Digital zoom/crop...

[Jeeebus]

Here goes my noobish question...

What is the process called (cropping? zooming?) whereby I edit a picture to make my subject "larger" and how do I go about doing it?

For example, I take a picture of a bird, but I think it's too "small" in the picture, so I "crop" down a bit, thus making the bird appear larger? Hopefully that makes sense...

when I use the "crop" function of something like Microsoft's pic viewer, all I'm doing is trimming away at the sides, but I'm not making the subject stand out any more than it was.

 

[ElFenix]

if you print to the same 8x10 with both cropped and uncropped the subject will be a larger portion of the cropped pic.

 

[corkyg]

Yesm, and as you zoom or crop, you lose pixels, and those that are left have to be spread out over a larger area. Thus, you lose resolution. So, it is use ful to start with as high a res as you can, and then still be "presentable" after the crop.

It is a very useful technique for email.

 

[bruceb]

Zoom lets you get closer to the object you are photographing and in most cases, you will lose some resolution, except on very high quality lenses. Crop allows you to take a specific section out of an image, with an app like Photoshop or other photo editor.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: bruceb
Zoom lets you get closer to the object you are photographing and in most cases, you will lose some resolution, except on very high quality lenses. Crop allows you to take a specific section out of an image, with an app like Photoshop or other photo editor.

That's not actually true typically. Most lenses peak out, in terms of resolution, somewhere in the middle of their zoom range.

 

[bruceb]

That would make some sense as there has to be a optimum focal point for any lens combo.

 

[corkyg]

There is a difference between optical and digital zoom. The latter is essentially in camera cropping. That is a function I have never used are advocate using.