Question
Why is my photo low-resolution and what can I do to improve it?
Answer
There are many reasons a photo will receive a low-resolution warning when uploading. Below are a few possible reasons for low resolution.
Photos downloaded from the internet
If you saved a photo from Facebook, Instagram, or downloaded an image you found somewhere online, it is unlikely to be of print-ready resolution, since online images don't need to be very big. We advise against using images found this way. If you know where to find the original version of the photo, that will most likely be a great resolution.
Photo downsizing
If you are receiving a warning, but you know your photo was taken at full resolution with a digital camera, the image may have been downsized somewhere along the way between when you first downloaded the image from your camera and when we received it.
Many email and photo management tools will downsize photos for faster sending and processing. If you find the original location of the photo or download it directly from your camera to a folder, then drag or upload that to our uploader, you should have the full resolution photo.
Phone camera photos
While smartphone cameras are improving all the time, many still do not produce photos at the recommended resolution for print. Often these photos will be close enough, or still look good in your card, but a digital camera is still the best way to take print-ready photos.
Bamboo wall art
If you are uploading a photo to any of our bamboo wall art products, you are more likely to encounter resolution warnings, since these panels are much larger than cards, and as permanent decoration, the photo needs to look perfect!
We can certainly print any photo regardless of resolution, but we will always try to warn you before moving forward with any questionable images.