Using photoshop cs, photos are jpg format. When I open them, the image size is 3456 pixel x 2304 pixel and resolution is 72. Should I worry about changing the resolution to 250, which makes the pixel count really huge.. 12,000?? Or should I try to lower pixel count so that it won't take so long to upload the photo? I don't expect to print larger than 11x14. I am using mpix to print.

 I have about 300 wedding photos (that is another story .. I'll put some on cc forum) to process and would like the quickest way to get them ready for print. I will have to use neat image to clean up noise... is it best to do that last?

Ideas on workflow?

In the Image Size window uncheck the vey bottom box which is "Resample Image" then change your resolution from 72 to what you need it to be. This will change the size in inches but not pixels. You may have to recheck the box and add or delete pixels later when you size for your final print.

Don't worry about it. The 3456X2304 is the size that matters, and that is full resolution. The other number you are looking at only matters if you are printing at home.

 

There are numerous threads about this in the last week here on Mpix. To sum them all up, just upload to mpix. Your files are fine. Its normal. That is the full resolution of your files. Don't worry, be happy! 

plum:

Using photoshop cs, photos are jpg format. When I open them, the image size is 3456 pixel x 2304 pixel and resolution is 72. Should I worry about changing the resolution to 250, which makes the pixel count really huge.. 12,000?? Or should I try to lower pixel count so that it won't take so long to upload the photo? I don't expect to print larger than 11x14. I am using mpix to print.

Cort and Otto are both right, but let me throw another warning in there.  NEVER DO ANYTHING THAT CHANGES THE PIXEL COUNT when processing.  Now if you are reading that and thinking, "I know of some reasons that you might want to change the pixel count" then this doesn't apply to you because you understand the software and resolution well enough to mess with it - hopefully.

But for most of the people asking these questions, it means they don't and the simplest way not to ruin your images is NOT TO CHANGE THE RESOLUTION.

Change is bad.  Unless you could explain why you are changing your resolution here on the forum, then don't change it.

Why?  Well for instance in the case above you don't want - or need - an image with 12,000 pixels on one side if you started with an image that was 3,456 on one side.  Where do you suppose those extra 9,000 pixels came from?  They didn't come from the camera.  They weren't in the image to start with...  The program had to make them up from out of nowhere, so it guessed.  It guessed well, because that is what the program is supposed to do, but it still degraded your image.  Plus, now you are working with an image that is HUGE in your computer and you are probably bogging the whole thing down because where the program had to sharpen 8 million pixels before, now it is working with about 100 million pixels because you had it create a bunch of pixels that weren't there originally.

You also don't want the program taking away pixels that were originally in the image because of some unintended consequence of changing the resolution.

In short, unless you really know why you are changing the resolution, DON'T.

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