Understanding Photo Resolution, DPI, PPI, High-Resolution and More!

Resolution, DPI, PPI, Megapixels, High-Res Shots - there is a big misunderstanding on all of these terms and in this video I'll break it all down for you so you can better understand your own photo files especially when it comes to printing.
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[diannekischitz]

OMG. I'm old, retired designer, and only NOW do I get it!!! Where have you been all my life??!! XO, Di

[myronachtman]

Unlike most of the other YouTube videos on this topic, you have done a great job of differentiating the meaning of PPI vs. DPI. Most of the other presenters use these two terms interchangeably. This would be like me asking someone if they'd like to have an apple, or a chair.

[bondwoman]

Thanks for breaking things down for us newbies!

[chrispatmore]

It's good to see someone trying to spread correct information. As someone who has worked in graphics, both as a designer and in repro houses, for close to forty years, and been a photographer even longer, it frustrates me all the time. In my work as a magazine designer I am constantly sent low-res files for the magazine. When I tell them I need high-res files, many times I've been sent the same 72 ppi files upscaled to 300 ppi!! For years I've been simply specifying they need to be a certain pixel size along the longest edge, which generally works. The ppi is not important because the image is scaled to the correct print resolution in the layout software (InDesign, Affinity Publisher, Quark XPress). Don't get me started on excessive cropping, but that's another issue. And these people believe they are "professional" photographers! As far as I'm concerned, the bigger the file the better, and I can decide how big it will produced, but that's for magazines, although it equally applies to wall prints.
A lot of the confusion comes from the origins of the terminology, which was ported over from the pre-digital days. DPI was a measurement of the repro halftone screens used for making the plates in litho printing. For typical colour reproduction screens up to 300 DPI were used to make the separations, whereas newspapers used a much courser screen, as low as 80 dpi, because the paper was courser and uncoated so absorbed more ink. To make life easier in the transition to digital, the same terminology was retained, much in the same way that ISO was used for the sensitivity of digital sensors. And, as we know, a digital camera's ISO rating isn't actually increased, it just has gain added to the base ISO rating, in the same way that film used to be pushed when working in low light, but using terminology people can easily comprehend.
It's a big subject and can get confusing, especially when there are people explaining it who don't really understand it. Like most things in photography, it can seem complex to begin with but once the fundamentals are understood it's quite logical and easy to understand. A big part of the problem is digital technology makes everything seem so easy, nobody bothers to learn those fundamentals. Hell, most don't even now how to use most of the features in their expensive cameras.

[F]

Photoshop came out in 1990. There were no digital cameras at the time. The ppi/dpi is for scanning to assure that the image will be reproduced at the same size it was scanned. We now have digital cameras producing files that can be printed at any size we tell the printer. The PPI/DPI in the file is an appendix that just confuses people.
Scanning/printing people think an image at 8000x6000 pixels is low resolution, It's 72dpi!

[petertorokfalvy]

Thanks for your concise coverage of these issues. Much appreciated !

[AmiableCased]

Thank you this was the best video, and it helped me to get a better understanding of that DPI and PPI

[zulu-xd]

Thanks for the video, what is difference of a photo that is 72 or 300 ppl, what changes when u change resolution? Thanks

[mhcb]

Matt - thank you for this comprehensive video. I've been printing with Epson 24" printers for over 22 years now, and a photographer for 53 years now. What I'd like to know (after all these years) is exactly "what" ppi to set my files to (in PS) prior to sending them to my Epson 24" printer. 
1. Do I simply uncheck Resample, and send them at whatever ppi PS determines based on my chosen dimensions, to any certain extent? OR... 
2. Should I Resample, and choose a specific ppi each time, which, of course, would require interpolation?
You mentioned early that 240 was Epson's default ppi, or something to that effect. Not sure how that plays into knowing what to send to the printer. I'm a knowledgeable photographer, and good with math.I currently print with a 24" P6000, and use a RIP (Image Print).
Thank you for your time.

[sukhjeetsingh]

Hey Matt thank you for this video. Really appreciate on what you have shared with us. So for example if I would want to print the image you're using at 300dpi but not 33x22 but at the size of 30x20 how do I set it? Because adjusting the ppi would effect the size of the image as well

[ignacio_the_coralbiologist]

Can the same idea be used for a 3d model?

[danielcharnitsky]

I listened to your video three times and still am confused. You stress the image dimensions and then glossed over the resolution (72 to 300 psi). So is resolution the 72to 300 or the image dimensions. There is a lot of dialogue that still has me confused.

[photografiq_presents]

I've never seen a video that adequately explains this for me. I read the comments and people are gushing in their praise and I'm just .. Nope. What's the point of having the ability if it does nothing? There must be a use case. This is what my brains asking all the while you just zoom past that part... or I was on Amazon and not paying attention...
What's important to me is being able to export my image for a webpage that looks great, but that if people try to save and print, it bcomes unusable at anything larger than 3 x 2"
Anyway, off to watch someone else's video on the same frikken topic.

[dieseldavey]

Hi matt another excellent video 👍🏻 oh I’m back with Olympus well OM1 🤪

[jerryjerabek]

I am a beginner and did not understand how the "image size" shown at the top of the window had any relation to the image information. It also did not seem to relate to the information about the file size on the computer memory. Please someone explain to me?

[chandanlohani]

Do resolution effects the screen size of an image also?

[Stalled-wmqd]

Ok, I am lost!
I thought I would try to find out what the relationship is between Megapixels and Megabytes on my photos but got lost!
My photo in question says 5037x2836 pixels which is 16:9 and on my PC it says it is 5.91MB at 24 bit depth.
5037x2836 is 14.284 MP right?
But the online calculator says 14.284MP is 40.869MB and not the 5.91MB the computer says for this photo.
Where are I going wrong please?

[youssef]

A competition requirements are 150dpi, I modified resolution of the picture in Photoshop but when exporting it I can't find the same resolution, can you explain please?

[nicd]

Does this translate to video quality also?

[MrJoeyarrigo]

Matt, so if the ppi determines the size of the print, what happens when you increase the size of the image in Photoshop, and keep the ppi the same?