weight":
Now let's deal with the "weight of the photo". It so happened historically that there is a lot of confusion in this matter and the file size is quite often called the "photo weight", which is more convenient than correct. File sizes are measured in megabytes (MB) or kilobytes (KB). And here it is worth remembering that, unlike kilograms, where 1 kg = 1000g, 1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes.
How it looks in practice: imagine the situation that your camera has a memory card that says 64GB (gigabyte). If you look at how many exactly these bytes are there (select "properties" on the computer with the right mouse button), it turns out that there are 63567953920 bytes on this memory card and this is equal to 59.2 GB. How big your camera creates files will determine how many photos will fit on that memory card. For example, I have 830 files with photos in RAW format (read about formats below).
What determines the file size:
- Firstly, on the size of the photo (what is measured in pixels): the file with the first photo of the berries (photo size 7360x4912 px) is 5.2 MB, and it, reduced to 150 px, will "weigh" 75.7 KB (in 69 times less).
- Secondly, from the format (JPG, TIFF, RAW), which you can read about below.
- Thirdly, the file size (or "photo weight") depends on the number of details: the more details, the "heavier" the photo (which is most relevant for the JPG format).
Lots of details - more photo weight For example, in this photo with monkeys from Sri Lanka, there are many small clear (in the language of photographers, "sharp") details and the file size with this photo is 19.7MB, which is significantly larger than berries in a vase on a white background (5.2MB).
If you ask what size photo I can print from a 2MB photo. No one can answer you until they know the number of pixels. And it’s better, of course, to also look at the photo, since some craftsmen like to get a photo from the depths of the Internet, increase the number of pixels programmatically, and then want to print it on the cover of a magazine. It turns out as in the example above with a stretched photo of a vase 150 px wide.
File size (often referred to as "photo weight") is measured in megabytes (MB) or kilobytes (KB) and depends on the format, pixel size, and detail of the photo.
5 | Photo formats:
And, finally, we come to the issue of image formats and the type of file compression, which also determine the size of the photo file.
Almost all photo cameras can save photos in JPG format(even the cameras of phones and tablets). This is the most common image format and is "understood" by all computers and image viewers. In JPG format, photos can be uploaded to social networks, posted on a blog, added to Word, Power Point files, and so on. JPG can be processed in Photoshop, Lightroom and other image editing programs.
From my practice: if I want to take a photo for a social network and quickly upload it, then I either take a picture on my phone or put the jpg file format in my camera.
The thing to remember about jpg format is that it is a compressed format and it has compression levels. The higher the compression ratio, the smaller the file size by reducing the detail and quality of the photo. Therefore, multiple editing and re-saving (re-compression) of the same photo in jpg format is not recommended.
When saving a file in jpg format, the compression level is selected (example from Photoshop). In all SLR and non-SLR cameras, as well as in advanced compacts, in addition to JPG, there is at least RAW, and often also TIFF.
A little theory:
- TIFF(Eng. Tagged Image File Format) - a format for storing raster graphic images (including photographs). TIFF has become a popular format for storing high-color images. It is used in printing, widely supported by graphic applications.
- RAW(English raw - raw, unprocessed) - a digital photograph format containing raw data received from a photomatrix (the thing that replaced film in digital cameras).
Personally, I never photograph in TIFF format. I can’t even think of why I need this if there is RAW. I can use uncompressed TIFF to save photos that I still plan to finalize in Photoshop.
6 | Advantages and disadvantages of the RAW format:
I almost always have a RAW format in my camera, since I'm going to process (edit) photos in Lightroom or Photoshop. RAW has a number of significant disadvantages:
- There is no way to view files without prior conversion. That is, to view photos in RAW format, you need a special program that supports this image format.
- Larger file size than when saving in JPEG (from my Nikon D800 camera, the file size with a photo in RAW format is 74-77 MB). This means fewer photos will fit on the flash drive.
- RAW cannot be uploaded to social networks, a blog, and sometimes even sent by mail. First, RAW needs to be converted with a RAW converter (such as Adobe Camera Raw) that supports the file type of your camera model.
