Pic-Time allows uploading of jpeg and gif file types into the photo gallery. This article will give you guidance to prepare your files for optimal printing and viewing in the gallery.

You'll first want to make sure your computer is displaying colors accurate for printing. Learn more about recommended screen calibration here.

While editing your images, always check your images' histogram and if needed also see RGB values in certain areas before exporting. This is based on numbers, so even if your monitor is not calibrated and the ambient light is deceiving the eye's perception, the histogram and RGB values will show if it's too dark, too bright, or if it has a certain color tint anywhere. Hovering the White Balance Eye Dropper on specific areas of the image will show you the values.

Image size/Resolution refers to the pixel dimensions along each edge of an image (Ex: 4000 x 6000 pixels).

File Size refers to the amount of space the file occupies (Ex: 4.5MB).

Learn more about image size and resolution here.

The maximum image and file size you can upload to Pic-Time is 12000 x 12000 pixels and 100MB. You will be unable to upload your image if it is larger.

The File Size data is not used to determine image resolution, and only affects the amount of storage space the file is occupying in your account. When printing, Pic-Time will only use the Image Size/Resolution to calculate if the image is large enough for the chosen print size. If the Image Size/Resolution is not high enough for a chosen print size a warning message will be shown when adding the item to the cart, in the crop editor and on the checkout page. (You will also see this warning when uploading photos.)

Adding to the cart:

In the crop editor:

At checkout:

For jpeg files, Pic-Time recommends that files are exported from your editing program without any resizing.

To achieve this in Lightroom, you can untick the ‘Resize to Fit’ checkbox in the Export pop-up. Leave ‘Quality’ at 100 and leave ‘Limit File Size To’ unchecked.

Make sure your Lightroom settings include the file metadata. Within your Lightroom catalog, this is located in the export settings. Under the Metadata sections include field select either “All Metadata”, "All Except Camera & Camera Raw Info" or “All Except Camera Raw Info". All of these options will ensure image files retain the correct metadata needed to use the filter settings. Now you can easily use these filters to create blogs, slideshows, and more

When exporting your image from Photoshop choose File > Save as Copy > Choose ‘JPEG’ from the Format dropdown menu > Click Save > Ensure the ‘Quality’ is at 12 and click “OK”.

Exporting your files at their largest possible image size gives more options for your clients to order a larger range of print sizes from your store. For some files exporting with no image resizing may result in files that exceed Pic-Time’s upload limits. If your exported jpegs are larger than 100MB you will need to resize your files on export to get them below 100MB.

On export, you can determine the DPI or PPI you would like attached to the file. It is important to remember that the DPI/PPI is a metadata in your file only, and does not affect the image itself. A common DPI/PPI to add to your metadata is 240 or 300, however this information will not be used by Pic-Time or our partner labs. The Image Size/Resolution is the only information used by Pic-Time.

Sharpening your images for print is a personal preference and can also vary depending on paper type, we recommend placing a test order with your preferred print labs to determine if you would like sharpening applied to your files.

Pic-Time recommends files are exported and uploaded in sRGB color space for optimal screen viewing and print quality.

Cropping your photos will remove pixels from the file, resulting in a smaller Image Size/Resolution. Keep cropping to a minimum during editing if you have concerns about your resolution and printing at large sizes.

The ratio of the print size selected in the store will also affect the crop, and therefore the resolution. If the resolution of the jpeg you upload to Pic-Time has a ratio of 2:3 and your client chooses a print size with a different ratio, some pixels will be cropped. For example, a file with a ratio of 2:3 can be printed at a size of 4 x 6 inches with no cropping, because the ratio is the same. See below.

The above mage ratio is 3:2, print size is 6x4 - image ratio is the same as the print ratio so no cropping is required.

The above image ratio is 3:2, print size is 5x5 - the print ratio is different to the image ratio so some cropping is required and pixels are removed.

The above image ratio is 3:2, print size is 7x5 - the print ratio is different to the image ratio so some cropping is required and pixels are removed.

GIF files have the same upload limit as JPEGs, which is 12000x12000 pixels and 100MB, however GIF files can be extremely demanding on a gallery’s load time. If the file is larger than 1MB it may not play smoothly and cause slow gallery load speeds. We recommend keeping your GIF files smaller than 1MB by limiting the number of frames and reducing the frame’s resolution. Learn more about GIFs in Pic-Time galleries here.

Some consumer-focused print stores incorrectly use File Size to determine image quality, rather than the Image Resolution. This is because these print stores are consumer-focused, and typically the end-users do not have access to optimization software. This can result in consumers receiving a warning message that their file is too small to print. In many cases it is just a warning message, and you can tell your client to proceed with the print (ensuring they are using the file with the correct Image Resolution). We recommend encouraging your clients to print their files through their gallery shop, where our partner print labs are highly experienced dealing with professional print sizes.

Some photographers believe that the DPI/PPI metadata in a file affects image quality. The DPI/PPI is only important if you export your files in physical units such as Inches or Centimeters. For example, If you want to export a file that will print at 6x4 inches with 300 Dots Per Inch(DPI), it is critical that you specify the 300 DPI at export together with the resized width and height at 6x4 inches. However in most cases you will be exporting by pixels, or with no image-resizing (per Pic-Time’s recommendations above), so that your clients can print the file at a large range of sizes. For these cases, the DPI/PPI data is irrelevant,

Your client says they are getting a resolution warning in their store when they try to print. What should you check for?