Cassie wrote:
Hi' all.
Could someone please tell me how to resize photographs. My friend was sent a
few photos via email and they are all large raging from 576KB & some a bit
smaller but not much, and she asked me how to resize them. I'm not very
familiar with photos and I have only enlarged them in the past I think, it's
been a while since I did it. Also I am not very computer savvy just know a
little bit more than my friend. She didn't have any software so I downloaded
"Irfanview" on her computer and she wanted 6x4 inches but no matter what I
did I couldn't get 6x4inches it kept jumping back to a different number, I
managed to get 7x5 but not sure how I did it now. My friend has the starter
program of Adobe photo shop and found 6x4 but it would not print on her
Hewlett Packard. I had a practise on my computer with Grandview as I have a
photo in my pictures that is 576KB but I don't understand the pixel
measurements which is 1188x1848 for that size. I either ended up with a tiny
photo or a large one. I have Canon software as well but again the pixels and
cm have me confused, not sure what the equivalent is and even if I did it
jumps back to what it wants. I would appreciate any advice and sorry to
sound so dumb.
Regards,


This is indeed one of the more complicated issues in digital
photography. The problem is that there are three common definitions of
'size' in digital photography. The first is file size- the number of
bits required to store the image. I don't think this is that important
to you in your present problem.

Second, the size in pixels is important. All popular image formats use
a rectangular grid of pixels, so many columns wide by so many rows
high. Thus a 640 x 480 image has 640 columns by 480 rows of pixels.

Third there is the 'physical size' when an image is PRINTED. Relating
these second and third definitions is the parameter of pixels per inch.
If we had a 600 pixel by 400 pixel image and printed it as a 6 x 4
inch print, that would be 100 pixels per inch. Note that the physical
size AND the ppi only have meaning when we are printing the image.

Most good photo editors allow you to change physical size (in
preparation for printing), the ppi, and the total number of pixels.
Which type of 'resize' you want to do when is indeed something you have
to learn to do. If you have the manual for whatever editing software
you are using, read/study carefully all information on resizing.
Cassie