Why do professional photographers often prefer RAW over JPG? Because RAW:
Save this article on Pinterest - gives more options for image correction: white balance, contrast, saturation, brightness and noise level,
- allow you to more accurately correct images without the appearance of defects,
- allows fine correction of lens imperfections (vignetting, chromatic aberration).
So, if you plan to carefully process pictures in Photoshop or Lightroom, subtly feeling "artifacts" and halftones, "overexposure" and "dips" in the shadows, then shoot in RAW. Just remember that in order to get a good result, you will need to understand the settings and operation of RAW converters. Think about whether you need this headache? Maybe you should shoot in JPG and devote more time to rest, and not to the computer?
Welcome to my blog again. I'm in touch with you, Timur Mustaev. It is possible that everyone had to deal with such a situation: you took a picture, on the screen the picture looked clear and of high quality.
Then you went to the salon and printed it out, and it looked completely different from the one on the monitor screen and had a lot of digital noise. What is the problem? Today I will talk in more detail about this problem and what are the photo formats. Let's start studying.
Basic terms for understanding the topic
Pixels - small square dots, colored in a certain light, which make up a single whole - an image.
When you look at a photograph, the eye does not notice the specific dots of the raster, since they are very small and their number can reach tens of thousands, they merge to form one picture. Only when magnified can you see them.
There is a feature: the higher the number of raster dots, the more details are drawn and the photograph is better.
Linear size is the width and height of the printed image, expressed in millimeters. They can be recognized using a regular ruler. For example, the linear size of a picture with parameters 10*15 cm is 102*152 mm.
Parameters in pixels are data about the width and height of the digital image.
There is one feature. Digital cameras take pictures of the same sizes: 640 * 480, 1600 * 1200, and on the monitor we see 800 * 600, 1024 * 768, 1280 * 1024. That is a significant discrepancy.
Consider examples. If the picture has a size of 450×300 pixels, then the picture will be rotated under the album, that is, it will be placed horizontally. What does it depend on? The width of the image is greater than the height.
If we take the size of the picture 300 * 450, then it will be located in portrait orientation, that is, vertically. Why so? The width is smaller than the height.
Resolution is a number that relates values in millimeters and in pixels, measured in dpi(from the English "dots per inch" - the number of dots per inch).
Experts advise setting a resolution of 300 dpi, designed to obtain high-quality photographs. The minimum resolution is 150 dpi.
The higher the score, the better the photo quality.
But, it is worth noting that if you make a photograph larger than the original, that is, “stretch the dots”, then the quality drops.
Resolution may vary depending on different camera models. What is the secret? Manufacturers of photographic equipment indicate an inaccurate number of megapixels, for example, 12 MP. In fact, it may turn out to be 12.3 or 12.5 MP. But the print quality will not deteriorate from this fact.
Standard sizes
What are the photo formats? Let's find out.
- The most popular print size is 10*15 cm. It is used to form a family archive.
- The next one is 15*20 cm or A5.
- A4, 20 * 30 cm or 21 * 29.7 cm. Used to decorate walls with photographs. Since A4 is the size of office paper for printing, printing is not difficult, since printers are mainly designed for A4 production.
- 30*40 cm is a complex format. It has two other names: A3 or A3 +. Why complex? Because there is confusion. A3 size has parameters 297*420 mm, but you cannot pick up such photo frames, they are not on sale. The closest photo frame to this photo is 30*40 cm. Be careful when ordering. Photo frames are made with glass.
Custom sizes
Often we have to order a photo not of a standard size, but of a unique one - non-standard.
- 13 * 18 cm. It is used extremely rarely. Printing is difficult.
- 40 * 50 cm or 30 * 40 cm. Pictures with these parameters will help decorate the interior, since they are quite large. Therefore, the quality must be high.
How to calculate dimensions for high resolution
Let's take a closer look at a photo with parameters of 10 * 15 cm.
