I will attempt to make a bewildering topic a bit more intelligible in this overview.

Example of screen resolution at 72 ppi (see below for larger)

What I’m going to cover

I’ll take you through a bit of what happens inside your camera, how pixels are stored in an image file, how image files are stored on a computer, and how to choose the right resolution for different usages.  I’ll be generalizing with a heavy hand to keep the explanations as simple as possible.

I will use one of my cameras (Canon 50D) as the example.  It’s a standard dSLR camera, the sort with removable lenses.  If you’re using a camera phone or a point-and-shoot, all the same considerations apply, but some of it is hidden from you or not accessible.

Read the rest of this entry »