What is resolution
Has it ever happened that you saw a picture of a beautiful landscape and wanted to set it as wallpaper on your desktop, but after doing it, the landscape suddenly drops in quality and looks mosaic-like? The reason why it happened is most likely the resolution of this picture. To put it simply, resolution is a measure of how sharp and detailed the picture looks. It is defined by DPIs (dots per inch) or PPIs (pixels per inch). In short, the more DPI, the higher the resolution, and the better the picture looks.
What is high resolution
The term "high resolution", also referred to as high res, speaks for itself. It indicates that the image consists of more DPI, which means it will look sharper when printed or digitally zoomed in.
Common measures for high-res include 300 DPI for print and various pixel dimensions for digital media. For example, a high-resolution digital picture might have dimensions of 1920x1080 pixels or more for use on high-definition screens.
However, in practice, making pictures with higher resolutions may be limited by other factors. For instance, when saving photos in JPEG format, they may be compressed, resulting in low-quality images with fewer details.
High-res pictures also tend to take up significant disk space or require a large amount of RAM for processing. As such, finding the right balance between quality and size is important, which may require more manual adjusting.
How to choose resolution
Various media types require different resolutions, so finding the right one is vital to ensure they look clear and professional. Plus, choosing the appropriate resolution largely depends on the reason for using an image thus, it’s worth thinking about different situations:
Social media
Profile pictures should be high-res, but you can resize them to fit the platform’s recommended size better (180x180 pixels for Facebook, 110x110 for Instagram, etc.). Posts and cover photos should adhere to the recommended dimensions depending on the platform to avoid being stretched or cropped.
Website
For general use, 72 DPI is a way to go. The images should also be optimized to ensure faster loading times. Graphics like icons and buttons can also be created at a resolution of 72 DPI.
A resolution similar to web images (72 DPI) is suitable for embedding in emails. Remember to make file sizes smaller to prevent slow loading times.
Presentations
For digital on-screen presentations, 72 DPI is still good, but you may need to switch to a higher resolution if it will be projected on a large screen. If you plan to print presentation handouts, it’s better to go for at least 300 DPI to ensure quality when published.
The same goes for materials such as brochures, flyers, posters, also small printed stuff like business cards and labels. 300 DPI or higher is best to maintain high quality on the smaller surface area. Use vector graphics when printing logos and illustrations to make sure they are scalable without losing quality.
Large format
For billboards, banners, and other large-format printing, a lower DPI (e.g., 150) can be used due to the viewing distance. However, the physical dimensions (in inches or feet) will still need to be substantial to maintain image clarity up close.
Screen wallpaper
And if you’re looking for wallpaper with the best high resolution for your desktop, it is one that matches the native resolution of your device’s screen. This ensures the wallpaper looks sharp and fits perfectly without stretching or distortion. If you’re unsure about your screen’s resolution, you can usually find this information in your device’s settings.
FAQ
What is a high resolution image
It is an image that contains many pixels per unit of length, measured in pixels per inch (PPI) or dots per inch (DPI). These images are characterized by their ability to convey a high level of detail and clarity, making them suitable for various purposes where visual quality is essential.
How to check image resolution?
To quickly check the resolution of an image, view the properties of the file, use an online image viewer, properties checker, or other image editing software.
How to increase resolution of image?
Use online tools to resize the image or change DPI. Keep in mind that increasing resolution in this manner won’t add new details to the image; it will only resize the existing pixels.
Conclusion
To summarize, high-resolution images refer to pictures with a high level of detail and clarity as they have more pixels than low-resolution images per inch. Such industries as photography, advertising, and graphic design mostly require visuals with high res, usually 300 DPI. For websites, emails, and presentations 72 DPI should be enough.
