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Digital picture processing.....or why do they get cropped?


JeffS

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Don't panic :o This is model photography related. :smiley17:

 

 

I have not had any difficulties when uploading digital pictures for web posting. However when I take the SD card or Disk to a developer and/or kiosk they get cropped rather poorly. The clerk tells me "Hey, we use Fuji equipment and you give us a card/disk used in a Kodak." I do need to add here that the pictures have not been altered or edited prior to this point.

 

Now a friend tells me that there is setting in the camera called "Ratio Aspect" that needs to be changed so the pictures won't get cropped.

 

My camera is the Kodak Z740.

 

So what is the skinny on this. And please, plain english as I am a point and shot kind of guy.

 

Cheers

Edited by JeffS
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The clerk doesn't have a clue...

 

I don't know about a camera setting, but aspect ratio may be coming into play. Aspect ratio is the ratio of the width to the height of the image - a photo with an aspect ratio of 3:2 for instance, would have a width 1 1/2 times larger than the height. Your typical 4x6" print has a 3:2 aspect ratio. Many (most?) digital camera shoot with a 3:2 A/R, although 4:3 is used in a few - that is based on the shape of the sensor capturing the image. 35mm film also uses a 3:2 ratio. The problem comes when you take your 3:2 shot and crop it for different sizes. If you wanted to produce a 5x7" or 8x10" print, different parts of the photo will end up cropped out to fit that A/R. If I think I'll be producing some different size images (say for a portrait) I'll leave some space around the subject so I can crop accordingly.

 

Not being familiar with your camera, it might be possible to change the aspect ratio of the photos you take, but I suspect that simply does the cropping automatically, it can't change the size or shape of the sensor. As always, RTFM.

 

It sounds like they are cropping your photos to a different aspect ratio without paying attention to the original images. If you can do some basic editing, you may be able to avoid the problem, you could ask if they can crop to different aspect ratios - although that will be limited by the print size you are getting. You can also leave a little space around your subject to give yourself a little leeway.

 

I'm on my way out the door right now, but if my explanation isn't clear, I can post some examples tonight. Actually, one easy way to visualize it is with your TV - a standard TV picture is a 4:3 aspect ratio, and many old movies were shot in the same format. Most movies today are filmed in a 16:9 ratio, so if you watch a modern movie on a standard TV, either part of the picture gets edited out (the old "This program has been modified to fit your screen" disclaimer) or you get the "letterbox" look with black stripes above and below the picture.

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Thanks for the quick response John and it was perfectly understandable. So, I read the instructions (go figure). Model builders don't need instructions right? The manual listed the settings. I was at 5.0MP and expecting the processor the sandwich it all in.

 

I changed the setting to 4.4MP or 2576x1716 and that works out to 3:2 AR.

 

Maybe I fixed the problem for the 6x4 print size.

 

At any rate. Thanks.

Edited by JeffS
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One suggestion. I you are learning to shoot digital pictures, your camera probably came with a viewer/editor. You are really only one step away from printing your own photos. With a decient(under $200) printer and photo paper you can easily print your own photos and get as good, if not better prints on your own. Then you don't have to deal with dork running the print lab and you get exactly what you want for less money. I figure it cost me about $.35 for an 8X12 including paper and ink. I can do those all day long at that price.

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Adding to that you can always get the program Adobe Photoshop Elements and crop, recolor or whatever to your photos before you print them.

 

 

Yes indeed. I just upgraded to version 8 and it cost me $80. Frankly, it does more than I will ever do, but what I use it for, is very simple and works great.

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Yes indeed. I just upgraded to version 8 and it cost me $80. Frankly, it does more than I will ever do, but what I use it for, is very simple and works great.

Use auto levels and Auto smart fix on your photos. It is the greatest feature of Photoshop Elements.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I apologize for not letting you all know :smiley24: . The camera has a setting for 4.4mp which is the correct sizing for a 4x6 print. Problem solved. :smiley17:

 

Thanks again for all who helped me out. :smiley20:

Edited by JeffS
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Jeff,

 

Having spent several years hunched over a control panel in a mini-lab I might have some insight about the cropping. Mind you this was way way back in the days of something I like to call "negatives."

 

I'm not sure how much flexibility digital labs have but the enlargers I used would crop a bit of the image around the edges. Additionally, the cuter at the end to the drying tower would also crop a little off the sides as the long strip of images was sliced into individual pictures. All of this cropping was done to compensate for any slop in the process.

 

I would occasionally get complaints from customers that in images where a person might be right at the edge of the negative, the tops of heads were getting cropped off. There was not a lot I could do about it other then try to cheat the negative one direction or another inside the film strip holder. I would also try to convince them that these people were ugly and should not be photographed. This rarely worked. The machines then and now were designed to squirt out prints as fast as possible often at the expense of precision and flexibility.

 

Some self-service kiosks might allow for some customization of the image. You might try this. I'm sure there will be some difference in the actual result but you can learn how to get what you need out of the machine. Of course a custom lab will do what you want and charge you appropriately.

 

As others have said, I would make sure that the image ratio in your camera matches that of the prints you want (4x6 most likely). After that I would try not to have your subject too close to the edge of the frame.

 

 

Hope this is some help,

 

John

 

PS. Mega Pixels and image ratio are two separate things. Perhaps your camera has a setting that affects both at the same time. Glad you problem is solved. I'm posting my reply anyhow!

 

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