Screen Resolution... the myth busted!!

I was doing some research of the resolution for web backgrounds and came across this very interesting article which I thought I would share with you all.

The 72 PPI Web And Screen Resolution Myth

good article but...it missed one major factor.... load times. Have you ever been on a web page with many photos? these photos that are quite large it takes forever to load even on fiber

the author forgot to mention these load times and that was "EXTREMELY"important back in dial up days.

the other thing about dpi or ppi is the higher that is the better print quality when taken off the web so that makes stealing of high quality print images very easy

Something to think about... if you have no worries about theft or do not care about load times then make it 1000 dpi : )

I totally agree there Sharie, I would never upload a print resolution for screen use, but now I wonder should I upload 100 dpi for screen rather than 72 dpi? I think I might experiment with it. I working on a homepage at the moment in a one on one, just the design aspect, I am not good with web stuff. I am waiting for proper dimensions from his web guys, and was all set to make the images 72 dpi but now I am thinking 100 dpi. I guess it depends on the finished file size... no one likes a slow loading web page. : )

I have always suggested 300 dpi for the entries in a contest because they are small 640x480 and most of the time jpg, jpg has such a huge loss with compression that the design shows better to the clients at 300 dpi, it is still small enough that it is difficult to steal and reproduce, all theft will never be stopped but on here if the designers follow the upload guidelines for size then it should be fine.

300dpi covers the many screen sizes out there also. back in the day all screens were same size and square now they are so different and have their own screen res. I'm not even sure if analog tv or monitors are being used any more.

I remember buying a tv and the actual corner to corner size you purchased same for computer monitors. Now you buy screen res and that plays a big role in the out put also. Another thing is many or more people use their "tv" for monitors now so a 72 dpi is going to look crappy on a screen with 1280 or higher res. Can you see a 72 res image on a 50 inch tv? eewww

I know many create the vector design in illustrator and use save for web.... I don't think a dpi option shows up......

I think my personal choice for web res is 150 for my uploaded photos in photoshop I set the image quality on these photos I have also found some websites will auto change the dpi or res to what they want and is best optimized for that site

It really is amazing what is affected with dpi,res, format such as rgb vs cmyk. Most websites do let you upload cmyk unless it is a zipped file even if you set the dpi 72 on a cmyk the file would be huge

Photos are fun and I love photography but digital has changed about every aspect when it comes to photography I wonder how many anolog/film diehards are left out there?

Yes, I think I will start saving my pics at 150 from now on, that seems to be a good middle ground. It will be interesting to see what these web designers ask for. Its all above my head now, these responsive web sites that can fit things onto big screens, ipads and smart phones... these young geeks are just getting cleverer and cleverer! : )

It sounds like there's some confusion; I hope this summary can explain what the article is saying a bit better:

—- screen resolution is a myth, meaning it doesn't actually work the same way as it does with printing. Photos, text, and every element seen on screen is defined by its pixel width and height, not resolution.

Example: the file size of a new blank 640px by 480px Photoshop file is 900kb. It doesn't matter if you type in 72ppi or 300ppi or even 3000ppi; the blank document will still have the same file size (900kb) because screen elements are only defined by their content (what information each pixel is carrying) and by their width and height (how many pixels wide by how many pixels tall).



—- PPI means "pixels per inch" and refers to screens/displays/monitors. DPI refer to "dots per inch" and refers to dots of ink on paper for printing.

—- Elements are different sizes on different screens because of pixel density.

Example: a retina screen is twice as dense as regular screen, meaning a retina display can fit more pixels in an area than a non-retina display. For instance a 640px by 480px rectangle will look smaller on a retina than non-retina, but it's still the same file size.

Hopefully this answers your question, Liz, about the web backgrounds you're working on. What matters is the width and height needed for the backgrounds, not the resolution. You can choose 9000ppi if you wanted to and it will still be the same file size

... are you calling me a geek?

Edited by HappyGD, 07 February 2014 - 10:02 PM.
added photo example

I guess I confused it all up.... happy is correct dpi deals with printing and ppi is your viewing res...when you size in photoshop you will see ppi

when you print form or on most printers unless my printer is sold this has changed... most default 600dpi and this is for printing and lets not even get into the different type printing that doesn't go by dpi : )

Still a 150 ppi will make for better viewing but still low enough print thieves will get get all pixeled out unless they are going to print a stamp then it backfires and looks like you are looking at a scrambled omlet

Thanks HappyGD (Happy Geek Dude) that is so very helpful. I should have known dots per inch and pixels per inch as my husband is a printer and he always is working out dots per inch!!! And you have answered another question I had about retina display too, as I hadn't a clue what that meant!
When I get a chance I will try out all those things and experiment. I am going to buy a new laptop today and this has also helped me with picking it.
You are so clever... thank goodness you are here!! : )

ps and thanks for taking so much time to explain in such an easy to understand manner, I really appreciate that. Have a super day.

Happy Geek Dude

You are welcome, Liz, glad to help. Enjoy your new laptop!