📸 Understanding Enlargement vs Resizing
Why file size, resolution, and image quality confuse photographers—and how to make it clear.
One of the most common sources of confusion among our club members is the difference between enlarging an image and resizing it. These terms are often used interchangeably, but in digital photography, they mean very different things and are important as we prepare our printed exhibition.
To help explain, I’ve created a simple visual using black and white chessboards:
🟧 Left: The Original – A Simple 2×2 Grid
This small checkerboard represents the original image. It’s a low-resolution file with only 4 pixels of meaningful content.
➡️ Middle: Enlarged – Still Just 2×2
When you enlarge an image, you’re making each pixel bigger. It’s like zooming in.
The structure hasn’t changed—it’s still a 2×2 image, just blown up. This is what happens when you scale a photo to A4 without adding resolution: it can look blocky or pixelated.
This is why some images from phones or screenshots look fuzzy when printed large—they don’t have enough resolution.
➡️ Right: Resized – Now 8×8
When you resize an image (especially using photo editing software), you’re asking the computer to add pixels through a process called interpolation.
This doesn’t just scale up the blocks—it attempts to create new detail by averaging existing pixel values.
Now we’ve gone from a 2×2 to an 8×8 grid, like turning four Lego blocks into sixty-four. The file size increases, the resolution improves, but the true detail is still limited by what was in the original.
🎯 Why This Matters for WGPC
If you’re sending photos for print or display:
Enlarging alone is not enough—you need a file with enough original resolution.
Resizing can help, but it can’t invent real detail. It’s best to shoot at the highest quality your camera allows.
Cropping a small section of an image and then enlarging it won’t magically make it printable!
For best results:
Use your camera’s maximum resolution
Export images as JPG or TIFF at 300 dpi if you’re preparing for print
If unsure—ask! I am here to help demystify it
đź“Ą Resources
bit.ly/WGPC_Upload – Upload your high-res photos here
Visit the WGPC Blog for more tips