Guest Author - Tammy Murks

Want to get a really clear picture? There are a few things to learn about Picture Resolution and the best ways to create and save a picture. A Higher Resolution is a higher pixel setting. Pixels are small squares, sometimes referred to as dots. Thousands of these squares are used to create your picture Resolution. The more squares you have, the clearer your picture is. Think of it as a set of stairs. If you have a set of stairs where each stair is one foot apart, then you may have to take fewer steps to get there, but you are exhausted from the effort. Now, if the stairs are only six inches apart, you'll probably still get there in about the same amount of time but won't be that tired when you reach your goal. This is sort of how Image Resolutions work! The more pixels you have, the clearer your picture can be and your viewers will get there with less effort and frustration.

On paper, a higher resolution is required to look good. Higher Resolution creates more detail and some sweet color transitions on or in an image. If you have a Low Resolution for your image, the picture looks pixilated on paper, or literally looks like it is made up of small squares. It would be sort of like looking at one of Monet's paintings made up of small dots, viewed only at a very very close range. You'll see squares or dots with jagged edges instead of smooth, soft, flowing images and no separation of objects. Now, the IMAGE SIZE refers to the physical dimensions of the image. So, when an image is created, it has a fixed number of pixels by the creator. Increasing the size of an image will decrease your pixels per square inch making your picture not as crisp, clear, and smooth. Bigger is not always better, Folks! Decreasing the size of an image, will increase your pixels per square inch and create a better flowing image. Having said all this, I would like you to realize that different mediums have different effects on your image.

Today, most computers usually can only show 72 Pixels per inch. When printing your images, you want to pay attention to your output device. If you have a regular printer, it will put out about 300 to 600 dpi. The more fancy, higher-end image-setter equipment can put out between 1200 to 1400 dpi or higher. This would be for Newsletters, Magazines and such. Printing an image at 300 dpi on this type of equipment may not give you the results you wish for. On the web it really sort of depends on what you are portraying and how. Remember for Paper, it is usually 300 pixels per inch or better. The images on the web are usually 72 Pixels Per Square Inch because that is what most monitors usually display. The downfall to Higher Resolution Pictures on the web is that you are actually storing more information, so the file size will be larger. You may want to pay attention to this if it is for a website, or costing you money to store and show your pictures, or art.

In conclusion, Resolution does matters and changes with the output devices as well as the artist's insight. For example, do you have a picture that is not that clear now and don't know why? Try making the image smaller in physical size and see if that helps. Less physical size is increasing you Pixels Per Square Inch, and making the picture smoother with more flowing edges.