What is a 300PPI?

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QOTD from Bev: "Hi I am just starting out and am coming into this problem and am LOST, PLEASE HELP! I ordered prints through a professional lab and was told my images werent 300PPI. What does that mean and how do I get an image to 300+ PPI I only edited the image in my editing software and saved it as the size I wanted and that was it. Is there something else I was supposed to do?"

Katie: In Photoshop: Image - Image Size - Resolution. Change the 'resolution' to 300 pixels/inch.

Vinay: For 300PPI (Pixels Per Inch) you need to lock the Aspect Ration of the photo while croppoing to size & resolution. Use Light Room 4 or Photoshop CS to get the resolution you want to while cropping or editing the photo. This is a whole big chapter :) .

Jayme: I agree with Katie, above. Definately you can change it in PS, or you can change it incamera. I have my camera bodies set to 300 PPI, so I don't need to worry. Check your manual, it should tell you how to do it. Every model is different.

Christy: Try another lab. I know a couple pro labs that I don't use because they want images sized at 300ppi, but I use Bay Photo and I upload my full res image and they print it at any size I need.

Kerry: Bev, a tip for future editing/cropping, keep the original as is and do a "save as" & rename your pic. I use the same # but ad an E at the end to differerentiate it from the original & make it easy to match up should I need to find the original one. There is so much to learn, even when you have been at it a while. Good luck.

Brian: If you are increasing the PPI in Photoshop, make sure you Resample Image is unchecked. You want to increase the PPI and decrease your document size. This will make sure that your images remain sharp.

Emily: Katie - NO NO NO!!! DO NOT go into Photoshop and change your resolution to 300 ppi. You can only ever change resolution to go DOWN, NOT up. Never, ever. It degrades image quality.

You have to make sure your images are shot in decent quality to get the right size (make sure your jpeg is set to something like "fine" or shoot in RAW). Then, in post processing, try not to crop too much, and like others have said, make sure you "lock" the aspect ratio when cropping.

Depending on what program you are using (Lightroom or Photoshop) it will be different. I recommend doing a quick google search for the settings on your camera and in your editing program. Something out there should tell you what you need to know.

But please, don't upsize. It's too late now for photos that are below 300ppi, but honestly other non-pro labs should be able to print them just fine.

Adriana: them and keep them the size they are. Pro labs have cropping tools.

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