Aspect Ratios and Format MismatchBackground

The simple but often misunderstood topic of aspect ratios and how to handle cases where the aspect ratio of the image doesn't match the aspect ratio of the print.

We hope this article will help in the basic understanding of aspect ratios and the handling of "mismatched" aspect ratios.

Note: This article applies only to 6x4" through to 12x8" photo print sizes, our large format prints are produced differently

Aspect ratio: the simple definition

Aspect ratio is nothing more than width divided by height.  The higher the aspect ratio, the wider the image.  For example, standard televisions have an aspect ratio of 1.33.  That is because the screen is 1.33 times as wide as it is tall.  This 1.33 aspect ratio can be written as 1.33, 1.33:1, or 4:3.  HDTV sets have an aspect ratio of 1.78, sometimes displayed as 1.78:1 or 16:9.  The higher number (1.78 versus 1.33) indicates that the HDTV set has a wider, more rectangular screen than the more "square" standard set.

Matching aspect ratios

The 3:2 photo from most professional digital cameras can be printed at the popular 6x4" photo size because the aspect ratio of the image (3:2) matches that of the print which is also a 3:2 ratio.  That means that the entire* photograph from the camera can be printed as a 6x4 print with very little cropping and the final print will be exactly 6x4.  Here, there is not a problem because there's  a match between the aspect ratio of the image and the print size that has been chosen.

The problem occurs when there is a mismatch.  For example, if  a consumer's camera  produces 4:3 photos, we cannot print a 6x4" photo without cropping out some of the image. 

There are two methods for obtaining a  photograph from a consumer camera that records a 4:3 "mismatched" image.

Method 1: Fit in frame

With method 1 above, we fit the entire 4:3 photo inside a 6x4" frame.  Using this method, the actual photograph is 4 inches tall but only 5.3 inches wide.  The white bars on the left/right fill out the rest of the 6x4 photo and would show if mounted in a 6x4 photo frame.  This method is often not desirable when placing photos in a frame or 6x4 photo album because the white bars show inside the 6x4 frame.  The advantage to using this method is the fact that almost of the entire* photo can be printed with no cropping. 

To have the above option when placing orders with PictureLizard, Chose the "Full Image" option on the print pre-order summary. 7% of customers chose this option

Method 2: Crop to Size

With method 2, we crop out a portion of the center of the photo using a 3:2 crop.  Using this method, we lose a little off the top and bottom (notice the flags are missing on the bottom) but we lose nothing on the left/right.  This method is often the preferred method since the photograph will be exactly 6x4 inches and will fit in a 6x4 frame with no borders.  The compromise, of course, is that we must lose a bit of the image on the top and/or bottom. 93% of PictureLizard customers select this service and it is offered by default for all photo printing orders.

Details

While this entire topic may be trivial to the advanced amateur or pro, we receive many inquiries regarding how to effectively deal with this issue.  We often get the same question, for example, asking how to print a 4:3 photo at exactly 6x4 inches without cropping.  After reading this article, hopefully the answer is clear:  Other than stetching and there by distorting the image, your only other option is to adjust the size (to 4 x 5.33) or the most popular default choice (93%) crop some of the image (on the top and/or bottom).  

Obviously, this article focused on one example but similar situations exist when printing other sizes.  We have the same problem when printing a 3:2 photo at a size of 8x10 or 5x7.  Also note that depending on the orientation of the image (portrait/landscape) and the image-versus-print aspect ratios, sometimes the cropping method will require cropping from the top/bottom rather than the left/right.  

*Because not all digital cameras have the photo standard 2x3 ratio image format, we adjust to achieve the best fit. With traditional photo printing machines, the image is projected onto the light sensitive paper, to avoid unsightly edge lines. The projected image is about 8% larger than the pre-cut paper that it is printed on. Most cameras allow for this, as the viewfinder is slightly smaller than the actual image recorded. If you resize your images, please allow for this 8% and not crop your subject close to the edges.

Summary

• By default picturelizard will be crop you photo prints to the correct aspect ratio by to allow them to fit standard photographic sized albums or frames

• Select 'Full Image' in the preorder summary screen as you place a photo order to maintain full aspect images (these may overprint on one side or have white edges)

• If you want to print non-camera based digital images (such as a photoshop drawing) as prints you'll need to allow a 8% edge reduction in the final print