Did you know that social media posts on platforms such as Facebook that include images receive more than twice as much engagement as posts that do not include photos?
If you have an important message to share, you should always include photos to complement it. The problem that many people have is that they don’t know whether or not it’s okay to use a low resolution photo.
To help you figure out if it’s possible to use both low resolution and high resolution photos, we’ve created a guide. Keep reading and we’ll tell you what you need to know.
The Basics of High Resolution vs. Low Resolution Photos
It can be easy to misunderstand the similarities and differences between high resolution and low resolution photos.
Low resolution photos (also known as low-res images) are typically 72 dots per inch (dpi) and tend to have an RGB colour setting. If you need to use photos for digital purposes such as on websites and email marketing, it’s a good idea to use low-res photos.
High resolution photos (also known as hi-res images) are at least 300 dots per inch (dpi), but their resolutions are often higher than this. They typically have a CMYK colour setting. It’s best to use them if you are going to print out photos on things like banners and brochures.
Understanding DPI
If an image has 350 dpi, it means that there is a large amount of information within one square inch. On the other hand, an image with 70 dpi has a very small amount of information.
The 70 dpi image will look good on a computer screen because most internet browsers have a resolution of 72 dpi. Since a lower resolution image has a smaller file size than a hi-res image, the low-res image will load faster.
But if you print this image out, it’s likely to look pixilated because it will have small pixel dimensions. Therefore, if you want to use an image on your website and print it out, you should save it as a high resolution and a low resolution image.
How to Use a Low Resolution and a High Resolution Image
If you have high resolution images and want to change them to low resolution images, all that you need to do is save a copy of them as low resolution images.
If you have low resolution images and try to save them as high resolution images, they’re likely to be pixilated images. Therefore, you’ll need to find the original image if you want it to look good. Regardless of what you choose to do, make sure that the images you use are licensed.
Remember to Save Low Resolution Copies of Your High Resolution Photos
If you’ve been trying to figure out how to use a low resolution and a high resolution photo, remember that it’s not difficult to do. It’s a good idea to save your photos in high resolutions so that you can easily save them in lower resolutions later on if you need to.
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