Is it more difficult to upload and print photos from photo websites taken with a DSLR camera than a point-and-click?

by Joshua Hrabosky
(Providence, RI)

I have been shopping for a DSLR camera, and one issue that somebody raised to me was the difficulty she experienced uploading pictures taken with her DSLR camera onto photo websites like Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, etc. She conveyed to me that the larger the number of megapixels (common with many DSLR cameras), the more difficult it was to upload her pictures to these photo websites. Is there such a correlation?

Also, and related, how is the quality of photos printed from a photo website? Is there any degradation in the quality of the picture uploaded onto and printed from a photo website relative to printing at a respected camera/photography store? If I'm spending the money on a quality camera, and spending the time to learn how to properly use the camera, I don't want the quality of the end product (the picture) to be diminished by how it is printed.

Thank you for any feedback you can provide.

Comments for Is it more difficult to upload and print photos from photo websites taken with a DSLR camera than a point-and-click?

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Mar 29, 2016
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by: Tammie

You are absolutely right. There is a correlation between the number of megapixels and the amount of time that it takes to upload to online galleries, that is why the process is slower. However, you may find a lot of useful information here:http://www.domydissertation.org/dissertation-editing-ideas.html. If you need any additional information, just let me know.

Jul 30, 2009
More Megapixels = Larger File Sizes
by: Digital SLR Guide

Yes, there absolutely is a correlation between the number of megapixels and the amount of time that it takes to upload to online galleries.

Let's say that you're used to using a compact camera with 7 megapixels. You then make the switch to a 15 megapixel DSLR - double the number of megapixels.

This increase in megapixels dramatically increases the file size of each photo you take - as file sizes increase, it takes that much longer to upload to an online gallery.

Just uploading a dozen photos might take 30 minutes or longer, depending on the speed of your Internet connection.

The good news here is that you don't always have to take photos with the maximum number of megapixels. Every digital SLR lets you choose the image size - so you can take pictures with a reduced number of megapixels if you primarily want to share them online and print at small sizes.

If you know for sure that you want to make enlargements of a certain set of photos, then you can set the camera to capture the full number of megapixels.

To answer the second question: the quality of images printed from photo web sites is great - just like you'd get if you were developing a roll of film.

However, there are some differences to be aware of: some online printers will optimize the colors in your images free of charge so that they look good when they print - others will not.

Photos that have not been optimized for the specific printers used by the online service may look flatter and duller than what you see on your monitor at home.

A second thing to pay attention to is the quality of the paper used by the printer. While most online printers will use good photo paper stock others offer "premium" papers that will really make your printed photos look great.

The photo printing services that I use include:


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