I exported a photo from Aperture to be printed using a JPEG setting of 1024 x 1024. For a second photo, I wanted the highest possible quality, so chose an arbitary JPEG setting of 2000 x 1,500. When I checked both their sizes, the smaller pixel setting turned out to be 1.4 MB, while the the larger setting was only 378 KB–the reverse of what I expected. Can someone explain what’s happening, please? And perhaps steer me right so I can get the best possible quality for printing?
What compression level did you set for each one? The 2000x1500 could have a higher compression level (JPG quality 8, perhaps instead of JPG quality 10 or 12).
What size prints are you making? 1024x1024 won’t look good beyond about 3 inches. Any larger and it will look very soft and lack detail.
You need to size your file based on print size and pixel density (dpi). An 8x10 at 300dpi would be 2400x3000 pixels, for example. If you want 600dpi, then 4800x6000 pixels for an 8x10 print. See how the math works? Inches per side times dpi = pixels per side.
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