I’m doing from scratch illustrative work and I think I lost my higher resolution settings during a file name change……I noticed significantly more pixilation than what’s usually present when my work is increased in magnification with my Wacom tablet. Is there a way to go directly to the window that deals with resolution size/quality which says something like "smaller" to "larger in a sliding scale and which seems to have a numerical scale that corresponds with this that maxes out at "12"?. I want to re-apply maximum resolution settings to the re-named project so it can eventually be printed at maximum physical size. I’m usually presented with this window automatically the first time I save changes to a project in CS4 but not in subsequent work sessions with the project…
There might be a little confusion regarding file resolution in Photoshop.
For an original images entirely generated in Photoshop, you will set the resolution parameters in the New Image dialog box. You can’t change the file resolution simply by renaming. You would have had to actually use the Image Size dialog to do that.
While you can use the Image Size dialog to change the pixel dimension of your document, you probably won’t be happy with the results, as you’ll be asking Photoshop to guess as what the new intermediate pixels should be.
The best advice would to start over with a new file generated from the beginning with the proper resolution for your intended output.
And if you will be needing the file at different resolutions (such as for print reproduction and for Web), always create the art at the highest resolution you will need. Then make a copy with a non-confusing new name for a lower res version and save it.
Is there a way to go directly to the window that deals with resolution size/quality which says something like "smaller" to "larger in a sliding scale and which seems to have a numerical scale that corresponds with this that maxes out at "12"?
Sounds like you are working in .jpg format. Don’t create art this way, as it is lossy. That is, every time you open-save-close-open a file, you are losing file information, replacing it with artifacts (garbage). Work in a non-lossy format, such as .psd or .tif. You can always do a copy and save as a .jpg if you need it (for email or Web, for example).
Thanks all. I’ll do some more concentrated study on this as your replies have answered some aspects of what I’m dealing with and also left me with a new batch of questions which isn’t a bad thing…
Neil,…Sorry for what’s probably a beginner’s question that’s probably been answered a billion times here but, here goes: The way I work is to draw in large format (off the computer on newsprint with vine charcoal) and then photo the large sketch and export it from iPhoto to CS4 to finish working it as a painting. What is the procedure for getting these into CS4 in one of the non-lossy formats you mentioned?
If you are just shooting a sketch as a guide with a digital camera just keep doing that the same.
Once you have opened your Jpeg in photoshop, size it to the dimensions and resolution you want the finished image to be. Uprezing at this stage will not hurt anything as the sketch is only a guide.
Now do a save as a PSD or TIF. This way you can keep resaving the file and you are not destroying the file every time you save it again. Also saving as a PSD or TIF allows you to save with layers.
Let me see if I’m understanding things correctly thus far (and this encompasses some info that strays slightly from this thread). If I’m creating art in CS4 from sketches brought into CS4 as JPEGs with the end intent of having large-ish scale Giclee prints done, I should:
– save the work at any unfinished stage (but preferably early on) as a .tif or PSD file
– up the size/resolution at any unfinished stage (but preferably early on) to something that will be more than adequate for the intended print size.
– choose the "CMY-something-or-other" option rather than the RGB option early on in the project rather if not at the very beginning (or can this be simply switched over at any point?).
