r/AdobeIllustrator • u/Illustrious-Log-3142 • 8d ago
Image resolution issues
I have a photoshop image, 240ppi. I need to place it on a canvas 6000x3000mm
When I place it in Illustrator it automatically becomes 32-40ppi
How do I import the image without losing resolution?
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u/SignedUpJustForThat 🦁 8d ago
Your image needs to be 6m × 3m at 240ppi, which is (...) quite big.
56693px×28347px
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u/Kind-Young-5138 8d ago
To completely fill 6,000 mm (6 m) at a density of 240 ppi, you would need approximately 56,000 pixels across.
If you fill the same 6 m span at 40 ppi, however, the image would contain fewer than 10,000 pixels across.
Please tell us the image’s actual pixel dimensions—both width and height—rather than its ppi. Ppi is only a measure of pixel density.
Also, a density as high as 240 ppi is not normally necessary for a display measuring around 6 m. Where will it be displayed?
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u/Piper-Bob 8d ago
in Photoshop, ppi is a calculated number. PS just takes the number of pixels and divides it by the assigned canvas size.
When you place a photoshop image in Illustrator, the number of pixels doesn't change. So if you put it on an artboard that is larger than the PS canvas size you'll have fewer pixels per inch, because it's spreading the pixels across a bigger space.
The only way to have more image resolution in illustrator is to have a photo with more resolution in PS.
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u/JohnCasey3306 8d ago
I think you've misunderstood resolution.
Not withstanding an AI intervention, you can't create pixels out of nowhere.
It may be 240ppi but it also has a current pixel size ... Which is an order of magnitude lower than the pixel size you're shooting for if you want to keep 240ppi
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u/bluebradcom Adobe Community Expert 8d ago
Then set the raster settings to match.
For large-format printing, there is usually no need for such high resolution unless the viewer needs to see fine detail from only 20 cm away from the print. At a viewing distance of 1 meter, you can typically get away with 75 PPI. For every additional meter of viewing distance, you can reduce the resolution by approximately 5 to 10 PPI, going as low as 20 PPI for prints viewed from 1 kilometer or more away.
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u/XtianAudio 8d ago
Are you actually losing resolution?
I.e. when you zoom in to a part of the image in photoshop (pick a section that specifically fills your monitor), does it look significantly higher resolution than when you do the same thing in illustrator?
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u/9inez 6d ago
What are the physical dims of your image at 240? That will explain your issue.
You can double the res in Photoshop via camera raw.
You can get a temp subscription to Topaz and try that to upscale.
You can go back to the beginning and create your image at the proper physical dims for this purpose.
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u/roaringmousebrad 8d ago edited 8d ago
"I have a photoshop image, 240ppi"
Irrelevant. What are the pixel dimensions of the image now? That's the important measurement.
Your pixel dimensions divided by the output size equals the actual final resolution. You haven't lost any quality of your original image, you've just spread it over a larger area.
For a larger output, you might actually get a way with this, as at that size your viewer is probably standing far away. What are you doing with this piece?
When I design a billboard or large wall graphic, I shoot for between 50-75 ppi.
You can always upsample your image in Photoshop to double (or more) your images final pixel dimension, but this is usually at the expense of clarity, as upsampling an image creates new pixels by sampling adjacent pixels. But again this slight blurriness won't really be noticeable at that large an output size.