- The linear values of these parameters (usually indicated in special tables) are 102 * 152 mm.
- Multiply the width of the image (102 mm) by the resolution we want to achieve, in our case it is 300 dpi.
- Divide the result of the last step by the number of mm in one inch - 25.4.
- Let's get the number of raster dots of the original image in width 102*300/25.4 =1205.
We will carry out the same algorithm for the height.
152*300/25,4 = 1795.
So, we conclude that for any photograph, the size of which will be greater than 1205 * 1795 pixels, when printed on a format of 10 * 15 cm, the resolution will be more than 300 units.
Sometimes it turns out that images with resolutions of 150 and 300 units look exactly the same. Why is this and what does it depend on? Depends on the genre of the picture and the distance from which it will be viewed.
Documentation
Document formats are measured in cm!
- For different types of certificates - 3 * 4 cm;
- For visas - 3.5 * 4.5 cm;
- For a passport - 3.7 * 4.7 cm;
- In a personal file - 9 * 12 cm;
- Residence permit - 4 * 5 cm;
- For passes - 6 * 9 cm.
Another range of formats
The main thing is that the photo frame matches the photo. Therefore, manufacturers produce special paper with certain sizes:
- A8 (5*7cm);
- A7 (7*10cm);
- A6 (10*15 cm);
- A5 (15*21cm);
- A4 (21*30cm);
- A3 (30*42 cm).
Why choose the right paper? As a result, you don't have to look at an incomplete, cropped image, or crop white margins that are redundant. Usually, the photo salon presents formats for printing with examples.
Order Features
If you place an order via the Internet, the system, when sending the image, says which parameters would be more appropriate for obtaining a high-quality image. If you choose the format of your choice, and not recommended by the program, then the administration does not take responsibility for getting poor quality.
It would seem that in the modern age of digital technology, why print photographs, because most photos are viewed in digital form. Knowledgeable people say that a photograph comes to life only when it is printed on paper, has a frame and hangs in a room to decorate the interior.
Remember that before printing, you need to select certain options that will affect the quality of the printed image.
Subscribe to blog updates and share your knowledge with friends on social networks.
All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.
Photographing is a creative process. No wonder it is elevated to the rank of art. Well-known photographers arrange exhibitions along with artists. Good pictures are valued and can generate income.
Photography has long been part of our daily lives. Instead of memorizing a schedule or a phone number, it's easier to take a picture with your phone's built-in camera. The way photographs are stored has also changed: many do not print photos, but store them in electronic format. At any time, pictures can be viewed or sent to friends. But the technology is improving, and the possibilities of using images are becoming almost limitless. This applies to both the commercial sector and private photo shoots. All new photo formats appear and now you can print a picture in any size, after cropping it.
Photo formats for printing
Despite the development of digital photography, printed images do not lose their popularity. For example, photos for documents, as before, are required on paper. Paper banners and posters hang on the street. You can print photos literally on any surface - on a T-shirt, mug, your smartphone case. Taking a photo is not a problem. It is important to choose the correct photo sizes for on-site printing. Even if you manage to get a perfect photo, it may not be suitable for printing.
Consider the main photo formats for printing.
Standard ISO formats
Formats that you most likely heard about in school. These are the same letters A with numbers. The table below lists the formats and their exact dimensions.
| ISO standard | Size (cm) |
|---|---|
| A1 | 59.4x84.1 |
| A2 | 42x59.4 |
| A3 | 29.7x42 |
| A4 | 21x29.7 |
| A5 | 14.8x21 |
| A6 | 10.5x14.8 |
It is worth paying attention to these parameters since office equipment is produced taking into account these values. For example, once beloved photos of 10x15 cm, in fact, are standard A6 with minor amendments.
Print formats are not limited by international photographic standards. There are also other photo sizes. Each photo workshop has a table that indicates the photo formats and their purpose. If you plan to print pictures at home, you can find a similar table on the Internet and refer to it when editing images before printing.
