Choosing the best pictures for your Mod Poster is the most important step in any poster design, and one I find people struggle the most with. Remember, we are printing these photos in a large format, so image resolution is EVERYTHING.

What is Image Resolution?

Digital Picture Resolution is often described in terms of the total number of pixels, as well as dots per inch (DPI) or pixels per inch (PPI). It is also described by measurement (e.g., width and height of the image in pixels). For example an 8.5 x 11-inch image scanned at 300dpi is 3300 x 2550 pixels. 

The most common digital images are raster images. These are formed with a grid of tiny colored squares (pixels) that blend together to create an image. Since they’re made up of pixels, raster images can be blurry if they have too few pixels. Common raster file formats include jpg, png, and gif.

How to Tell If an Image is High Resolution 

Just looking at an image can be a clue to whether it’s high or low resolution. If it looks fuzzy or you can see the individual pixels, it’s definitely the latter. Keep in mind that what you see on your computer screen may look fine, but it's probably 72 or 96DPI.

If you’re wondering how to find an image’s resolution, it’s easy but slightly different for each of these methods. 

Windows:
Right-click on the digital image file, then select properties
Click on the tab details in the image properties window, where you’ll see the width and height (e.g., 1080 by 1080 pixels), as well as the resolution (e.g., 300dpi)

Mac:
Browse to the folder that contains the image
Right-click on the image file and click “Get Info”
Click on the “More Info” tab

The higher the resolution (and width and height), the better for printing. In most cases I can bump up the resolution to a point, but keep in mind this does not work for all digital images.

Digital Images: Your Beautiful Car 

The next most important thing when it comes to your Mod Poster design is the subject of the picture. Pictures that make great posters are ones that include your full car from nose to tail, have plenty of room on the side, top and bottom, and have a neutral background free of any other cars or people. A good example is this picture of a friend's Stinger. While this pic did have elements I wanted to change, like the grass strip in the pavement, this is a great example of a picture that turned into an outstanding poster design. On the left is the original digital image, and the right shows the edits and changes I completed for use in his poster design.

Digital Images: What to do When Taking Pictures

Your phone more than likely has a pretty good camera. You just need to set the resolution and digital image size to a higher resolution. There are many tutorials and walk throughs on the web that will help you get yours set up.

What I suggest when taking pictures is making sure your resolution and image size is set, getting your car completely in the frame without cutting any of it off, leaving plenty of room on the sides, top and bottom, shooting from a lower angle to the ground, about even with your car's hood, and keeping the background clear of people and other cars. Straight on side shots look good, but corner shots with the wheels turned in look best (as in Terje's Stinger).

I can usually work with just about any photo, as long as the resolution is good, but again, great digital photos make phenomenal Mod Posters.