Digital Light & Color

I am hoping that someone can provide step-by-step (Den-style) instructions for creating image length to width dimensions that are artificially larger than those of the actual desired image that is included (embedded) within those overall boundaries.

I realize that description of my goal may not be self-explanatory. So let me provide an example with hypothetical numbers. Suppose, the most pleasing crop (landscape format) of a particular image is to the non-standard dimensions of, say, 5x10 (or 2:1). Now suppose that I'd like to have it printed in a size where the horizontal dimension is about 14 inches. That would mean the vertical dimension of my desired image would be one-half as much, or 7 inches (i.e. a 7x14 print).

None of the standard paper sizes (i.e. 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 etc.) match these 2: 1 proportions. However, the image would easily fit within the boundaries of standard 11x14 paper -- taking up the entirety of the 14 inch length, but with 4 inches of unprinted area (e.g. black bands) below (or split between above and below) the desired image.

I have been informed that the commercial printing facility that I might use (Costco, for example) will not leave these black bands. They say that if I put an image file with 2:1 width-to-height dimensions into the system and request an 11x14 print, it will stretch out (i.e. distort) the lesser dimension of the image (the one I want to be 7 inches) to match the 11 inch dimension of the paper.

Is there a way to create an image file with 11x14 proportions that includes my 7x14 desired image within those artificial boundaries? In effect, I would be artificially adding those 4 inches of black banding to the file to be delivered to the commercial printing machine.

Doug

PS Yes, I recognize that if I intend to display the resulting 7x14 image, I'll need a frame with non-standard dimensions.

The easiest way is with the Crop/Add Borders transformation since you can combine cropping and adding borders in a single operation.

First set your desired cropping proportions and then position the cropping rectangle to frame the image. Next, add a white border as necessary on one or two sides to increase an image size to match the size of the print. You will have to do a little math to determine the correct border size.

For example, to make a 7x14" print embedded in an 11x14" rectangle, first crop the image with a 1:2 proportion as desired. Assuming the image is laid out horizontally in landscape mode, note the number of pixels the image is wide. Multiply the image width by 11/14 and then subtract the image height to get the necessary amount of combined top and bottom border necessary to pad the image out to proportions of 11:14. You can put all the border on the top or bottom or split it between the two. You can also change the border color if you wish, but I assume white is what you are looking for.

Note that printing on 11x14 paper with margins will alter the image proportions. For example if the margins are 0.5" all around, the image size will be 10x13 so you need to adjust the proportions of the image accordingly. If you print full bleed (out to the edge of the paper), then stick with 11x14.

The easiest way is with the Crop/Add Borders transformation since you can combine cropping and adding borders in a single operation.

First set your desired cropping proportions and then position the cropping rectangle to frame the image. Next, add a white border as necessary on one or two sides to increase an image size to match the size of the print. You will have to do a little math to determine the correct border size.

For example, to make a 7x14" print embedded in an 11x14" rectangle, first crop the image with a 1:2 proportion as desired. Assuming the image is laid out horizontally in landscape mode, note the number of pixels the image is wide. Multiply the image width by 11/14 and then subtract the image height to get the necessary amount of combined top and bottom border necessary to pad the image out to proportions of 11:14. You can put all the border on the top or bottom or split it between the two. You can also change the border color if you wish, but I assume white is what you are looking for.

Note that printing on 11x14 paper with margins will alter the image proportions. For example if the margins are 0.5" all around, the image size will be 10x13 so you need to adjust the proportions of the image accordingly. If you print full bleed (out to the edge of the paper), then stick with 11x14.

Another simple method is to use the Layout transformation. Set the output size and resolution to the desired print size and create a panel the size of the input image size and place the panel within the layout as desired, leaving the background white.

Thanks, Jonathan.
I have already applied your recommended technique and it quickly and almost effortlessly accomplished exactly what I needed.

Although my current situation involves an important image with non-standard proportions that I want to mount and display, it is so easily done that I can visualize using it for a much more mundane purpose. That is: there are occasions when I'd like to give a cheap, uncropped, out-of-camera print to a friend, but want it to be a little larger than the standard 4x6 print from a commercial facility (e.g. Costco and Walmart). If you go to the next larger standard size print (5x7), you'll lose something from the horizontal dimension of a landscape photo. And perhaps a group shot was composed so tightly that this would crop someone off the edge.

By adding a top and bottom border with combined pixels equal to 4.76% of the number of pixels in the long dimension of the image, you can fit the entirety of a 3:2, out-of-camera image onto 5x7 paper. Assuming a "borderless" print (what you term "full bleed"), the result would be an image area of 4 2/3 by 7 inches.

To fit the entire 3:2 image onto 8x10 paper would involve adding top and bottom borders with combined pixels equal to 13.33% of the number of pixels in the long dimension of the image.

Assuming a whole group of out-of-camera images had the same number of pixels, this would mean adding the same pixel-sized border to each. I assume this could be batched in a workflow process?

Thanks again.

Doug Haag