CROPPING EXPLAINED

We get a lot of brides who want to order prints in standard frame sizes (5×7 and 8×10) and find that some of the background or even heads or feet at times has been cropped out. The reason for this is because of the image ratio.

A professional camera will produce an image in a 4×6 (or 3:2) ratio. To keep the same ratio without cropping anything important out and print a bigger size you would need to print either an 8×12 or 16×24 (or a size that 3:2 would divide into evenly). 5×7, 8×10, 16×20 do not fit the 3:2 ratio. 8×10 and 16×20 are 4:5 ratio. So then why do these sizes come as standard frame sizes? That is actually a good question and not one that we have been able to find a good answer to unfortunately.

If you go with the “standard” frame sizes 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 the image would need to be cropped to fit. Or if you want the image exactly as it was photographed you will have to print the image in a 3:2 ratio and go with a nonstandard frame size. Please consider these things when going to print your own images or when order from us. Let us know if you want the entire image or if cropping is OK. Generally this is not a problem.


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Sometimes we get asked to crop the images we give to our clients more then what they are cropped. Since we give our clients the high resolution images for their own printing purposes, we have no way of knowing what size prints our clients will make.