Resolution of stills for a movie

[straightlife]

I'm scanning (and filling!) some stills for a movie which is being edited digitally and will be blown up to 2k or 4k. I've heard that excessively high resolution images aren't optimal for movies. Can anybody tell me optimal res to use?

[Trevor.Dennis · Accepted solution]

It's more or less a meaningless concept.  A 4K movie has a pixel size of 3840 x 2160, so if the still is larger, you won't be able to see it all.  My advice is to try and use stills that are at least 20% larger than than the video resolution you are exporting to.  That gives you the option of _very_ slowly panning and or zooming the still while it is being displayed.  Apparently this is called the Ken Burns effect.  I didn't know that.

 

[straightlife]

Thanks. That info helps!

[kathrinbooze]

Hi There,

When scanning stills for a movie that will be edited digitally and eventually blown up to 2K or 4K resolution, you want to aim for an optimal resolution that balances quality with practicality. Typically, a 4K film corresponds to a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels, and 2K is 2048 x 1080 pixels. However, when scanning stills, it’s a good idea to go slightly higher to ensure flexibility during editing or cropping. Scanning at 300 DPI (dots per inch) for the physical size of the image is generally sufficient, though some professionals go up to 600 DPI for larger or highly detailed stills.

Now, as you mentioned, excessively high resolutions can create issues like larger file sizes and unnecessary data, which slow down workflows without noticeable quality improvements. For stills, you can calculate the resolution you need by considering the final display size and zoom level. For instance, if the stills will be projected in their entirety, match the film's resolution. If you’ll zoom in or pan across stills, you might want to scan at a higher resolution to preserve details during those movements.

To draw a fun analogy, think of it like the castle tv Much like the plot twists and layers in the TV series, scanning at an unnecessarily high resolution can add complexity to your workflow without actually improving the final outcome—stick to the essentials! Keeping it simple ensures a streamlined editing process while maintaining the cinematic quality you need.

Bundle Of Thanks!

[straightlife]

Oh my!!!! Thanks so much!