Often I have customers who want a 11x14, an 8x10, and a 5x7. When cropping a photo what ratio should I start with to minimize the work and not sacrificing the integrity of the photo when resizing.

The best solution is to use the same ratio for prints and image files instead of cropping.

For instance, Bonus Print Pix (http://www.bonusprint.com/) (click on the flag nearest you for local service) offers traditional sizes (different cropping for each size), digital sizes (3:4 aspect ratio) and conventional sizes (2:3 aspect ratio).

Most low-end digital camera sensors are 3:4, while most upper-end cameras' are 2:3. I suspect the latter applies to you, so you could offer 12x18 instead of 11x14, 8x12 instead of 8x10 and 5x7.5 instead of 5x7 (BPP's prices are the same for conventional vs traditional vs digital).

Pierre

Pierre,

I thought of that as an alternative, but most frames come in the sizes I've mentioned and as a result, most of the customers want the standard size. What often happens to me is that a customer wants a 11x14 of a given picture and then comes back and wants an 8x10 or a 5x7 and it is very difficult (without a lot of work) to retrofit to a different size after I've already completed my adjustments.

I think if you work at an aspect ratio of 8x10 you will minimize the loss of image due to resizing. The 11x14 will remove one tenth inch from both sides. The 5x7 crop will remove about three tenths of an inch from both sides. That is if I did the math right :).