Hi Ernie: After you select the crop tool you should see width and height boxes in the upper left corner of the screen along side the crop tool symbol.
I guess this is a thread I need to join. I have three photos I want to organize on an 8.5" by 10" size page. Is there some way to do this optimally? My goal is to manually cut the snapshots once their on the 8.5 x 10 page and send them on their way to relatives via the postal service?
Ted,
Assuming that 3 will fit on a sheet of paper, yes that can be done.
Give details: size and resolution of each image
Hi Nancy,
I’m really new at this software and as yet still an infrequent user. Hopefully this’ll elevate my relative standing on the olde learning curve. At any rate, I’d love to let you have the parameters you’re asking about. Where do I find ’em?
And, now that I think about it, I guess I’d have to worry about fitting them in a "standard" (roughly 4 1/8" and 9 1/2" ‘business’) envelope
Ted, open the images you want to print, and then go to Image>Resize>Image Size and copy down the specs for each one. On that screen you’ll see one area where the image is defined in terms of its width and height in pixels; another area in which its defined in terms of inches; and a third area – at the bottom – that displays the current resolution. Post that information and somebody will be back to give you more help on resizing, if necessary, and placing three images on a single sheet of paper for printing.
Beth and/or Nancy:
Three images (all are rated 72 ppi), and the measurements below are given H" x W":
DSCF0008 – 13.333" x 17.778"
DSCF0007 Copy – 26.208" x 21.333"
DSCF0003 – 21.333" x 28.444"
What comes next?
OK!! We’ll take this one step at a time (especially since I forgot to ask you to post what kind of outcome you want!) These three are significantly different in size, which is going to make it a tiny bit more challenging.
Your first image is the smallest, and in order to get it to a point where you could get a 4X6 print, the resolution will have to be reduced to 200ppi. That’s at the lower end of the target range for printing on an inkjet, which is between 150 and 300ppi.
The second one is larger, and resizing through resolution change means you could crop out a 4 X 6 with the resolution at 310ppi, which is just a hair above the upper end of the target range.
The third one is even larger, and the resolution would be 330ppi when you resized to a 4 X 6.
None of them, though, are exact sizes, which means a little cropping has to occur.
Now, since I’ve chosen 4 X 6 as the size I’m working with, and since you can only get two 4 X 6 pictures on a page anyway, I’m going to work with the last two files. We can back up later and get into some other options, but this should give you the general idea. I am going to do this the "long way" so you’ll get the full impact of what’s happening to the images along the way. Before doing anything, though, make sure you’re working on copies!
Open images 2 and 3 on your desktop; activate #2, and work on it first. Go to Image>Resize>Image Size and make sure the box for Resample in NOT checked. Go to the box for resolution and change the number to 310. You’ll see that the document size of that picture went down to just over 4 X 6 inches. Click OK, and then let it stay open on your desktop. Now activate #3 and open the image resize box. For this one, change the resolution to 330ppi. It, too, will reduce in size to something just over 4 X 6.
Next is to crop both of these so they are exactly 4 X 6. In this case, I’m going to have you use the Crop tool and resample downward to 300ppi. That’s NOT a requirement, nor is it necessarily how I’d do it, but it will get you where you want to be.
With either image activated, select the Crop tool. As soon as you do, you’ll see the Option Bar display some settings particular to this tool. Set 6 inches as the width, 4 inches as the height and the resolution to 300ppi. Now click on the image and you’ll see an area defined that represents a perfect 4 X 6. Make sure it’s surrounding the area you want to keep and then go to Image>Crop. Your document dimensions will change, and so will the resolution. Now do the same thing on the second image.
Now to print these. Go to File>New and set up a new document that’s about 8 X 10, set the resolution to 300ppi, and select either a white or transparent background. Click OK and leave this open on your desktop. Now select the Move tool, choose one of your resized images and drag and drop it on to the new blank canvas. Now do the same with the second one. You have now placed two images on the same piece of paper and can print once.
There are some things in these instructions that don’t reflect my usual workflow. I try to work with images from my camera that are all the same size so I don’t run into the problem of trying to print multiple pictures that are of different resolutions. Whenever possible, you should try to group your printing projects so you can avoid resampling if you can. The important thing to keep in mind is that when you want to print more than one picture on a piece of paper they not only have to be the same resolution, but they also have to be the same resolution as the blank canvas. Once you’ve got that part arranged it’s just a matter of dragging and dropping.
I’m pretty sure you’re going to have more questions, so I’ll quit for now. We can address other details as they come up.
