If you need to enlarge an item that you have scanned, there is a way to do it using your scanner instead of relying solely on Photoshop. By increasing the dpi of the scan and then reducing it down, you can achieve a better quality enlargement compared to simply scanning at 300 dpi and then enlarging it in Photoshop.
Here’s an example to illustrate this method. The same item was scanned from a magazine twice, once at 300 dpi and once at 1200 dpi. If you look at the 300 dpi image and check the image size, you’ll see that the document size is 5 inches by 6.7 inches. Let’s say you want to increase it by 400% to 20 inches. If you do this in Photoshop, the image will start to blur out and lose its details.
However, if you use the 1200 dpi version and reduce the dpi instead of enlarging it in Photoshop, you can achieve the same 400% enlargement while maintaining sharpness and details. By unchecking “resample image” and reducing the resolution from 1200 to 300, you can achieve a sharper and clearer image compared to enlarging it in Photoshop.
This method works well with high-quality images, especially photos. The film quality will enhance the image even more, resulting in a sharper and more detailed enlargement. To summarize, all you need to do is uncheck “resample image” and reduce the resolution from the high dpi you scanned at down to 300 dpi.
Enlarging scanned photos can be a tricky task, but with this quick tip, you can achieve better results without relying solely on Photoshop.