Resolution refers to the amount of information in an image. Resizing a low resolution image to a larger size will result in a pixilated image. Adobe Photoshop contains a simple tool that allows you to change the resolution of an image.
How you change the resolution of an image depends upon whether you want to affect the digital image or the printed version. To change the digital resolution of an image, select the “Image” menu at the top. From this menu, select “Image Size“. A dialogue box that displays the current pixel dimensions of the image will appear.
The section that says “Pixel Dimensions” affects how large the image will be in digital form. Changing these numbers will increase or decrease the amount of pixels that the image contains. This will affect how large the image will look on your screen. Type in a new set of numbers in the width and height box and click “OK” when you are finished.
Most computer resolutions are higher than 1280 by 1024 pixels. If you are creating a wallpaper or background image for your desktop, you should check your computer’s resolution first and adjust the image resolution accordingly. If you are designing an image that will be displayed on the internet, you should resize the image so that it is small enough to fit inside of a browser window. An image for the web should typically be smaller than 1280 by 1024 pixels.
Changing the resolution of the printed image is a little trickier. Just as before, select the “Image” menu at the top and then select “Image Size“. This time you will be adjusting the numbers in the boxes under “Document Size“. These numbers represent the dimensions of the document in inches if you were to print the image. The resolution explains how many pixels will print inside every inch.
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For example, say the resolution is 72 pixels per inch (ppi). The dimensions of every square inch of the printed image will contain 72 by 72 pixels, which is 5184 pixels. Increasing the amount of pixels per inch will increase the quality of the printed image, since each square inch will contain more visual information. A resolution of 72 pixels per inch would produce a very low quality print unless the print is extremely small. The minimum resolution that will produce a print of sufficient quality is 240 pixels per inch, but the standard print resolution is 300 pixels per inch.
To adjust the resolution of an image for print, first decide how big you want your print to be. Now, type “240” or “300” or any higher value into the resolution box. The “Document Size” dimensions will change but the “Pixel Dimensions” will stay the same. Multiply the width and height of the printed dimensions by the resolution and type those values into the corresponding “Pixel Dimensions” boxes.
For example, if you want a print of your image that is 4 by 6 inches, multiply 4 by the resolution and 6 by the resolution and type those values into the height and width boxes under “Pixel Dimensions“. So, if your resolution is 240, change the pixel dimensions to 960 by 1440 pixels. Click “OK” to finalize the adjustment.
Understanding resolution can be very helpful for aspiring graphic artists, web designers and digital photographers. If you are interested in web design, you will frequently work with digital resolution, which is much easier to modify. Those who wish to print their work must experiment with different resolution settings and simple math to increase the quality of their prints. Either way, if digital art is something you want to pursue, you should definitely research online colleges in order to learn all you need to know about resolution and other facets of graphic design.
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