Ted,
I was typing at the same time Beth was. It won’t hurt to have both instructions…
I began with your condition that they must fit in an envelope 4" wide…
Image>duplicate ALWAYS WORK ON A COPY
close original (if you canΒt see original, drag title bar down to expose)
image 13.333 x 17.78 = #1
Image>Image Resize
make sure Resample is UNchecked
only change the resolution box
change it to 320 (or you could just type in 4 for the longest side, but only change one thing) OK it
bring back the Image Resize box and with Resample CHECKED, change the 320 to 300 ppi image will print at 3×4", save image
image 26.208x 21.333 = #2
do the same as above, type in 4 for the width, let the others fill themselves in delete the Β.75" in the res. number. No decimals for resolutions now image is 4.006 x 3.261" at 471 res.
OK the resize box
again go Image>Resize…this time have Resample CHECKED and only change the 471 to 300, image is still the same size
save image
image 21.333 x 28.444 = #3
do the same with inputting 4 for largest dimension
image is now 4 x 3" at 512 res.
Go back to Image Resize, with Resample CHECKED and type in 4 for width image is still 4×3 but at 300res.
Now File>New and create a new document 8.5×11 Β at 300 resolution. Open all three files.
For each one; drag the image and drop it on the new doc
Reposition them by selecting one and getting the Move tool and dragging it on new doc. You can rotate them by going to Edit>Transform>Rotate
Close the three duplicates
Print the new doc.
Beth,
Wow, interesting functionality and powerhouse description — there is a gotcha and/or question or two that come up though: I seem to be having a problem moving the second image onto the canvas where I successfully moved the first one. When I attempt to move the cropped image, the only movement I observe is within the cropped field itself. I don’t know how else to describe the phenomenon — perhaps it’s typical if you do or don’t do something properly, but the image moves within the context of itself. Am I making sense.
The other thing that comes to mind, is that some of the aesthetics of the photos I chose to save and print are lost when cropping is imposed on them. Is there not some way that they could be shrunken in toto to conform with the image sizes we’re using; and while I’m on the subject of dimensions, I’m really curious…..how did you come up with those resolution figures? Remember, I’m a newbie at this.
Ted, instead of dragging and dropping the image, you can do a Select>All, then Edit>Copy, and then go to the canvas to which you want to move and do an Edit>Paste. Will send this quickly because I’m on a shaky dialup line in freezing Colorado….
Chuck –
It’s sunny New York City here (or at least it was today) — the temperature was in the "sweltering" low 50’s π
Thanks for the tip and I’ll hope you manage to get warm really soon.
Tomorrow’s another day and hopefully someone’ll try to put some closure on the ‘reasoning’ which went into Nancy and Beth’s thought provoking (to a newbie like me) instructions.
Ted, glad things are warm in the Big Apple. I’d try to elaborate on your questions but I don’t want to get Beth and Nancy mad at me….again! I will say that the printer resolution of 150-300 ppi is more experiential than scientific; it’s enough pixel density to trick the eye into believing those aren’t really squares there.
OK – I’ll tackle the other. You don’t have to crop the images at all if you’re OK with the 4/3 ratio that comes out of your camera, just resize them to fit on that blank canvas you opened. If you’re using an 8 inch by 10 inch by 300 ppi canvas, go to each picture separately and open Image>Resize>Image size and with Resample CHECKED put in 4 inches in the long side (the 3 inch side should set itself automatically) and 300 ppi in the resolution box and hit OK. Then when you drag (or copy and paste) that image onto your blank canvas, it should print at 4 inches by 3 inches and the whole picture is there – no cropping. Do for each picture.
Only lost the connection twice during this post….
Chuck
wrote in message
Chuck –
It’s sunny New York City here (or at least it was today) — the
temperature was in the "sweltering" low 50’s π
Thanks for the tip and I’ll hope you manage to get warm really soon.
Tomorrow’s another day and hopefully someone’ll try to put some closure on
the ‘reasoning’ which went into Nancy and Beth’s thought provoking (to a newbie like me) instructions.
Ted,
Have a read at Wayne Fulton’s excellent site
<
http://www.scantips.com>
He clearly explains all the concepts one needs to understand for digital imaging (pixels, resolution etc)
Nancy
Thanks (to each of you great) folks! A newbie like myself’d have nowhere to turn were it not for your good graces.
God bless and wishing you the Season’s Best.
Ted Venet
Where in Colorado are you Chuck?
—
Have A Nice Day, π
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview wrote in message
Ted, instead of dragging and dropping the image, you can do a
Select>All,
then Edit>Copy, and then go to the canvas to which you want to move
and do
an Edit>Paste. Will send this quickly because I’m on a shaky dialup
line in
freezing Colorado….
James, I’m at chilly Breckenridge, trying to decide whether to bundle up or sit this morning out!
π
I was going to offer you lunch but that is about 3-5 hours from me depending on weather. Enjoy your trip.
—
Have A Nice Day, π
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview wrote in message
James, I’m at chilly Breckenridge, trying to decide whether to bundle
up or
sit this morning out!
π
James, thanks for the thought!
π
