Cropping an image for print
All images from a digital camera are made in a specified aspect ratio. An aspect ratio is the ratio of the width to the height of a photograph. Most digital cameras have an aspect ratio of 3:2. what this means is that the size of images you can print without having to crop your image will be 4x6, 8x12, 16x24. If you print in these original sizes you won't have to crop (or cut) off any of your image. Of course what this means is that when you print in any other sizes that are not in the original aspect ratio sizes then you will have what is called cropping. This means that parts of your original image will be cut off to accommodate the print size. Hopefully the following image examples will help you to better understand what happens when images are cropped for print size.
original image in landscape orientation can be printed at 6x4, 12x8,24x16
popular print size 7x5. You'll notice that the cropping has removed some of the image on the left and right sides bringing it it tighter to the bride's and flower girl's arms.
Another popular print size is 10x8 (Also 20x16) . You'll notice that on the left and right sides of the image that the elbows of the bride and flower girl have been cropped off.
This is a popular 14x11 crop.
original image in portrait orientation. 4x6, 8x12, 16x24
cropped to 5x7
8x10, 16x20
11x14
