will47 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

What exactly is resolution? For instance, if I change the resolution from 300 to 200 what really happens? Does quality suffer (if the image was good to beging with)? What is the easiest way to change the resolution? Just go to PS>image size and change from there? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I’ll be interested in your coming answers, for I also am curious.

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

I think this link will be useful for you (and for me). http://www.urban75.org/photos/print.html

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

This should help:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_resolution
Mark

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'd say it's the amount of detail you can see, whether in a photo or a print of a photo. How many dots per inch - that kind of thing. Let's see what Google has to offer.

Wow! 740 million links!

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+resolution+in+photography&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS716US717&oq=what+is+resolution+in+photography&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.8062j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

BebuLamar

If you mean the resolution setting in PS then really nothing happen.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Not true, when resizing an image if you drop the resolution you also change the size of the image file.

BebuLamar

Changing the resolution does not resize the image at all.

Bill_de Loc: US

But image size and image file size are two different things.

Printed image size may remain the same, but file size and posted image will be resized..

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BebuLamar

If you uncheck the resample the image doesn't change.

saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee, WA

From Adobe: " Pixel dimensions measure the total number of pixels along an image’s width and height. Resolution is the fineness of detail in a bitmap image and is measured in pixels per inch (ppi). The more pixels per inch, the greater the resolution. Generally, an image with a higher resolution produces a better printed image quality. Unless an image is resampled (see Resampling), the amount of image data remains constant as you change either the print dimensions or resolution. For example, if you change the resolution of a file, its width and height change accordingly to maintain the same amount of image data."

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

In reference to printing (the term resolution is used in many different ways), "printing resolution affects the level of detail and tonal gradation that can be recorded in the final printed image." Printers also have resolution, anywhere from "1440-2880 dpi or higher." Resolution for bitmap images, photographic images are bitmap, are viewed as ppi, pixels per inch. Changing resolution is generally an easy task, figuring out if the viewer will view the image correctly when printed at a specific resolution may be more difficult. It's all about having enough pixels to fill in all the blanks so that the viewer sees a smoothly colored image throughout. In general, for the size of images most photographers print at 240 ppi to 300 ppi is required to obtain a quality print, with with enough pixels to be viewed in a positive and pleasing way. Oddly, when printing a small image the pixel setting would go up and when printing a much larger image the pixel setting would go down and this is because of the way the eye views images and because of the distance that an image might be viewed at.

I print all my own work that is 13" x 19" or smaller. I generally print at 300 ppi and use digital sizing that fits into a standard frame, so a 10" x 15" image or a 12" x 18" image. I generally crop minimally so this works well for me. The more you crop the more issues you might have, depending on the image size that your camera takes an image at. I use LR so printing at any resolution is easily done by clicking a box and setting a number. I don't print from PS, although I use it extensively for editing on some images.

All quotes are from "The Manual of Photography."

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

From a practical point of view, why would you want to change resolution? It might be that whatever it is you want to accomplish can be done better some other way.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Here are two images, each 2000 pixels wide, both about 2.2 mb file size. First is 300 pixels per inch (ppi/resolution), second is 100. I accomplished this by changing the ppi in my crop tool options (PS Elements) not the resize/resample section. Except for very high resolution monitors, online viewing should be identical.

As via the lens points out and others have alluded to, printing is when you want to pay attention to resolution, including understanding "normal viewing distance" of your mounted-on-the-wall image.

This subject can be as complicated and technically detailed as one wants to make it, but I'm with dsmeltz: we should know more about what the OP wants to accomplish specifically.

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Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

There are a couple of things about resolution, super dense sensors 50+mp on a full frame or 24+ on a crop can certainly be cropped much tighter and still be printed or displayed. For printing anything more than 250dpi or ppi is a waste, you won't see it, the same can be said for displaying on a computer monitor anything over 100ppi is a waste. As far as resizing, up sizing in my experience does not do a whole lot of good, but downsizing can have multiple benefits. One is that it makes it so much easier to use on the web, and secondly downsizing an image will greatly reduce noise in an image and actually improve it. The only thing that huge images does for digital display is allow for pixel peeping, something that may be more important to you if you are shooting macro, or if you think you have the sharpest lens in the group and want people to be able to see that.