HOW TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY IMAGES

Guidelines for advertisers, writers and content consideration

• Camera Raw files straight from the camera are preferred. Any of the raw formats from Canon, Sony, Nikon, etc. and/or DNG formats from camera phones are suitable, as they are fully editable and can be optimized in a shorter amount of time.
• If a raw file is not available, the next best file format is an uncompressed TIFF file. Usually a TIFF file is the product of a processed file so again, consider sending a raw file.
• Camera Phone images: Most Android phones will capture in camera Raw or DNG mode – export the unedited file as a DNG for submission.
• Apple or iPhone users – if you plan to capture with your Apple device, considering installing Adobe Lightroom, an app that restores all the camera functions Apple took out – such as the ability to set white balance and Camera Raw or DNG capturing – see above about the advantage of Raw files. See “How to take magazine quality photos with your phone” instructions at bottom.
• Scanned artwork should be saved as an uncompressed TIFF file of at least 300 dpi – 600dpi is usually better for editing purposes.
• PNG, GIF, text format and photos put into word processor formats and saved should be altogether avoided as they are usually not suitable for publication. They may look great on a smart phone but not after a 4 color separation process and printed in a high resolution.
• For camera-ready art work: 300 dpi, CMYK color space, and sized appropriately for the need.
• Starting with a large high quality file is always welcome – you can make a large file smaller but doing the opposite is when you run into trouble.
• If the file is too large to send through traditional e-mail (9MB or more) use WeTransfer. You can send up to 2 gigs of content for free.
• Special Note – if sending from a Mac computer, disable any filters that downsize and/or change the file names of files you are sending. If you cannot do that, sending via WeTransfer will completely circumvent those filters. Seemingly inherent only to Mac computers, such filters degrade the quality of an image significantly when send via e-mail.
• Images should be at least 12 inches on the long side for full-page or cover material, and in Portrait orientation.
  Other images may be portrait or landscape at the same dimension for full-page or full-spread design – or at least 7 inches on the long side for single-page designs.

How to take magazine quality photos with your smart phone

• Cameras with only JPG mode must be set to the highest resolution possible in the camera. Most cameras give you the ability to make Small, Medium or Large JPG files with Medium or Fine detail. Always choose the largest file format and the finest detail setting.
• When shooting in JPG, you need to be aware of some settings that are less able to be corrected after the picture is made – such as exposure and white balance. You usually have to set the camera to a mode other than AUTO and adjust the camera settings appropriately to make the best possible JPG capture. It is a little harder – so if possible, consider capturing in Raw.