lukevaliant Loc: gloucester city,n. j.

THANK YOU I ONLY HAVE A P/S CAMERA THOUGH.BUT IF I GET A BETTER CAMERA NOW I WILL KNOW :)

Miriam

I guess I'd think twice about enlarging any image a great deal larger than it actually is unless I was actually doing macro, but that's just my taste, and taste is a matter of taste.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

The key is pixel count in the file you're going to print. You've already said you re-cropped and every time you crop you lose pixel content. In my opinion, a 300ppi file that is 3900X5700 pixels would be best for printing at 13X19 although a 200ppi file that is 2600X3800 could still be passable because 300ppi isn't really required for home printers to convert and achieve maximum dpi ink application.

You really don't want to get into a discussion of ppi versus dpi, trust me. I just use 300ppi as my file size standard when editing to always have plenty of resolution to achieve best prints on any printer I might end up printing on whether it's mine, one at a local store, or sending the file out.

The best "types" of photographs to print large are those that "WOW!" you in smaller sizes and you want to impress viewers (including yourself) with even more "WOW". It sometimes is an emotional thing. I did a portrait session for a family recently and sent them an email with equivalent to a 4X6 of 32 shots I took that came out extremely nice so they could pick and choose what they wanted to have printed large for their home. I had edited them all for flaws, touched up white balance, and inserted studio and landscape backgrounds into green-screen shots I also did while there.

They spent several evenings of pouring over them as a couple, even asking their 6 and 3 year old kids which ones they liked, looking at the room where they were going to hang them and thinking and measuring about positioning, and many other personal factors, and finally decided which ones they truly were "WOW'd" by. Out of 32 that we all thought were excellent, they worked hard to bring that down to (9) 11X14's and (2) 16X20's they just couldn't live without enlarging and then asked for the rest in 4X6 just for storing away or carrying around for friends and family on holiday trips.

The wife had originally said she would be wanting a couple enlargements of her kids shot separately in B&W. That was probably something she had seen somewhere before, or in a magazine or maybe she had been told she should do that by a friend. As it turned out, she didn't like B&W after all, was far more "WOW'd" by the color versions, and didn't order any B&W.

I thought they made excellent choices for their enlargements but as an outsider there are three of the nine that I would have chosen differently according to my taste.

What I'm saying is that the "type" of photo worthy of enlargement is a 100% personal thing. You may like a 13X19 butterfly while Vin Diesel may enjoy a 13X19 of a 1970 Dodge Charger or Plymouth Road Runner. My wife may like a 13X19 of a luxury home water view of the Gulf of Mexico while I may like a 13X19 of her. The acceptance of what you enlarge by other people may be your goal -or- the enlargement is for your own enjoyment while the acceptance by others is secondary.

jteee Loc: Montana

Thanks for the compliment. I printed it on Canon Semi-gloss (the pack that came with the printer), and it turned out pretty nice. However, they included a couple of sheets of their Pro Luster paper, and the prints I made on that paper was really impressive. I like it much better than the semi-gloss.

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I just got my printer a day or two ago (if I already mentioned it, please forgive me) I got a Package of 50 13x19 semi-glosses (for free :))with my printer from Adorama in a separate box and the printer box came with 5 sheets of 8 1/2x11 pro luster. I've never used either style before. Which is shinier? I just mailed in the rebate form today. My first pic was a 4x6 of a cicada...slightly yellowier-looking than my screen. Maybe I didn't have everything set up correctly. Still a nice pic for a first one. I'm almost scared to find out how much ink a 13x19 will use!

0627ramram32 Loc: Orange County, CA, USA

I don't want to be a grinch, here, but I would say "No ... too soft".

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I just printed my first 13x19 pic and will give it to my EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) chapter to decorate one of their walls of our meeting hall (a double-wide next to the old control tower at our airport). I was going to print one my Blue Angels pics, but the computer said the resolution wasn't good enough (probably still could have printed it though). This is what I DID print.

oops, sorry...same plane, just a frame or 2 different

Mudshark Loc: Illinois

RAW is the uncracked egg and cold bacon on your plate the morning after you forget your wife's birthday......You will need an iron skillet or a dozen roses....your call....