Hi-Res

So, what does ‘hi-res’ mean? Hi-res, or high resolution, refers to the density of the pixels that make up the photo. A high resolution digital photo has lots and lots of pixels, making it easy to see the details within the image even when it is enlarged digitally or in print. If a digital image doesn’t have enough pixels and it is enlarged too much, it loses detail and the ‘blocky squares’ of the pixels are noticeable, a term commonly known as ‘pixelated’. In the same way, if a printed photo doesn’t have enough dots per inch it will be blurry when it’s enlarged. In following the example above, to enable the sign writer to enlarge the photo they need to start with a photo that already has lots of information (pixels) in it so that the enlarged printed version of the photo retains details.

Web Ready

Conversely, when a photo is used on the internet for a website or for social media, it only needs to have as many pixels in it as the monitor it’s being viewed on. The resolution of monitors is increasing as technology changes, and it’s becoming more common to hear talk about 4K and 8K monitors, but for the majority of users 1080 and 1440 are currently the standard resolutions for monitors. To ensure that a photo loads quickly, takes less storage space, and can still retain detail, digital photos are resized to fit standard monitor resolutions. If you were to print a photo using a web-sized file you could print a 6×4″ photo but anything larger will usually lose detail and clarity.

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