Noob questions: How to know the right resolution for the size for graphic size?

[vrada501]

I'm here to ask a simple question about something I'm lacking the idea of, I'll try my best but I'm gonna have a hard time wording it.

Just wondering how much does the resolution have to match the size of the image for it to look fine, by fine I mean
without too much blur, crappy and pixely look?


Let's just use my current cabinet for example, and how we would print a side art for it. By the side, the cabinet measures 30 inches
wide and 70 inches high. So basically I would want to make a side art that size. How do I figure out what the resolution(s) of the
image file of that side art needs to be for that size? Is there a certain formula used to calculate that? I'm also slightly familiar with the term DPI for the pixels per inch, in case I need to focus more on figuring out how much of that I need.

And does the resolution have to be an exact number or would there be a range of resolutions that are dependent on the size?
If I found out what resolution(s), and it was a case where I wanted to do custom side art I would probably start a photo project set to that resolution(s)
but if I downloaded a scan of one I wanted to use (as long as I have permission and right) would I just take the pic file of it
to a place that does wide prints like Office Depot and tell them that I want that picture printed to a full 30" x 70"?
For an example to that, I found a scan of one of the Mortal Kombat side arts and the image file's resolution was 412 x 820
would I really just take that there and tell them to print it as a whole 30" x 70" picture and it would appear fine?
Or is that all what you do with any side art anyway homemade or not, just take the art whatever resolution it is and tell them to do that?

I feel like Photoshop might have a feature that lets you preview whatever picture would look like if it were printed in whatever size (like in this case once again...30" x 70"!)
I have only a tiny amount of experience with Photoshop that took place a long time ago so I don't remember.

Thanks for taking the time reading, and I hope my noobishness or ignorance will be excused.

[Malenko]

You may be over thinking it. Its just the inches multiplied by the DPI (dots per inch)
You say your side art is 30 inches by 70 inches.

at  72  DPI thats 2160x5040
at 150 DPI thats 4500x10500
at 300 DPI thats 9000x21000


If you take a low resolution raster image and scale it up (say from 412x820 to 4500x10500) its going to look like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. If you are making art from scratch, start at 300 DPI

Hope that helps!

[vrada501]

You may be over thinking it.

Agreed. haha

Anyway yeah, that helps clear it up for me and gives me a grip on the concept, and for that I thank you!

So from that I'm assuming that when I take an image file somewhere like Office Depot or something to get it printed, and the image file is whichever of those resolutions you mentioned,
I basically just tell them that I want that image printed as a whole 30" wide and 70" high picture?
I'm sure that must be how it goes, but I just wanted to double check because I've never had a place print something that was larger than just a normal piece of paper lol.

[JDFan]

If you are making art from scratch, start at 300 DPI

And while working on it always save as a lossless format (ie. .psd) and not a compressed format ( ie. .jpg ) which would introduce artifacts each time it is reopened and saved again.

[yotsuya]

If you take a low resolution raster image and scale it up (say from 412x820 to 4500x10500) its going to look like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. If you are making art from scratch, start at 300 DPI

Hope that helps!

Bro, if I do it at 1200 DPI, it's 4 times the DP!!!!