Which Aspect Ratio

I'm about to scan my mom's 1927 photo album, and it has all kinds of
weird shaped photos. Further, display media (print and monitors)
range from a ratio of 1.25 for 8x10 to 1.50 for 4x6 prints with seven
additional ratios for 35 mm, A6, 5x7, digital camera, 8.5x11 and
11x14. I'm sure there's more I haven't run across.

Whenever I scan a photo, I usually crop it, and this gives me an
opportunity to pick whatever aspect ratio I want. What should I want?

Mike

"Mike Fox" wrote in message news
I'm about to scan my mom's 1927 photo album, and it has all kinds of
weird shaped photos. Further, display media (print and monitors)
range from a ratio of 1.25 for 8x10 to 1.50 for 4x6 prints with seven
additional ratios for 35 mm, A6, 5x7, digital camera, 8.5x11 and
11x14. I'm sure there's more I haven't run across.

Whenever I scan a photo, I usually crop it, and this gives me an
opportunity to pick whatever aspect ratio I want. What should I want?

Proper aspect ratio (and scan resolution) depends on what you
intend to do with these images. Are they for print, display etc.

Just scan them at a resolution that's appropriate for the output
device(s), and worry about aspect ratio later.

Mike Fox wrote:
I'm about to scan my mom's 1927 photo album, and it has all kinds of
weird shaped photos. Further, display media (print and monitors)
range from a ratio of 1.25 for 8x10 to 1.50 for 4x6 prints with seven
additional ratios for 35 mm, A6, 5x7, digital camera, 8.5x11 and
11x14. I'm sure there's more I haven't run across.

Whenever I scan a photo, I usually crop it, and this gives me an
opportunity to pick whatever aspect ratio I want. What should I want?

Mike

Don't crop it! You are making a copy not something new.
Crop old photographs and you will later regret it. "Oh I
cropped Uncle Ned out." "What vase?" "You know, the $2
million antique vase that was on the right size in the
photo." "You used to be able to see a faint image of Aunt
Bea in the window at the edge." You get the idea. If some
of them are studio prints, the original photographer cropped
the photo the way he thought it looked best. You want to
preserve that look.


Scanned photos can always be cropped when you print, but if
you crop some of the image during scanning, you have lost
something that you may later want.

I can't imagine any concern about aspect ratios. Film and
print sizes have varied all over the place. Making
everything the same aspect ratio will not only result in
lost information, it will be Boring.

Don't crop it! You are making a copy not something new.
Crop old photographs and you will later regret it. "Oh I
cropped Uncle Ned out." "What vase?" "You know, the $2
million antique vase that was on the right size in the
photo." "You used to be able to see a faint image of Aunt
Bea in the window at the edge." You get the idea. If some
of them are studio prints, the original photographer cropped
the photo the way he thought it looked best. You want to
preserve that look.


Right...do the scanning and save. That is your negative. Put it on a CD.
Then edit it and put that on a CD. Then crop and sharpen....to fit the way
you will print it. Don't bother saving this one as its easy to reproduce
from your edited version.

Mike Fox wrote:
I'm about to scan my mom's 1927 photo album, and it has all kinds of
weird shaped photos. Further, display media (print and monitors)
range from a ratio of 1.25 for 8x10 to 1.50 for 4x6 prints with seven
additional ratios for 35 mm, A6, 5x7, digital camera, 8.5x11 and
11x14. I'm sure there's more I haven't run across.

Whenever I scan a photo, I usually crop it, and this gives me an
opportunity to pick whatever aspect ratio I want. What should I want?

Mike

Just a couple of thoughts, not rules.

I generally suggest cropping when you print or display, not when you
record. As someone said, you are scanning someone else's work and cropping
it when scanned changes it in a way you will never be able to recover.

As for the proper aspect ratio, that is for you and the subject to
determine. I suggest the subject should rule, not some arbitrary rule. Of
course if you are creating a slide show and want smooth transmissions you
may want to crop for that use. Most of the time I let the subject rule,
even if it means part of the print will be blank.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Mike Fox writes:

I'm about to scan my mom's 1927 photo album, and it has all kinds of
weird shaped photos. Further, display media (print and monitors)
range from a ratio of 1.25 for 8x10 to 1.50 for 4x6 prints with seven
additional ratios for 35 mm, A6, 5x7, digital camera, 8.5x11 and
11x14. I'm sure there's more I haven't run across.

Whenever I scan a photo, I usually crop it, and this gives me an
opportunity to pick whatever aspect ratio I want. What should I want?

IMHO you should want to preserve the original shape. At least for the
master archive copy.

For badly cropped snapshots, well, use your judgement. One of the
nice things about displaying photos on-screen is that you're not bound
to the fixed paper sizes any more.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, , http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/
RKBA: http://noguns-nomoney.com/ http://www.dd-b.net/carry/
Pics: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/ http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/
Dragaera/Steven Brust: http://dragaera.info/

Lot's of good advice. Thanks

Mike

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 22:42:39 GMT, Mike Fox
wrote:

I'm about to scan my mom's 1927 photo album, and it has all kinds of
weird shaped photos. Further, display media (print and monitors)
range from a ratio of 1.25 for 8x10 to 1.50 for 4x6 prints with seven
additional ratios for 35 mm, A6, 5x7, digital camera, 8.5x11 and
11x14. I'm sure there's more I haven't run across.

Whenever I scan a photo, I usually crop it, and this gives me an
opportunity to pick whatever aspect ratio I want. What should I want?

Mike