How to Make Images Have a Higher Resolution on Photoshop CS4

It may seem bizarre that an image can look one way on the playback on your camera, another way on the computer screen and yet a third way printed on paper, but all of those views are linked to something called pixels, which can affect resolution. Resolution relates to how an image looks printed; the higher the resolution, the more realistic and crisp the picture looks. On the other hand, lower resolution can cause blur and fuzz. Avoid low resolution pitfalls by increasing your image's resolution using Adobe Photoshop. With a few clicks in Photoshop CS4, you're able to tailor resolution, increasing it as required.

Instructions

1. Open Photoshop CS4, click the "File" menu and select "Open." Navigate to the image to increase resolution and double-click the file name. The picture opens in the Photoshop workspace.

2. Click the "Image" menu at the top of the screen. Select "Image Size" to open the "Image Size" window.

3. Type a new number into the "Resolution" box halfway down the window. Note that the numbers in the "Pixel Dimensions" boxes at the top of the screen change as the resolution changes. Click the "OK" button and the image in the workspace adjusts.

Tips & Warnings

• Increasing the resolution on an image will also increase the image's size. Keep this in mind when preparing files for sending over email or for printers, who may have restrictions or guidelines on both resolution and file sizes. The Adobe company, makers of Photoshop CS4 and other image software such as InDesign, recommends a resolution of 150 to 300 pixels per inch (ppi) for commercial printing, 72 to 150 ppi for desktop publishing at home and 96 (Windows) or 72 ppi (Mac) for web-based images.

References

• University of Washington: Photoshop Image Sizing
• Photoshop Essentials: Image Resolution, Pixel Dimensions and Document Size
• Adobe: Image Resolution Guidelines for Final Output