Document photo formats
Separately, it is worth talking about photographs for documents. Document image sizes are also standard. A specific document has its own image sizes. The largest photos are needed for personal files (9x12), the smallest ones for military tickets and driver's licenses (2.5x3.5).
square photos
There is a small group of specialized formats, such as square ones. Now photos in this format can be found mainly in social networks like Instagram. The most interesting example is the photographs taken with the help of Polaroid.
The most popular sizes for square photos are as follows:
Widescreen photos
With the development of technology, wide-format photographs are becoming more widespread, i.e. photographs whose length is many times greater than the height. They are notable for their resemblance to a panoramic image. For a long time, advertisers have had the opportunity to use a large-format plotter with a size of 10000x5000 to print banners, thus eliminating the need for composite compositions.
Why Consider Image Resolution?
Playing with the scale in the photo editor, you can get small pictures, or vice versa, you can increase the image in size. But there is a problem with the quality of the photo. It is not enough to choose a format for printing, you must take into account the resolution of the image. A digital image is made up of pixels. The number of dots per inch indicates the clarity of the image and is called resolution. The more dots, the clearer the photo will be when printed. For example, to get a picture that will be easy to process, a resolution of 300 dpi is enough. When printing on a sheet of 8x10 cm, in the editor you will get a size of 2400x3000 pixels.
Photo editing intricacies
If the image format is non-standard, then before printing it is better to use a photo editor and change the image resolution.
Also, if you want to print a small photo on a large format, the image will turn out to be fuzzy and blurry. Therefore, think in advance where the picture will be used.
Even an old photo can be printed on paper - you just need to set the format correctly. And to set the scale and aspect ratio correctly, use Movavi's simple and intuitive photo editor.
In Movavi Photo Editor, you can resize the resulting image in two ways:
1. Resize photo
- Click tab Size on the main toolbar
- Use ready-made profiles or set your own photo size:
- Enter values in the block fit to size. Click on the icon keep proportions to scale proportions independently.
- Select a predefined profile.
- Click Other size to see all available profiles.
Crop your photo
- Go to tab pruning.
- Set the required size:
- Specify width And height in the respective fields.
- Select the appropriate profile from the list.
- Set the parameters yourself. Position the frame so that you are satisfied with the resulting picture. To resize the frame, simply drag its edges.
Services
- Seals in accordance with GOST (with the Emblem of the Russian Federation), stamps, facsimile
- Signboards, banners
- Business cards, badges, numbers
- Souvenir products
- Printing drawings (A0, A1, A2, A3)
- T-shirt printing
- Printing A4 photos (posters), text (not typeset), photo retouching
- Production of plates to order
- Calendars, invitations, stickers, collages
- Copying, laminating, binding
- Laser engraving on plastic
- Printing on mugs
- Making magnets
- Printing certificates
- Diplomas to order
Studios and printing houses are able to print pictures of different sizes - from miniature passport-sized rectangles to solid 30 × 60 cm photographs and non-standard options. It is not always clear which format to choose so as not to see digital "noise" on paper and get the same clarity as the monitor. What are the photo formats for printing? How to navigate them taking into account a specific goal? About this - in our article.
Table of typical formats
Photo paper manufacturers have set international standards for print sizes. The proportions in these standards do not correspond to the proportions in the matrices of digital cameras, which adds complexity to customers (who are used to marking A6 ... A0 for plain paper and get confused in other notations and tables) and printers (who have to adjust and manually crop images).
| Print format | Exact format size in mm | Photo resolution for printing 300dpi |
| 9×13 | 89×127 | 1051×1500 |
| 10×15 | 102×152 | 1205×1795 |
| 13×18 | 127×178 | 1500×2102 |
| 15×20 | 152×203 | 1795×2398 |
| 15×21 | 152×216 | 1795×2551 |
| 20×30 | 203×305 | 2398×3602 |
| 30×40 | 305×406 | 3602×4795 |
| 30x45 | 305×457 | 3602×5398 |
| 30×90 | 305×914 | 3602×10795 |
Photo paper 10×15 cm roughly corresponds to a sheet of plain paper A6, 15×21 cm - A5, 30×30 - A4, 30×40 and 30×45 - A3, 30×60 - A2.
