Resolution & Image Quality

Resolution is the measurement of how many pixels ("picture elements" or dots) make up your image. The more pixels in an image the sharper it will look in larger prints. It also allows for cropping on smaller prints while maintaining good quality.

Digital cameras allow you to change your resolution setting anytime you wish. Choose settings based on the largest size photo you expect to print from the images you are shooting. Shooting at a resolution much higher than needed for the print size you intend to make will not yield a sharper photo. Higher resolution images create larger files which will reduce the number of images that will fit on your card and they may move slowly on your computer. High resolution files can be downsized in a computer, however this may negatively impact your image quality.

Changing resolution will change how many photos you can fit on your memory card. Most cameras indicate how many photos you have left on a card, based on the resolution setting.

Print size: Minimum pixel dimensions Minimum megapixels: Recommended megapixels: 4×6 800×600* 1 2 5×7 1280×960 1 2 8×10 1600×1200 3 4 11×14 2000×1500 4 5 12×18 2000×1500 4 5 20×30 2500×1800 5 6 *This size also good for email and many web uses

Compression is another factor in image quality and is different than resolution. Digital cameras (and digital photo programs) usually save images in JPEG format. JPEG reduces the amount of information in your file to reduce the size of your file - this is called “compression”. Compression greatly reduces file sizes allowing more images to be stored on your card. On digital cameras these settings are usually called “fine, normal & low”. For making prints, the normal (or middle) setting is often the best choice for quality and file size. The low setting will allow more images to fit on your card. These images may look good on your computer, however prints may be poor quality. For most uses the JPEG format is the best choice. When maintaining maximum image quality is important, save images in the TIFF format. Since TIFF does not compress files there is no loss of quality, though each file will be very large requiring much more memory than a JPEG file would.

Resolution and compression can be confusing, but you can always talk to Carman’s experts for more information.

A good looking picture	Low resolution will cause a “jagged” appearance to edges and a lack of details.	Too much compression will cause a loss of subtle color variations creating a “blotchy” look.

Exposure

Digital cameras automatically adjust the exposure for you. Compared to film, digital images are less forgiving when not properly exposed. It is important to make certain you are within flash range, which on most models is only 10 feet. Whether inside or out avoid shooting towards the light as this may cause your subject to be under-exposed.

Memory Card Capacities

* Picture quantity is based on max resolution of camera.

Recommended Memory Card Size

Movie Lengths