Images are the MOST important part of your yearbook project. The following information will help you get the best results from your images, and publish a spectacular-looking yearbook!
Be sure to consider the following when choosing images to include in your yearbook:
IMAGE COLOR SPACE
No need to alter your image color space. If images are RGB, no CMYK conversion is needed. Our PDF output settings and refining process will convert them to the proper color space. Most cameras and scanners include a source profile [also known as input profile] when saved. We recommend you embed [or tag] the source profile to each image. A source profile will define how the camera/scanner interprets the colors in the photo and make your color conversion clean and effortless.
How will my images look once they have been converted to CMYK?
Your converted images will look very similar to your original RGB files. There is much more color information in the RGB color space than can be printed with a CMYK profile, but the results have been very accurate with the conversion profiles we use. If you are concerned about how your images will convert, color testing is an option, if requested in advance.
IMAGE RESOLUTION
Resolution is a very important factor to consider when looking at your digital images. Resolution is defined in two ways: pixels per inch (ppi) on your screen and dots per inch (dpi) on a press. To print an image effectively, it needs to have a resolution of between 250 and 300 ppi/ dpi. The image should be the same dimensions that you plan to print it in your yearbook at a resolution of 300 dpi.
How can I change an image’s resolution?
Many people try to increase resolution (ppi/dpi) using imaging software such as Photoshop®; this usually makes the image quality worse. There is only a fixed amount of information (pixels) in an image, and by increasing the resolution and leaving the image size the same, you are asking the software to add more pixels to the image. The software is forced to “guess” what each added pixel should look like based on the other pixels around it, and the image becomes blocky or fuzzy.
If an image didn’t start out with a high resolution (250-300 dpi), the only way to increase the resolution is to retake the picture at a higher camera setting or rescan the image at 300 dpi. This does not apply to digital camera images that have been taken at a high-quality setting. They will have a low resolution (72 dpi), but the image dimensions will be large
enough to compensate for the resolution. The images actually have the extra pixels needed to increase the resolution when the photo dimensions are decreased.
DIGITAL IMAGES
Many digital cameras will have a resolution of 72 dpi, but the dimensions of the image are larger than you need – when you reduce the photo size, the resolution increases to 250 to
300 dpi. You may leave digital images the size they come off your camera and resize them in your layout program.
FILE FORMATS
JPEG (.jpg), TIFF (.tif), PNG (.png) and EPS (.eps) are all acceptable file formats to use in your yearbook. You choose the format when you save your images in the scanning or image editing software. JPEG files should be saved at a high quality setting (less compression 10–12) and are favored because of their small size. TIFF files must be saved with no compression. All images should have a unique name, 8 characters or less (excluding extension) if your book is being submitting using the
Non-PDF Plan.
IMAGE SCANS
For scanned pictures, the scan resolution must be set to at least 300 dpi for a scan at 100%. If you will enlarge a photo, increase the resolution of the scan to compensate. Notice the other scanner options before you scan your images.
WEB IMAGES
Images from the Web will have a low resolution of 72 dpi and will print poorly. We do not recommend their use. In addition, most images found on the Internet are copyright protected.
CONCERNS?
If you have concerns about your images, contact us at 1-888-680-0143 to discuss possible solutions and/or perform image testing.
We cannot be responsible for the quality (resolution or color) of your digital yearbook images once they have been submitted as PDF files.