Cropping 101

When I initially began photography, I never knew what sized picture to give clients.  The image that comes from my camera is roughly 10.5 x 16, but the files are also too large to burn many on a CD.  So the image needs to be cropped.

Before I had anything to do with pictures, I just assumed all picture sizes maintained a basic ratio.  But that's far from true.  Here's a little visual for you:

This is your standard picture sizes at half scale and how they compare.

Here's the difference in ratio.  When all of the sizes are compared at the same height, we can see their widths are significantly different.  A 4x6 is very rectangular while an 8x10 is more square.

I ultimately decided to crop client files to 8x12 (unless otherwise noted on the file name) because it is the easiest for you to crop once you decide to print an image.  It will print at a 4x6 with no changes.  A 5x7 will lose 0.5 inches from the top or bottom.  An 8x10 will lose 2 inches from the top or bottom.  Please always double check where the cut will occur when printing your photos so as not to cut off important details.

As always, if you have any questions when printing your photos you are always welcome to contact me.  If you choose to order professional prints through me, I will crop the image to perfection before it is sent off to the printers.

Happy printing!