Cropping in the shopping cart and image quality.

03FatBoy · December 12, 2006

Ponder this:

A customer adds one of your photos to the shopping cart. Selects a print - a large one say 20x30. Crops the photo to a very small size, say just the person's face or eyes. And orders the print.

What that person would get most likely would be a very poor quality print because of the size that the person cropped it down to. Right?

I tried this (stopping before ordering the print) and it doesn't seem that there are any warnings or limitations in place to stop that person from ordering such a print.

Smugmug does prevent people from ordering prints when the original file size doesn't meet their minimums, but it doesn't look like that gets adjusted for customers cropping out too much of the photo.

OR, I"m missing something.

Thoughts?

Andy · December 12, 2006

03FatBoy wrote:

Ponder this:

A customer adds one of your photos to the shopping cart. Selects a print - a large one say 20x30. Crops the photo to a very small size, say just the person's face or eyes. And orders the print.

What that person would get most likely would be a very poor quality print because of the size that the person cropped it down to. Right?

If the file is a good file, then no, they shouldn't.

I tried this (stopping before ordering the print) and it doesn't seem that there are any warnings or limitations in place to stop that person from ordering such a print.

Ahh but what you don't see is {JT's} voodoo, that prevents them from cropping below our minimum resolutions.

Smugmug does prevent people from ordering prints when the original file size doesn't meet their minimums, but it doesn't look like that gets adjusted for customers cropping out too much of the photo.

OR, I"m missing something.

Thoughts?

Yeah. Try it, on one of your own prints, shoot me the image first, before you order, so I can tell you my thoughts on the image quality. Remember, our minimums are just that, minimums. We recommend uploading the native size file from your camera without any resizing. As you can see from the linked help page, our lab will upsize as needed.

Of course, all of your, and your customer's prints, are fully covered by the SmugMug Guarantee:
http://www.smugmug.com/prints/our-guarantee.mg

Don't forget to use Proof Delay, also:

http://smugmug.jot.com/WikiHome/Pros

03FatBoy · December 13, 2006

Andy wrote:

If the file is a good file, then no, they shouldn't.

Ahh but what you don't see is {JT's} voodoo, that prevents them from cropping below our minimum resolutions.

Yeah. Try it, on one of your own prints, shoot me the image first, before you order, so I can tell you my thoughts on the image quality. Remember, our minimums are just that, minimums. We recommend uploading the native size file from your camera without any resizing. As you can see from the linked help page, our lab will upsize as needed.

Of course, all of your, and your customer's prints, are fully covered by the SmugMug Guarantee:
http://www.smugmug.com/prints/our-guarantee.mg

Don't forget to use Proof Delay, also:

http://smugmug.jot.com/WikiHome/Pros

Andy,

I know that smugmug has a list of minumum image sizes for a given print size listed on the site, but do you also have recommend image sizes?

I did a test print when we were in the trial stage of membership using the minimum image size for an 8x10. As I'm sure you know, image quality is not all that great with signs of pixelation using the minimums.

Also, thanks for the heads up on the Proof Delay system that is in place. My dad has hundreds of "event photos". It would have taken loads of time to correct all images then upload. Now we can only correct the images that people actually purchase. Great system and time saver for me.

Andy · December 13, 2006

03FatBoy wrote:

Andy,

I know that smugmug has a list of minumum image sizes for a given print size listed on the site, but do you also have recommend image sizes?

Yes. The native size file from your Camera, with no resizing.

I did a test print when we were in the trial stage of membership using the minimum image size for an 8x10. As I'm sure you know, image quality is not all that great with signs of pixelation using the minimums.

Depends on the photo, but yes, you are generally right - the more pixles, the better!

Also, thanks for the heads up on the Proof Delay system that is in place. My dad has hundreds of "event photos". It would have taken loads of time to correct all images then upload. Now we can only correct the images that people actually purchase. Great system and time saver for me.

Awesome

Cropping in the shopping cart and image quality.

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