Export 6000x4000px CR2 to 16x20 in jpg for printing without cutting photo

Question

In light room classic 10.4 Im trying to create a jpg I can upload to shutterfly to print a 16x20in poster without cutting(cropping) off any part of the photo.

In light room Library module I select the photo then select File -> Export.

In Image Sizing I select Resize to Fit then select Width and Height, uncheck "Dont Enlarge", set W to 20 and H to 16 (ive also tried W 16 and H 20) and select inches. I set resolution to 240 pixels per inch(although I dont think this matters and Im ok with whatever the PPI turns out to be given the W and H I select).

I select JPEG and quality 100 and color space RGB and uncheck Limit File Size To.

I export to my desktop and the jpeg is produced.

I upload the jpeg to Shutterfly and select 16x20 and I see that my image is cropped.

I import the jpeg into light room and open the crop tool in the Develop module and select aspect 4x5/8x10 and see the jpeg is cropped in the same way.

Not expected since I exported as 16x20 inches.

How can I print my photo as landscaped 16x20in without cutting off(cropping) any part of the photo?

richardplondon · Accepted Answer

A 6000px x 4000px digital image has a 3:2 proportion.

A 20in x 16in poster has a 5:4 proportion.

If this photo was printed to fit entirely within the poster, then because it is a more slender rectangle, it must leave white margins (gaps) along the two long sides. Otherwise to be printed bigger, leaving no white margins, it must be cropped into that squarer shape.

You need to decide which outcome is less undesirable for you.

By setting a deliberate crop in LrC you can at least choose where the cropping is to happen. Perhaps you can afford to lose more sky, in order to lose less, or nothing, at the bottom of frame (or whatever). Or perhaps you have already cropped for composition, and can widen that crop to more closely match the printing format.

When you define both width and height sizes for Lightroom export, you are not guaranteeing that output. You are setting two independent maximum size limits. One limit will turn out to be the governing (exact) dimension for each instance. The other dimension will fall short however the image dictates - except in the one special case where the photo as cropped, and the output specifications, share the exact same aspect ratio. Then and only then, neither dimension will be shortchanged. Both can be delivered in full.

Michael J. Hoffman · Answer

Your best bet here for visualizing the results would be to go into the crop tool in Lightroom, and change the crop size to 16x20 (or 4x5, as Richard points out above). You will immediately see the shape of 4x5 is different from the shape of your original photo, and you can make the decision visually on what to do about it.

Once you've made the 16x20 crop in LR, your Shutterfly result will be exactly the same as what you see in LR.

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