Image File Quality Info for Artists

Today's post, with more info than tips!

I'll share little nuggets of knowledge that are helpful to me. Hope they will be of use to you too!
(Actually, in this post there are a Lot of nuggets to save for later reference, even if you don't use them).

Nitro Surf's Up!, Sue Betanzos,  9"x12
 Colored pencil on Strathmore 400 mix media paper.

In this digital age, there have never been more choices regarding printing.
Artists, photographers,and the general public can print images on almost Anything.
Here's a review of the "10 BEST ONLINE PHOTO PRINTING SERVICES 2018.

What is important to know is the image quality that is submitted to the online site of choice.
The better the image quality, the better the product. This goes for portrait work too.
Artists with local clients often prefer to take their own subject photos. Especially if the client photos are from a phone camera or not the quality that can be worked from.

Ready for some tech info? Save the links to refer back to if needed. Log them in your mental rolodex as you use them. Looks like a lot, but it really isn't once you use a few of them.

Many sites will require specific print formats:

• RGB - Common color model for DIY print sites. Red, Green, Blue. Computer monitors are RGB.
• CMYK -  Used in printing process. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (black).  This color selection works great for painting too.  Better than the regular "color wheel" theories. (Ex.: blue + yellow does not make as nice a green as Cyan + Yellow. More on this later).


Some of the common file types are listed below. Click on the letters for an info link.

• PDF - portable document format. Very common, preserves original fonts, sizes etc.
• PNG - portable networks graphics. Larger files, preserves transparency. Printful only takes PNG or PSD.
• TIFF - Tagged Image File Format. Large files. Great for image printing resolution.
• JPEG - Or JPG, is a form of compressed file. Very commonly used for web images or transmitting.
• EPS - Encapsulated Post Script. Commonly used with Adobe Illustrator for vector based images.
• PSD - Photoshop file. Many platforms accept psd files. For images edited in Adobe Photoshop.
• AI - Files with this extension are created in Adobe Illustrator.
• BMP - Bitmap Image File. More used on Windows platforms.


Pixels and Dots Per Inch. Why it's good to know them.

Photographer Andrew Dacey  has a great article explaining the difference between DPI and PPI.
Once you get it, it seems pretty simple.
• PX - Pixels. Computer resolution. Very important to know when creating specific image sizes for web and printing. I use a converter like THIS ONE 
• DPI - Dots Per Inch. The reason why some images will look grainy, soft, not clear - low dpi.

There you are, some terms you will become more familiar with as you use a few.