Trying to print FX vs DX sizes: I have always sent my work to be printed by a professional printer. Most of my customers want "normal" sizes like 8 x 10, 11 x 14 or 16 x 20 since that...

texaseve Loc: TX, NC and NH

I have always sent my work to be printed by a professional printer. Most of my customers want "normal" sizes like 8 x 10, 11 x 14 or 16 x 20 since that is what store bought frames usually come in. I do shoot with both camera types and their lenses depending on what it is I am shooting.
I have read info on this site and am still foggy. Many times my photos fit fairly well in these sizes and other times they do not and I end up having to crop more of the photo than I wanted to. Is there a way to shrink the photo down in Lightroom before I put it in a folder to go to the printer? I usually just upload and then try and fit them into the template provided.
Is there some easy way to understand the aspect ratio stuff....My brain is not processing today!

GrahamS Loc: Hertfordshire, U.K

Use the search function above, and search for "Print sizes" and "Aspect ratio"

This may also help:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-103643-1.html

It has nothing to do with DX and FX. The image size is in pixels, width and height, irrespective of what type of camera was used. The ratio of the width to the height in pixels is the aspect ratio. You have to crop your image to suit the aspect ratio of the print that you want.

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

I don't understand the relationship between store bought frames and print sizes.

I have been printing my own for 20 years, weddings etc, no matter what frame size people want you can print to fit the frame.

Are you saying that every shot you take is perfect with no need to crop, wish I could say that

GrahamS Loc: Hertfordshire, U.K

An APS-C or a full frame sensor will give you an aspect ratio of 3:2. That would mean an 8X12 inch print. To obtain an 8x10 inch print, you would have to crop an inch off either side or two inches off the long side in total. A four-thirds sensor has an aspect ratio of exactly that, 4:3, which will give you an 8X10 inch print without any cropping. If you send an image file to a lab for printing, and you don't edit the file beforehand to the correct print size, the lab's equipment will usually crop the file in an arbitary manner to fit the print.

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

GrahamS wrote:

An APS-C or a full frame sensor will give you an a... (show quote)

Graham is right, you will need to keep that in mind when you take the photographs. Take them so when cropped they turn out the way you wanted. Takes practice but can be done. As for me one more reason not to get involved in the business of taking and selling.

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

GrahamS wrote:

An APS-C or a full frame sensor will give you an a... (show quote)

Graham, You sure about the 4x3? To me it works out to an 8x6 print without any cropping at all. To get an 8x10 you'd have to increase the size by a factor 2.66 which would give you a s 7.98 x 10.84 which in the end would mean you are once again cropping out part of the print.
My advice: Print DX or FX in 8x12 if you don't want to lose anything and deal with the matting and/or framing.

GrahamS Loc: Hertfordshire, U.K

Frank T wrote:

Graham, You sure about the 4x3? To me it works out to an 8x6 print without any cropping at all. To get an 8x10 you'd have to increase the size by a factor 2.66 which would give you a s 7.98 x 10.84 which in the end would mean you are once again cropping out part of the print.

From a four thirds sensor you will get a print 7.98 x 10.84 inches which is as near to 8 x 10 as dammit is yo swearing for printing purposes.

texaseve Loc: TX, NC and NH

GrahamS wrote:

An APS-C or a full frame sensor will give you an a... (show quote)

Thanks Graham - I guess I just don't like having to crop something I don't want to crop. This helps me understand better.

texaseve Loc: TX, NC and NH

I wasn't looking in the right area before on here....I just found all I needed under the image sizes, aspect ratio, etc. Sounds like I have to crop what I don't want to crop all right. Thanks again you guys for being patient - this is an old subject...and confusing one.

jecanes Loc: Taumarunui, New Zealand

GrahamS wrote:

An APS-C or a full frame sensor will give you an a... (show quote)

Wrong, a 4:3 aspect ratio will a 4x3, 8x6 or 12x9 print not an 10x8. A 10x8 print has an aspect ratio of 5:4.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

I guess my brain isn't working this morning, consequently I don't understand why one would not just re-size the image? I know in PaintShop, CaptureNX2 and, I assume, Photoshop you can resize the image to whatever you want without cropping at all and you can either keep or change the resolution. What am I missing?

samleo Loc: Norfolk,England

BboH wrote:

I guess my brain isn't working this morning, consequently I don't understand why one would not just re-size the image? I know in PaintShop, CaptureNX2 and, I assume, Photoshop you can resize the image to whatever you want without cropping at all and you can either keep or change the resolution. What am I missing?

Not absolutely true; Photoshop will resize maintaining the original aspect ratio unless you tell it otherwise ,to resize to the actual ratio you require photoshop will probably have to either crop or interpolate.

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

texaseve wrote:

I have always sent my work to be printed by a prof... (show quote)

Yes, there is a way to shrink and also to enlarge your image in Lightroom --- for that you need to use the "export" function which can be found at the bottom of the "lefthand" panel. Click on that an it will take you to a form where you can convert the image to a number of different file format types, sizes, pixel densities and dimensions.

You can also watermark your image there and add or limit the amount of EXIF data to accompany the image. You can even send it to any folder on any drive you have, open it in another application and do this for one image or a whole "batch" at a time.