Effects of Post Processing on Print Quality

[bestremera]

Looking for some guidance,

I'm going to be manipulating images (CS2) from basic color adjustment layers and b&w conversions but also want to pursue compositing images into a final print.
Print size targets are 8X10 minumum up to 11X14.

Images will be digitally captures as hi-res jpegs from an 8MP Canon A630. RAW not an option.

Are my final print sizes realistic without displaying artifacts, etc?
What, in addition to a properly captured initial image, can I do in PS to maintain a high final print quality ?

Thanks for your help.
Bob

[bellephoto]

Hi Bob,

Yes, for a long time we were producing good 11x14s from a 6.3mp Canon 10D. You should be fine.

Re: Artifacts... that only becomes a problem if you need to lighten the photos considerably in Photoshop. If you do, any ISO grain or jpeg crap becomes increasingly visible.

All the best.

Damo.

[duwayne]

If you save you images from PS CS in jpeg format be sure to select the highest quality level (12).

Check the Image size. You should have "print size" @ 300 dpi.

I don't know anything about the A630 but my son has a SD630 and I "fix" all of the pictures for him. Outdoor photos are generally fine if you select the right program setting. I have found indoor photos have a noticeable amount of digital noise. This is what I've told him:

Don't use the zoom indoors
Shoot only at the highest resolution
Set ambient light as high as possible (even with the flash).
Use only low ISO settings (200)

I use Neat Image to reduce the noise from digital photos. It's free and works very well.