Image Resolution, Pixels and DPI Explained Simply
Understand pixels, dimensions and DPI before resizing images for screens, documents or print.
Usefulia · Images · Updated
Pixel dimensions describe the actual digital image
An image that is 3000 × 2000 pixels contains six million pixel positions. Those dimensions directly affect how much detail is available for cropping, resizing and display.
Reducing the dimensions throws away pixel data. Enlarging the image creates more pixels through interpolation, but it cannot recreate real detail that was never captured.
DPI is mainly a print relationship
DPI is often used when discussing how many image pixels are placed into each inch of a printed page. The same digital image can be printed at different physical sizes depending on the chosen print density.
For ordinary web use, pixel width and height are usually more important than the DPI metadata field.
Resize from the best source you have
If you need several versions of one image, start from the largest clean original rather than repeatedly resizing an already reduced copy.
Keep a master file and create smaller versions for specific uses such as websites, forms or social media.