TL;DR

  • Low Resolution: Ideal for sharing online and social media, small file size, quick uploads.
  • High Resolution: Great for printing – think albums, framed photos, or large canvases.

If you’ve ever felt a little lost when photographers mention “high resolution/high res” or “low resolution /low res/websized” images, you’re definitely not alone. Let’s break it down in the simplest way possible so you can make the best choice for your family photos.

Before we dive into the differences, let’s have a quick look at some terms that will help us understand it a bit better.

So, What Exactly Are Pixels?

Pixels are basically the tiny building blocks of any digital photo, like brushstrokes in a painting. Every pixel or block contains one colour. 

Pixels

When you step away from the image and individual pixels (or brushstrokes), you see the larger picture as a whole. The image below has the dimensions of 2560 x 1707 meaning, if you zoomed in and counted every single box across the image, there would be 2560 pixels or blocks of colour. Likewise, if you counted the number of pixels from top to bottom, there would be 1707.

Girl with hammock

What Is Resolution?

For digital photography, resolution is the amount of detail or pixels that an image has, so the higher the resolution, the more detailed and smoother the image. The lower the resolution, the grainier or more pixelated it looks.

*Side note, digital image resolution is measured in pixels per inch (PPI) while printing resolution is measured in dots per inch (DPI) referring to the little ink droplets that the printers use to create the image.

For example, the first image below is a high resolution of 4715 x 3142 pixels with 300 dots per inch of the image (DPI).

Crepes with nutella

In contrast, this image below is low resolution which is 200 x 133 pixels with a resolution of 96 DPI. Since there are only 96 pixels per inch, when you stretch the image and zoom in, the image looks pixelated or grainy. 

Pixels

It’s all about capturing it right in camera.

Unfortunately it isn’t just a matter of taking an image file in post and making the dimensions larger trying to create a higher resolution. Rather, image resolution & quality are directly related at the time the image is captured. You need to shoot a high resolution in camera to get a high quality image. 

Currently I use a 33 megapixels (MP) camera, meaning, when I take a photo, I am capturing images in camera that are 7008 x 4672 pixels.

Breakdown: 7008 (pixels) x 4672 (pixels) = 32,741,376 (pixels) or roughly 33 Megapixels (MP).

If I were to take a photo with my phone that has a 12MP camera, I would get only about a third of the number of pixels in my image. Then if you wanted the image to also be 7008 x 4672, each pixel would have to be stretched, resulting in a pixelated image, similar to the image above. 

Why Would You Want High-Resolution Photos?

  • Printing: If you plan to print photos – especially if you want larger sizes like 8″ x 10″, a high-res image with 300 DPI will give you the quality you’re looking for.
  • Peace of Mind: Having high-res files means you can print in various sizes later, without worrying about quality loss.
  • Versatility: You’re not locked into just screen display. High-res files can be printed on everything from canvas to photo books, and they will still look sharp.

Why Would You Want Low-Resolution Photos?

  • Social Media and Sharing: If you’re primarily planning to post or share on social media, low-res files are perfect. You will see virtually no difference on a screen, and your uploads will be faster. 
  • Storage: Low-res files take up less space, which is ideal if you don’t want your hard drive (or phone) getting overloaded.
  • Cost-Effective: Because they’re smaller and easier to work with, low-res files are usually more affordable.

Common False Beliefs

  • “Low-Res looks good on screen so it also will in print.” Not necessarily.  What looks great on a screen doesn’t always translate to a good print. If you’re planning to print, always go for high-res. An image can look amazing with 72ppi on screen but you will be disappointed when you see the pixels on the print. 
  • “It’s high-res so it must make a good quality print.” High resolution is a great start, but quality also depends on a good printer which looks very different in a local pharmacy verses a professional printer. The colour management makes a difference as well as the paper you choose to use as different paper absorbs ink differently.

What type of images do you get with me?

You decide. You choose which type of files would suit you and your family photos best and only buy the images you want rather than having to purchase a full gallery. 

So if you have a few images that you love and know you will want to print yourself in a large format, album, canvas, etc… you can purchase high resolution files of those images.

When you purchase a product with me, a complimentary web sized, low resolution version of any image that was used within that product will be available for you to download. For example, if you purchase an album and it has 40 images in it, you will receive the low-resolution version of all those images. For some, this is a great way to have best of both worlds. You receive professionally printed images of your loved ones as well as digital files that you can share with your loved ones.

Want to learn a bit more about my sessions?

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