aspect ratio question

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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby gpsmikey » Thu Jan 30, 2014 3:42 pm

At our age, we tend to get lost easily :D

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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby decaf4me » Sat Feb 22, 2014 5:42 am

So with my new camera, should I set the aspect ratio to 4:3 in case I want to print any of the pics and then process the pics as 16:9 to use in Proshow, keeping copies of both aspect ratios? (I always use 'fill frame'). I think I am thoroughly confused, but do know that I want to keep my option to use any parts of my photo that I originally saw in my viewfinder (!)

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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby BarbaraC » Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:52 am

If it were me, I'd take photos whose content, shape, etc. I liked and with total disregard to slide shows and print. After the fact, and if need be, I'd crop to suit the medium. More art, less science. :D

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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby gpsmikey » Sat Feb 22, 2014 7:56 am

I shoot at full resolution on my camera and always keep the originals (or discard the bad ones) - any I edit get renamed as "orig_file_name_mod.jpg" for example. Often I will crop to 16:9 when I am editing, but about the time you do that, you find you want an 8*10 print of something. There is no one answer that fits all - it is often nice to experiment and see what looks best - sometimes simply changing the aspect ratio you crop the original to changes the whole photograph and it's meaning - my camera shoots 3:2 aspect ratio. That does not fit either the 4:3 or 16:9 (but it does fit the 4*6 prints perfectly :D ). It is also important to consider how you are going to use an image when you take it. We make a family calendar each year with favorite images for each month. When I see a shot I think would have good potential for the calendar, I make sure and take a shot in the landscape mode since that is what works. If you are shooting with the idea in mind of creating slideshows with the images, shoot full frame, but keep in mind that to fit the 16:9, you will have to either crop the top or bottom (or both) to make it fit or will have to shrink the image a bit. Sometimes with that in mind, you will shoot a little different. There is no one answer that fits all. You may even find that when editing, you want to keep several different versions with different aspect ratios with the intent of one for a print and another for a show.

mikey
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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby decaf4me » Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:50 am

Thanks for your input, Barbara and Mikey. I agree with you, Barbara... content (art) comes before science for me too. But I am considering several different different camera models as my first entry into the interchangable lenses/RAW capability field. Two of them have ability to set 4:3, 3:2, or 16:9 aspect ratios. With my current camera, I shoot all pics at 16:9 because I expect to use some of them in slideshows. But as I get better at photographing, assuming I will :) , I might want to make enlarged prints. If I continue to shoot at 16:9, will I maybe be sorry in some shots where something important to me gets cropped? I don't think that bracketing shots with two or three different aspect ratios is even possible, but I suppose on special occasions I could take 2 pics of the same subject, each with different aspect ratios. I'm gonna play with this a bit and see what works best.

~T

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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby BarbaraC » Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:11 am

This is purely personal opinion, so take it as such: 4:3 and 3:2 are nice standards, but I'm not entirely convinced of the value of 16:9 unless taking a lot of video.

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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby im42n8 » Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:13 am

If you get a camera that lets you select 4:3, 3:2, or 16:9 as your desired image aspect, I'd check the sensor size for the camera and then use the setting that is the same as the sensor size. That way, if you do need to crop your image for print or a show, you have the maximum area to chose from when performing your crop. Many of the SLR cameras have, in my experience, an aspect that's close to 3:2. I have found that many of the point and shot camera's seem to lean toward a 4:3 aspect ... with the ability to crop inside the camera to a 16:9 if you so desire.

Just my 2cents...

Dale
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Re: aspect ratio question

Postby gpsmikey » Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:24 pm

I'm with Dale on this one - when a camera allows you to select different aspect ratios, it does it by chopping off either the top/bottom or sides to get there - it is not like it re-arranges the sensor pixels to get the different ratios with the same number of pixels. Shoot full resolution of the sensor then crop as needed in Photoshop or your tool of choice. RAW has some advantages but it has disadvantages as well. I just recently switched to shooting RAW and have found the tools to do what I want, but have been shooting jpg fine/large for years with excellent results (Nikon D300s). Do make sure you set the camera to take advantage of the sensor you have - by default they typically are NOT set to use the largest size and best resolution for the jpg images. Memory cards are cheap these days - shoot full res and use a decent size card.

mikey
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mikey (PSP6, Photoshop CS6, Vegas Pro 14, Acid 7, BluffTitler, Nikon D300s, D810)
Lots of PIC and Arduino microprocessor stuff too !!

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