Chris Mannerino Loc: San Diego

How do I save my pictures to get the highest resolution for printing on aluminum? Being new to photography I would like to start printing large portraits. I am not sure what would be an acceptable mb for a 24x36 print, and how to save them after downloading the raw image in Lightroom.

Thank you for your input.

Chris

blue-ultra Loc: New Hampshire

My suggestion is to save your image in the highest quality available to you and probably as a TIFF as I believe they are not as compressed as the .jpg. Most printers have the ability to add pixels if needed to make a good metal print. I actually gave one to my printer that was a 50 mb .jpg and that came from PS. The image is striking and no loss of clarity at 20X30.
Bob

twowindsbear

Contact the folks that will be making the large aluminum prints. They will KNOW - those here will speculate.

stevebein

I have had tack sharp prints on aluminum from a 16 mb file at 30x45". A quality lab and good selection and processing of the image to use helps. Larger files can be easier and have greater success also. Going to a full frame from a cropped sensor can be a benefit, or of no real use. IT depends on the skill of the photographer in pre and post operations.

Mundj Loc: Richmond TX

You will need to export the image in Lightroom. This will create a JPG or TIFF file as required by the printing company. When I used Aluminize they wanted a JPG file at 300 dpi. You should first crop your image using the appropriate aspect ratio, for 24x36 use the 2x3 ratio. Arrange the crop to maximize your image and then export to a 24x36 inch size at 300 dpi. The printed image will not be as bright as on your monitor. You should try to get the printer ICC profile and use the soft proof feature of LR to compensate. You might consider contacting HOG member gene51 for additional help. He offers one-on-one LR and PS training.

TheDman Loc: USA

Heh, don't bet on it.

TheDman Loc: USA

Just don't downsize your image at all. Any modern digital camera should do well at 24x36, as long as you're starting with a good image.

wolfman

From Bay Photo's website. Their metal prints are outstanding!


https://support.bayphoto.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2074685-file-size-file-preparation-guidelines

avengine

We done this type of print all the time, using high end flatbed printer. I know your photo come in RGB color mode, but in the the print it must be CMYK, therefore convert it to CMYK mode 300 dpi tif or jpg will be fine.
We are in ontario, Canada www.output123.com or email us sales@output123.com
thanks.

TheDman Loc: USA

Well, scratch output123.com off the list of places I would ever try.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

This is who I recommend every time for metal prints (if you can live with their set sizes)
http://www.cgproprints.com/order_metal_prints

Metal Prints FAQ
What is the recommended image resolution for Metal Prints?
Due to the high gloss finish of the Metal Prints, we recommend a resolution of 250ppi or higher.

What is the production time for a metal print order?
Metal prints take three business days to produce. Please note: orders placed over the weekend will be considered received on Monday; the day that we receive your metal print order is considered day zero.

What is the metal substrate?
Our metal prints are printed on high definition, sublimatable aluminum sheets (0.1" thickness) with rounded corners.

What is the metal printing process?
Using a process called dye sublimation, we infuse dyes directly into (rather than onto) specially coated aluminum sheets. The metal is coated with a high gloss, protective coating.

How durable is the product?
Metal prints are highly durable. The ultra-hard, scratch-resistant surface is waterproof/weatherproof and can be cleaned easily--just avoid direct sunlight.

Do you offer other metal finishes?
We currently only offer the popular high gloss, reflective finish on our metal prints. The brushed metal texture will not be discernible in your image.

Do you offer custom sizes for metal prints?
We currently only offer the sizes listed on the metal prints order page. We do not offer any custom sizing at this time.

Do you offer metal print hanging hardware options? Can I order metal prints without hanging hardware?
At this time we only offer pre-installed hanging hardware options. The hardware installed on your metal print will be dependent on the size of the print. Smaller metal prints (8x10, 8x20, 11x14, 12x12) will have a ½” float mount, notched block hanger. Larger metal prints will have a ¾” black inset float mount frame installed. The frame will be recessed from the edges of the print so it is not seen from the front of the print. To see examples of these hardware options, please visit our Metal Prints Product Features page.

Are metal prints available for customer pick-up?
At this time metal print orders are not available for customer pick-up option.

Can metal prints be shipped to Canada?
Currently we are unable to ship metal prints to Canada.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

Chris, the terms kb, mb gb or tb have only a rudimentary connection to resolution. What you really want is the pixel dimensions of a particular file. The last file I uploaded to UHH was 4752x3168 and is 10.1 mb in size. I made the same photo come in at 4752x3168 pixels and only have it at 475 kb. Now that is quite a difference in size, isn't it? The difference is the quality I saved it as, in this case I saved the 2nd at 50% quality. The actual print size hasn't changed, only the image quality. Once you know the pixel dimensions it is easy to figure out a high quality size for printing. Take each pixel dimension and divide by 300 because a quality print uses a standard 300 pixels per inch in the setup.

So my last file, 4752/300=15.84" by 3168/300=10.56" making a fine quality print of 10.56"x15.84". If I was to print this at twice the size 21.12"x31.68", the resolution would be 150 PPI. Now, you can tell the printer to print at 300 dpi and it will add shading to fill in for a smooth transition. As a super simple example, if you were to print 2 pixels, one white and one black and you told the printer to print using 4 dots. It would make the first dot black, the second 66% grey, the 3rd 33% grey and the 4th white. Because of this you can get perceived high quality enlargements. The flip side is there is only so far you can go before it turns to crap.

Oh yes, some people on UHH go nuts when you interchange PPI and DPI. They are two different things but so many use them interchangeably, me included. <sigh> PPI deals with the digital realm and DPI deals with the printed material.