Are photo files under 1MB good enough for large prints?
Asked 1/30/2018
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2 answers
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I received my newborn photos from the photographer, but the files are measured in KB rather than several MB like photos I’ve gotten before. Does that mean the image quality is too low? Will files under 1MB still be suitable for making a large print, or should I ask for higher-resolution/exported versions?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
5
KB and MB are units to measure the amount of digital information. Without getting into technical details, what is important for you to know is that a megabyte (MB) has about 1,000 times more digital information than a kilobyte (KB).
If a photographer provided a 1KB image to you, you have reason to be worried. If they provided a 900KB file - that is not very concerning. Keep in mind that the units can be used to describe the same amounts, such as 0.9MB ≈ 900KB.
In general, if the images look fine on your screen I would assume your photographer knows what they are doing and shared with you images to fit the use case for which you purchased them. If you purchased images to print, the photographer should provide images suitable for printing. If you only purchased rights to digital images without the intent to print, that is a different case.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
File size alone doesn’t tell you print quality. KB and MB are just size units, and 900KB is roughly 0.9MB. What matters more is the image’s pixel dimensions and how heavily it was compressed.
A smaller JPEG can still look fine, but if the files are well under 1MB they may be compressed too much for large prints. If the photos were supplied for printing, the photographer should provide files suitable for that purpose.
Best next step: check the image resolution (pixel width × height), or ask the photographer directly whether these files are intended for large prints. If needed, request higher-resolution exports or print-ready versions. In general, if the images look good on screen that’s a positive sign, but screen appearance alone doesn’t guarantee good large-print results.
If you want maximum quality, you can ask whether higher-quality JPEGs, TIFF/PNG exports, or other print-ready files are available. Original camera files may also preserve more information, though photographers don’t always provide them.
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