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sandytdavis
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November 9, 2017
Answered

Resizing to 1200px wide, 120dpi in Lightroom

  • November 9, 2017
  • 2 replies
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i need to resize an image to 1200px wide, 120dpi.  How do I do that in Lightroom?  Thank you.

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    Correct answer Rob_Cullen

    I agree-  "ppi" is only a 'reference'.

    But- there are people in this world that do not understand.

    My case- I submitted an image 6016x4016 pixels for a newspaper advertisement,

    the 'junior' type-setter contacted me to say my image was not "detailed" enough for a newspaper advertisement.

    On investigation I had exported if full-size at 72ppi, so  "72ppi" was seen by the type-setter as "low quality".

    Nothing would convince him/her that it had all the "quality" it needed. Only a re-submission of the file with an embedded 300ppi reference would be accepted.

    And I have books on Photoshop and 'Digital photography' written 10-15 years ago that will perpetuate the "ppi/dpi" confusion if a reader is to believe what was written.

    2 replies

    Per Berntsen
    Community Expert
    Per BerntsenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 9, 2017

    sandytdavis wrote:

    i need to resize an image to 1200px wide, 120dpi.  How do I do that in Lightroom?

    To set the ppi (that's what it's called) to 120, enter 120 in the Resolution box in the Export dialog.

    I assume you are going to print the image, and setting ppi to 120 will result in the 1200 pixels printing 10 inches. (1200:120)

    dj_paige  wrote:

    There is no such thing as a dpi for digital images.

    I wouldn't go as far as that.

    Although ppi is not a property of a digital image, it is optional metatda, and enables printer drivers to calculate print size.

    Consequently, the Export dialog allows you to enter ppi, so that prints come out the right size.

    JP Hess
    JP Hess
    Inspiring
    November 9, 2017

    I have never had a printer that was affected that way by the PPI setting in a file. The PPI setting is really only there as a reference as far as I know.

    Per Berntsen
    Community Expert
    Per BerntsenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 9, 2017

    Do you send the full resolution image to the printer, and let the printer driver scale the image down to fit the paper?

    In that case, I guess the ppi doesn't matter so much - with a small print there will more than enough pixels to print the image with reasonably good quality.

    I always export the image to the exact size that I want (I print from Photoshop, not Lightroom), and in that case having the correct ppi is crucial, otherwise the image might print with reduced quality or wrong size, depending on whether you have used physical dimensions or pixel dimensions in the Export dialog.

    Inkjet printers also have sweet spots at certain ppi values - Epson printers supposedly produce the highest quality prints when the ppi can be divided by 180. I use 360 for prints up to around 16 x 20", and 180 for larger sizes on my Epson 9880.

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    November 9, 2017

    There is no such thing as a dpi for digital images. It only refers to printed images, and it is a printer setting.

    Lightroom can resize your photo in the Export dialog box. Under Image Sizing, check "Resize to Fit", then set the dropdown menu to Long Edge (or Short Edge, depending on which you want to be 1200 pixels), and type in 1200 and set that dropdown to pixels.

    How to export Lightroom Classic CC files to disk or CD

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