If the table of formats and sizes of photographs for printing did not clarify, and the marking A6, A5, A4, A3 ... A0 does not come out of your head, you should prudently order a larger picture and ask the printers to cut it to the usual format.
For example: you want to get a full color A6 image with a resolution of 300 dpi. In this case, order a printout on paper 15×21 cm and cut off the excess, because. a 10×15 format close to A6 will be 2 mm smaller on one side than A6.
Visually, the photo paper formats will look like this:
Image printout targets and standard photo sizes for printing in cm
- Eternal classic - 10×15 cm. Such a picture will fit in any family album and frame, people with average vision can easily see it, in a small room an image of 10×15 cm will look good on the wall both solo and next to others.
- A4 (translated onto photographic paper - 20 × 30 cm) should be ordered for wall decoration. Both in a commercial interior and in a spacious room, the picture will look presentable and bright.
- 30x40 and 40x50 cm are large images that should be viewed from a distance. Typically, these sizes are chosen for interior design with an emphasis on decor. A resolution of 300 dpi, typical for small shots, is not enough in this case: a large picture is visible to everyone at once, so it must be clear and devoid of "noise", so you should take care of shooting with a modern digital camera.
- Printing portraits for documents involves using photo sizes for printing in cm. So, for a passport you will need a portrait of 3.7 × 4.7 cm, for issuing a certificate - 3 × 4 cm, for obtaining a visa - 3.5 × 4.5 cm, for a standard pass - 6 × 9 cm.
Choose the right paper so you don't have to worry about fitting an image with wide white margins and don't think about how to get back the part of the image that didn't fit. In all printing houses, photo salons and websites, format tables are usually presented. You can also ask the employee for help through feedback on the website, by phone or by contacting him personally upon arrival at the studio.
The photo will be resized according to the specified size in centimeters (millimeters, inches), as well as the specified size in DPI, according to paper printing standards. Dimensions in cm, mm and inches can be specified with an accuracy of thousandths, for example, instead of 15x10 format, you can set 15.201x10.203 cm.
Table with standard photo sizes in a vertical (portrait) position:
| Photo format in centimeters (cm) | Size in millimeters (mm) | Size in pixels (for print 300dpi) |
Aspect Ratio (in landscape orientation) |
| 3x4 (after manual cutting) | 30x40 | 354x472 | 4:3 (1.33) |
| 3.5x4.5 (after manual cutting) | 35x45 | 413x531 | 4:3 (1.33) |
| 9x13 | 89x127 | 1063x1535 | 10:7 (1.43) |
| 10x15 | 102x152 | 1181x1772 | 3:2 (1.5) |
| 13x18 | 127x178 | 1535x2126 | 7:5 (1.4) |
| 15x20(≈A5) | 152x203 | 1772x2362 | 4:3 (1.33) |
| 15x21 | 152x216 | 1772x2480 | 4:3 (1.33) |
| 18x24 | 178x240 | 2126x2835 | 19:14 (1.36) |
| 20x25 | 203x254 | 2362x2953 | 5:4 (1.25) |
| 20x30(≈A4) | 203х305 | 2362x3543 | 3:2 (1.5) |
| 30x40 | 305x406 | 3543x4724 | 4:3 (1.33) |
| 30x45 | 305x457 | 3543x5315 | 3:2 (1.5) |
Standard paper sheet size A4 format- 21x29.7 cm or 2480x3508 pixels at 300 dpi. Dimensions of other sheet formats can be seen on the Wikipedia page, but just do not forget that the dimensions are listed there in millimeters and inches, i.e. in the settings on this page, you need to select the appropriate value.
If you need to resize a photo without taking into account DPI (dots per inch), that is, only respecting the proportions of the specified format, then you need to set the "Size in DPI" parameter to "0" in the settings.
The original image is not changed in any way. You will be given another processed picture.