Commercial Photoshop Retouching: In the Studio

Chapter 7. Low Resolution on a Grand Scale: Making Low Res Look High

In this chapter

• Understanding the Spec Sheet

• Assessing the Situation

• Improving the Existing File to Survive Magnification

• Dealing with Specific Image Problems

Many times, I have worked on an image only to find out later, once my work was completed, that the image ended up being used at a much larger size—say, a 200% enlargement. Perhaps the image ends up being used for a billboard or a poster. The client doesn't always know that the image will be used for other purposes, so you can't be too quick to lay blame, and sometimes decisions are made on the fly, so it's out of the client's control. Nonetheless, when an image needs to be used at a size for which it was never intended, something has to be done to make it usable.

The first reaction is always scanning or reshooting the image at a larger size. If this option exists and can be done, it's ideal—but this isn't always the case. Some images may have been purchased or shot in some exotic location where a reshoot is financially unfeasible. And sometimes, even if a reshoot or a new scan is an option, the retouching may still need to be repeated. If the retouching was very complex, it can be rather frustrating to redo the work or quite difficult to replicate what you have done the first time around, especially if you have a memory like mine: it's very good, but short.

So in a situation when you have an image that looks terrific but has to be enlarged to a great degree, ...