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How to Increase The Resolution of Images

How to Increase The Resolution of Images

For the best possible print quality, obtaining high resolution images that are at least 300 PPI will ensure no loss of quality or distortion to the finished product. However, this isn’t always possible, and some images need to be resized and edited to meet your resolution and printing needs.

For the best possible print quality, obtaining high resolution images that are at least 300 PPI will ensure no loss of quality or distortion to the finished product. However, this isn’t always possible, and some images need to be resized and edited to meet your resolution and printing needs. There are many reasons images can be of a lower quality, such as the camera used, the lighting conditions, or if the original image has been lost and a smaller, edited file of the image remains.

But you can’t just increase the size of any image, and this is down to the pixel resolution it is limited to. When you increase the size of the image, the software you’re using has to then increase the size of each individual pixel, thus causing pixelated results with jagged edges. Of course, the best option is to always get a high-resolution image from the outset, but when that’s not possible, there are some software solutions that you can use.

We’ve put together our top tips for increasing the resolution of images, so you can hopefully still achieve a great finished result when printed.

Use Photoshop

Once you have added the image to Photoshop, select image and choose ‘Image Size’ from the drop-down menu.

The next step is to consider resizing versus resampling. When you resize an image, you are changing the dimensions of the image but not the pixel dimension. When you increase the resolution without changing the pixel dimension, the size of the image will become smaller to prevent loss in quality. However, if you change the size of an image using resampling, there will always be a loss in quality. This is because resampling uses a process called interpolation which has to estimate the pixels it needs to create based on the pixels of the current image. This can cause blurring and jagged edges, even more so when there are changes in colours or sharp lines and shapes.

If you want to keep the same dimensions of your current image, you need to check the option ‘Resample Image’. Otherwise, the dimensions of the image will automatically change when you change the resolution.

When you increase the resolution, you need to ensure a height and width is used that ensure the pixels quality are retained.

Using Preview on Mac

If you don’t have Photoshop, you can use Preview on Mac. Firstly, open the chosen image with Preview before selecting the option Tools from the menu bar. Scroll down to ‘Adjust Size’ and a popup window will appear, giving you the option to modify the resolution and pixel dimensions.

Using Illustrator

If the image you want to improve is an illustration, you could convert it to a vector using ‘Image Trace’ in Illustrator. Once you have imported your raster image, select Window from the menu bar and choose ‘Image Trace’. This is a lengthier process as you are effectively re-creating the illustration into vector form to prevent the loss of quality.

Here at Perfect Colours, we have a range of printers, software and finishing items that will ensure you receive high quality printing that is fit-for-purpose. If you would like to find out more about increasing the resolution of your images, or anything about our printing products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! Our team of experts are always on hand to answer your questions!

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