BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: All About Photography

Photography Question 

Rhonda Royse
 

Lightroom Exporting


Hi - I have heard that sRBG was the best color space for the Web, and Adobe RGB was best for print. Do I have that right? Also, when exporting from Lightroom to post on the Web, what is the best size in the image sizing area? I also heard that there is a good standard rule of thumb. I have forgotten!
thanks all


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October 29, 2013

 

Richard Lynch
  sRGB would normally be best for the Web and AdobeRGB for print, but there are still variables -- like the color space you use on your camera, the type of printing you do, etc.

I actually use sRGB for everything, and I can explain the logic. It has somewhat to do with predictability, but also because I like to output to laser light printers, which actually use photo-process, NOT ink.

There can also be issues with improper conversion, improper tagging, dropped profiles... You will likely want to do some testing.

My course Looking Good in Print and on the Web discusses all of this ;-)

There is not really a "best size" for an image. There is proper resolution. The resolution depends on the output. Most people think 72ppi for web, and 300 for print, but that is terribly over-simplified. Home injets can often use as little as 180ppi and probably will not require more than 240ppi. High resolution screens, on the other hand, may require more resolution than the common 72ppi. ... So you see, again, there are questions.

If you are using a service, they should have most of the answers. If you have more detail about what you are doing specifically, I can give you a better idea.

I hope that helps!


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October 30, 2013

 

Kathryn Wesserling
  This was interesting, but I could use some definitive info for uploading for BP. I've been given so many different suggestions (facts?) that it's now a confusing mess.

Convential Answer:
Longest side - 800 pixels
Resolution - 72 ppi
Size seems to be "whatever".
Format - jpg.

Others say to enter as a tif, long side at 3000, higher resolution.

To top that... I convert from RAW (Canon) to tif, then during the editing I save to psp (smaller files than tif). When the editing is finished and the file is resaved for BP, the final saveas is to a jpg. It is at this point, the message often appears that the colors will be changed to 24 (instead of 32 or 64?)

My forehead is imploding.


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November 26, 2013

 

Richard Lynch
  Kathy,

If the image is 800 pixels on the long side and 72 ppi, it is 11 x [something]. ppi is pixels per inch, so you just divide the pixels by the PPI to get the number of inches. On the web, the pixels are what matters, not the size.

I would not use TIFF for BP uploads as it is not a web format. 3000 pixels is 41 inches, and far too much for anyone's monitor. The suggested resolution appears right on the submission pages...

---
Saved as a JPEG, TIFF, BMP, or PING file type.
Sized to no more than 500 pixels on the short dimension. For example:
500 (w) x 750 (h) for a vertical image.
750 x 500 for a horizontal image.
500 x 1250 or so for a vertical panoramic image.
Preferably 72 pixels per inch.
Less than 2.5 MB. Files larger than 2.5 MB are not accepted.
---

Sticking to these guidelines yields an image on the web that is about 10 x [x], plenty large enough for viewing, and not large enough to really 'borrow' for other purposes.

Richard


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December 23, 2013

 
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