Scanner Resolution

[dlwmacgregor]

Can somebody explain to me why if I scan 2 photographs at 600 dpi into one PDF file Photoshop opens each photograph as 72 ppi?

Thanks.

[Test Screen Name]

1. A PDF file does not have a resololution. The text and vectors in the PDF have no resolution, and each raster image has its own resolution.

2. When you open (File > Open) a PDF, Photoshop is NOT opening the images you scanned directly EVEN THOUGH they may fill a page. Photoshop is instead rendering the page, making a new image, and editing that. 

3. When you open (File > Open) a PDF, the resolution is just the one you CHOOSE in the open options. It's your job to match the original, or the image will be damaged. This is not a good way to edit images in a PDF at all. Photoshop is NOT a general PDF editor, it's even worse than Illustrator.

[Bojan Živković]

Are you sure your files are scanned at higher resolution? Can you provide us more details and steps you use to open PDF file in Photoshop? 

[rob day]

Scan to an image format like TIFF or high quality JPEG.

[dlwmacgregor]

Thanks for the advice. I will get my client to scan to a JPEG instead.

Now, once I have the image in Photoshop CS2 (yes I know it's from 2009)

what is the best way to get the best image quality if I want to print it on photo quality paper at 8.5" X 11"?

The original photo is 4" X 5" so I am enlarging it.

I know how to select the paper in the Printer Dialog Box but what steps to I need to take in Photoshop

to get the best resolution at that size?

I'm used to using digital images (JPEGs) that are e-mailed to me, not scanned paper photographs.

Thanks

[Bojan Živković]

The best advice I can give you is to upgrade if you can because algorythms are updated and Photoshop is doing better job nowadays when enlarging images. You have one option: Image > Image Size if you want to enlarge image. I can not remember exactly where is located but there must be drop down list with interpolation methods, choose one for enlargements - smooth gradients if you are working with continuous tone images.

[dlwmacgregor]

I'm sorry but I don't know what a "continuous tone" image is.

What happens if I upgrade and then 3 months later decide I can't afford it anymore. Do I automatically drop back to my CS2 or

do I have both on my system and the latest just becomes unusable?

[silk-m]

Hi,

Do you think that “the higher the resolution, the higher the quality”?
If so, you are wrong. For example, there is no difference between a 3840 pixel x 2048 pixel 72 dpi image and a 3840 pixel x 2048 pixel 300 dpi image.
But a 4 inch x 6 inch 72dpi image is different from a 4 inch x 6 inch 300dpi image. The former is 288 x 432 pixels and the latter is 1200 x 1800 pixels.

[Bojan Živković]

You will loose acess to newest Photoshop if you can not afford it anymore but you can keep forever your old version if it can operate on whatever OS you are using. Photography plan which includes Photoshop and Lightroom is ten dollars per month so if you live in states you should be able to pay for it.

Continuous tone image is explained on wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_tone

[dlwmacgregor]

So as long as I will not have to re-install CS2 that is acceptable.

Thank you.

[Test Screen Name]

Bear in mind CS2 can NEVER be reinstalled if you uninstall it. The activation servers were turned off after 10 years, and that's that. I don't know how long you'll be able to keep it going, but installing any more recent app is asking for the end. Really, there's nothing CC can do, at the level you're working, to make better pictures than CS2. It's just more familiar to the people here trying to help.

[dlwmacgregor]

What is CC?

You're right, my level is quite low.

I very rarely have to fiddle with the digital images I receive.

If anything I just slightly tweak the colour balance and/or colour depth and that's also rare.

So that's why I came here to ask the experts the best way to get the best quality 8" X 10" printout on photo quality ink jet paper from a 5" X 4" paper photograph taken in 2004 by a professional photographer apparently.

[rob day]

Scan the 4x5 photo at 600ppi—in that case it can be scaled (not resampled) to 8x10 and the effective output resolution will be 300ppi.

So from Image Size your 600ppi scan would initially be 2400px x 3000px:

If you uncheck Resample the Output Dimensions can be changed by setting the Resolution to 300ppi, which should be more than enough for most print output.

[dlwmacgregor]

Thank you Rob.

That's the answer I was looking for.

If that doesn't quite do it I'll download a Trial Version of the latest Photoshop and give that a try.

The latest version must have some improved techniques vs. a 10 year-old version.

[Test Screen Name]

No, really, not. The simple action of scanning at the right resolution and printing as an enlargement isn't improved in any way in the current version (not 10 years newer, but 14). If you're not getting good results, tell us, rather than mess with your software.

[dlwmacgregor]

I managed to get the  client to scan the 4" X 5" photograph to a 600 dpi(ppi) JPEG.

I rescaled the image without resampling and printed it on photo quality paper using the "Best" print quality in printer preferences.

It looks quite good with acceptable detail when printed (scaled) to 6 X 10 and even cropped and printed.

I was planning on downloading the current version of PhotoShop (or whatever it's called now) for a 7-day trial but judging from some of the advice here, it probably wouldn't do much better, correct?