High resolution vs low resolution images (sharp vs pixelated) Are you wondering why your photographs look out of focus and pixelated on your screen? It’s easy to get beautiful sharp images in your graphics and films… it’s all about how you search in google images. high resolution image low resolution image

How to Use the TOOLS button on google images to specify image size and pixel dimensions Use the “tools” button on google images to select size, color, usage rights, type of image, etc. If you don’t specify size, you could get a very small image which will result in pixelated, out of focus images when you enlarge them on screen or in print. If you hold your mouse over the image it will show you the pixel dimensions for that image.

How to Use the TOOLS button on google images to specify image size and pixel dimensions Once you click on “Tools” it opens up some more choices: Size, Color, Usage Rights, Type, etc. If you click on size you can ask for “large” images (or “larger than” for super high resolution), which will display a choice of photos that are large. These images are called “thumbnails.” Do not drag a thumbnail to your desktop to use in your art! These are literally as small as your thumbnail, so that you can view a lot of images at one time. But they are not large enough for your projects. Once you find one you like, click on the image itself which will open up another window with a large sized image. Always click and hold your mouse and drag the image into a folder for the project you’re working on. NO MORE CUTTING AND PASTING!!

How to Use the TOOLS button on google images to specify image size and pixel dimensions Once you click on the thumbnail and it opens another window, it will look like this. Click and hold your mouse and drag the image into a folder for the project you’re working on. Don’t cut and paste images. Photoshop and Illustrator want to link to actual images, and cutting and pasting is just your computer’s memory of the image, not the image itself. Notice the pixel dimensions below the image: 1422x1104 pixels. This is an adequate large size for your projects.

Side by side comparison of low resolution thumbnail and high resolution image in terms of image size & Pixel Dimensions. Remember: all photographic images on a computer are made up of pixels. If you start out with a small file with not enough pixels, as soon as you enlarge the file the pixels enlarge. This is what causes the jagged, pixelated look of photos. At left is an image of a puppy dragged directly from the thumbnail choices. The pixel dimensions of this photo are 256x256 and the image size is small as well. At right, after choosing large size images and then clicking on the thumbnail, the image is crisp because the image size and pixel dimensions are both large. The pixel dimensions of this photo are 1220x710 pixels. Low resolution image dragged directly from a thumbnail; pixel dimensions are 256x256. PIXELATED!! After choosing “large” size images, the thumbnail was then clicked on and the larger size file was used. Pixel dimensions are 1220x710. CRISP & CLEAR!!