# Digital Photographers: On Resolution...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 15, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260 "2016-01-15T18:56:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/1 "2016-01-15T18:56:55Z")
I took some photos with my iPhone 4 (yes, a dinosaur). I wish to enter them in a contest. The instructions say they must be no smaller than 400x400 px and no larger than 600x600 px. I have no clue! How can I tell? And, is there some way I can adjust the resolution once I download the files onto my PC? Please advise…
FYI: Under my iPhone settings, under “Photos & Camera”, I do not see an option to select the picture resolution. Is there some industry standard default resolution used by iPhones, perhaps?
---
### Author:  [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/2 "2016-01-15T18:59:12Z")
If you have the file on a Windows computer, just right-click and select “properties.” It will show you all sorts of data. I imagine there is a Mac equivalent, too.
---
### Author:  [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/3 "2016-01-15T19:06:18Z")
Missed the edit window. Also, Photoshop will resize a photo to any pixel size you want. There are also plenty of online sources. Just do a search on “picture resize online.”
---
### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/4 "2016-01-15T19:37:53Z")
I use a freeware program called “irfanview” to view and do quick and dirty resizing of photographs.
You may want to give it a try.
---
### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/5 "2016-01-17T13:46:45Z")
I use [fotosizer](http://www.fotosizer.com/) to batch resize pix for things like digital photo albums.
---
### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/6 "2016-01-17T17:03:22Z")
Another vote for IrfanView.
---
### Author:  [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/7 "2016-01-17T19:41:50Z")
I have a Mac and I use Preview. It is one of the built in apps on my Mac.
---
### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/8 "2016-01-17T22:52:30Z")
Your iPhone photo will be much bigger than the 600/600 size limit so you will need to resize.
---
### Author:  [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/9 "2016-01-20T01:18:55Z")
600x600 is very small as photos go. That’s .36 megapixels; most phones shoot 4+ MP. 400x400 is basically a thumbnail. Those are also resolutions for square photos, which is uncommon outside Instagram.
I’m intrigued by this contest.
---
### Author:  [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/10 "2016-01-20T04:02:07Z")
> [@typoink](#):
>
> 600x600 is very small as photos go. That’s .36 megapixels; most phones shoot 4+ MP. 400x400 is basically a thumbnail. Those are also resolutions for square photos, which is uncommon outside Instagram.
>
> I’m intrigued by this contest.
Maybe they are referring to DPI.
---
### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/11 "2016-01-20T04:07:01Z")
> [@JKilez](#):
>
> Maybe they are referring to DPI.
DPI really only has meaning to a printer.
---
### Author:  [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/12 "2016-01-20T04:51:23Z")
DPI only has meaning if you know the number of inches it’ll be printed at.
A picture that’s 600 pixels x 600 pixels can be printed at 300 dpi at a size of 2 inches by 2 inches. If you print it larger, there will be less dots per inch. If you print it smaller, you can get more dots per inch.
So you wouldn’t get a request for 300 dpi unless they also gave you what size it had to print at. Well, let me clarify that, if they know what they’re doing they wouldn’t ask that. I’ve had some people who requested things that didn’t make any sense.
---
### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digital-photographers-on-resolution/743260/13 "2016-01-20T15:38:25Z")
> [@Lobohan](#):
>
> I’ve had some people who requested things that didn’t make any sense.
Who hasn’t?