If you work with digital assets, you’ll know that quality and detail are so, so important. And when it comes to creating, editing or sourcing quality images, resolution is often key.
Whether you’re completely new to photography and editing or simply looking to refresh your knowledge, find out what resolution means and how to use it to your benefit.
In digital photography, resolution is the level of detail contained in an image. More specifically, it refers to the number of pixels that exist within that image. The higher the resolution, and the richer the pixel count, the more detail and definition you will see.
The resolution of a digital image is measured using its pixels; specifically in pixels per inch (PPI). For printing, picture resolution is measured by dots per inch (DPI), referring to the tiny droplets of ink that printers create.
The term resolution is also used across several other industries to determine the detail of an asset, including:
Take a look at the example below to see the difference between a high-resolution image, and a low-resolution image.
It’s easy to find the image resolution of your photo or digital asset using Adobe Photoshop.
Play around with its tools to find the right measurements for your project.
You can also find and view the image resolution of your photos on Windows. However, unlike Photoshop, the information for these values can be more restrictive.
Finding your image resolution is simple on a Mac.
Finding the resolution of an image is straightforward when you use professional editing software. Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and InDesign all offer effective tools for resizing and editing digital assets, ready for printing or online use.
What resolution size you need can vary depending on the project. There are various factors that can determine the ideal photo resolution.
To start with, consider the purpose of your image, how large it needs to be and where it will be used. Here are a few examples to get you thinking:
What are the final expectations for the images? Are they going to be part of a fine art exhibition, or demonstrating the best and brightest nature photography?
If so, then using a high picture resolution of 300 DPI may be the best way to print and display them. This value can be tweaked depending on the level of detail required, how far away the viewer will be and how large the image needs to be.
For certain projects, such as large prints, you may be able to use 150 DPI. When viewed from a distance, the difference isn’t overly noticeable to the human eye.
On the flip side, if the final purpose of the image is as a tiny thumbnail, you can usually get away with a lower resolution size.
Generally, images used online don’t need to be as substantial in resolution as offline or printed images.
So, if you are putting together a personal blog or updating a client’s site, your eye-catching imagery can often be as little as 72 PPI when uploading them to the web.
Storage is another important consideration when working with large numbers of images. How much storage do you have? Is it better to use smaller images that are easier to store on a server or computer – or on the cloud?
After all, detail comes at a cost. The more pixels an image has, the higher the resolution, meaning a larger file size.
But don’t worry. After you’ve perfected your picture to the right specifications, there are ways to help reduce file size by compressing the image, without sacrificing on quality.
When working with digital assets, you might also need to consider the right resolution for printing. The last thing you need is to spend hours on an asset, only to be disappointed when it comes back blurry and unprofessional after being printed!
It’s easy to change your photo resolution with Adobe Photoshop.
Just be aware of the Resample tool in the Image Size dialog box. When selected, this automatically changes the pixel dimensions (for example, 1000 x 1000px) when you amend the Document Size (Height and Width) and Resolution.
To maintain full control, deselect Resample to avoid changing your image too drastically.
Windows lets you resize images using default applications. However, the only way to scale up an image and change the resolution to ensure crystal clear detail is by using professional software such as Photoshop.
Apple Mac computers offer more ways to view and edit resolution and size using default applications. However, Adobe editing software can give you even more control.
Here’s how to adjust size and resolution on Mac:
Edit, resize and optimise your digital images using professional tools with Adobe.
72 DPI is usually suitable and high-enough-resolution for websites and online use. However, 72 DPI is not generally considered high-enough-resolution for print, as you’ll most likely end up with a pixelated image.
The best resolution for a picture can vary depending on its purpose. While 300 DPI is a great benchmark for printed pictures, for large posters that may be further away from the viewer, you may be able to reduce the resolution to 150 DPI. For online images, the standard resolution is 72 PPI.
JPEGs are one of the most universally popular image formats for web use, which generally requires lower image resolutions. For high resolution photos, however, many professionals and enthusiasts use PNG files and TIFF files instead.