I use a Nikon D300 and most of my pictures are posted on the web which is not a problem with seeing the full picture. Recently I shot some Landscape shots during a rare snow in Alabama. I just got around to sending them off to the photo lab for development and when they got back, about a half of inch was cut off of each side. This took a lot out of the pictures such as part of the old cover bridge, signs, and even part of my watermark in the bottom right. The size I got processed was 5X7's. So, could anyone give me some advice on how to avoid this or a name of a good photo processor that will give me the full shot I send in for processing?
Posted by Alan Olander on May 23, 2009 at 11:28 AM
You can't get a 5 x 7 inch print from a D300, or most any DSLR, without cropping. The sensor's aspect ratio is 2:3, meaning you can get 4"x 6", 6" x 9", 8" x 12", etc. prints without cropping as they have a 2:3 ratio. One solution would be to crop your photos to 5 x 7 before you send them to the printer so you can control the crop.
Alan has explained the issue - the aspect ratio of the camera is different from the 5x7.
You need a processor who offers something like "full frame on 5x7," but most don't want to do this because it creates wide black or white borders on the top and bottom that make customers complain they are paying for unused paper.
You could use a simple photo editing application like Photoshop Elements to "add canvas" above and below your complete 2:3 image so that the result has the proper 5:7 proportions.
Or, you could find a local processor who will have someone actually talk to you when you submit your files for printing.
For 5x7's, I find the people at Costco to be friendly and sensitive to my concerns about unwanted cropping. Suggest that you stop in with a CD of your personally sized images to be printed and input them into their system to see if there is any unwanted cropping. I believe that they will work with you. Same for Ritz but their price is higher for 5x7's.
Discussion
4 repliesYou need a processor who offers something like "full frame on 5x7," but most don't want to do this because it creates wide black or white borders on the top and bottom that make customers complain they are paying for unused paper.
You could use a simple photo editing application like Photoshop Elements to "add canvas" above and below your complete 2:3 image so that the result has the proper 5:7 proportions.
Or, you could find a local processor who will have someone actually talk to you when you submit your files for printing.
Bill Brennan