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How to Make Resolution Changes

Resolution in digital photography refers to both the size and quality of the image produced by the camera. A digital camera that has a 21.1 megapixel sensor like the Canon 1Ds Mark III will produce a better quality picture than a camera that has a 4.1 megapixel sensor like the original Canon 1D. There are times, however, when photographers don't need all of that resolution for their final images. While you can reduce the resolution in the camera, it is better to do it in the post-production stage.

Instructions

- 1
  Open the photo editing software you traditionally use to edit your images. Insert the memory card from your digital camera into the computer's card reader or a card reader that is attached to your computer. Download the images to your computer the same way you normally would.
- 2
  Open the photo in which you want to edit and reduce the resolution. Edit the picture as you would normally. When you are done, click the "Properties" or "Image" tab in the program's toolbar. Select "Image size" from the drop-down menu.
- 3
  Toggle to DPI (dots per inch) and change the value to a lower number than what appears in the window. DPI refers to the resolution for printing the image. 300 DPI is generally the most used resolution for prints. Lower resolutions are used for lesser quality reproductions or if you are posting the image onto a website. 200 DPI is used with most newspapers and 72 DPI is the setting for computer screens. Change the value to the setting you need, then click "OK" to save your change.
- 4
  Click "File" in the navigation bar, give your edited picture a new name and save it to your hard drive. Do not save it to the original file, as this will overwrite the original file and you will lose the full-resolution original.

Photography