What Is High Resolution Digital Photography?

Digital photography produces images comprised of tiny dots, or pixels. High-resolution ("hi-res") images contain more pixels in a given area and therefore appear cleaner and sharper.

Features

Resolution is measured in pixels per inch (ppi) or dots per inch (dpi). Digital photographs are typically considered high resolution if they contain at least 200 to 300 ppi.

Function

Photographs submitted for printing should always be high resolution to avoid visibly rough, or "pixilated," results. Images displayed on computer screens, however, are processed differently and will usually look flawless at a low resolution (72 to 100 ppi).

Process

An image's resolution can be adjusted in photo-editing software like Photoshop.

Considerations

High-resolution images require more memory so they take up more space on both the camera's memory card and computer's hard drive. Most hi-res photographs are over 1MB in size.

Misconceptions

It is commonly believed that a camera's megapixel count is solely responsible for its images' quality. However, while having more megapixels means larger images can be produced at a high resolution, it doesn't necessarily follow that the pictures will be vivid or crisp. Other factors, such as the type and size of a camera's sensor, also contribute to image quality.

References

• Resolution for Print vs. Text
• Ken Rockwell on "The Megapixel Myth"