looking for a good link (clear & concise) that shows what megapixels do?

[needgoodsoftware]

A.

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

B.

there were also a few attempted helpfulness but they more harmful than helpful due to them being incredibly confusing due to lack of explanations

like i still dont know what a megapixel is

and there were no info in q&a that would lead or cause anyone to actually what a megapixel does

for exmaple i dunno if 'resolution' = megapixel

i dont know what 5 megapixels equate to

i dont have any relevant info to be able to know what megapixel do

C.

there were a also good amount of inaccurate info (aka: misinformation)) and this is probably the most harmful thing

for instance i asked how to increase the size of an image to be '5 megapixels'?

and this seems to be possible

and yet a few ppl provided inaccurate info

~~

XII.

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

3. less of what tho? less of the area of an image? less colours? i dont get it, less what exactly?

4. what exactly are you ppl talking about? less of what?

~~

looking for a good link (clear & concise) that shows what megapixels do?

- a good youtube video qualifies as a link

- a good link = clear & concise (just to simplify the concept of good in this context)

tho any questions are always given to that person that knows the answer, and this by way of contextual assumption that a person asking a question is very likely to be looking for a helpful answer

and implicit in helpful is relevance

and implicit in helpful is relevance

for something to be helpful, ofc it's a neccessary condition taht it is also relevant, and directly answers the questions asked

 

[Mattia Valente]

like i still dont know what a megapixel is

1 megapixel = 1 million pixels.

Digital cameras have photo sites that capture light though an array and convert it to a 'dot' (pixel) of a particular color in your digital file.

long technical explanation:

Pixel - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

and there were no info in q&a that would lead or cause anyone to actually what a megapixel does

it doesn't do anything. It is a measure of how many dots, so how much resolution an image has (or a sensor is capable of producing).

for exmaple i dunno if 'resolution' = megapixel

basically, yes (see link above for semantics if you must)

for example, my A7rIII at full resolution captures 7952 x 5304 pixels (width x height), which multiplied together gets you the '42 megapixels' listed in the specifications.

i dont know what 5 megapixels equate to

Depends on the image format.

Any resoluiton width x height in pixels that equals about 5 million would be 5 megapixels. In 4:3 ratio that's 2560 x 1920.

here is a calculator for you to play with:

Calculator, Maximum camera image dimension and print size from Megapixels and Aspect Ratio

Megapixel Calculator, what image size image from X megapixels?

www.scantips.com

Basically, if people ask you for 'more megapixels' what they want is more resolution. Only good way of doing that is capturing mor resolution to start with, though some AI resizing software can 'create' more data when resizing. You can increase the megapixels of any image you want with the resize command in photo editors, but that only increases the number of pixels and the computer has to guess what the pixels are. So while the number of pixels will be bigger, the software has 'made up' the missing data so it won't be optimally sharp.

if you decrease megapixels you lose resolution, your image is smaller.

a simple everyday example is TVs.

You have HD (1080p) resolution. 1920 x 1080 pixels. Or about 2 megapixels. So an image for a HD phone or TV screen only needs to be 2 megapixels to look good. There are good reasons to capture more resolution and downsize fr better detail and sharpness, for example (see discussions about 4K video to get better HD video), but that's beyond the scope here.

a 4K TV (UHD) has 4 times the pixels of a HD TV; so 8 megapixels are needed.

 

[Bobthearch]

The measurement of Megapixels is similar to square inches: inches high x inches wide = square inches.

Pixels tall x pixels wide = megapixels.

So if a sensor is 4000 pixels x 6000 pixels, it is 24 Megapixels.

If you resize to a smaller pixel measurement, you are reducing detail and data; a 24mp photo has more detail than a 12mp photo. Think of it as designs in a tile floor - if there are more tiles you can make a more detailed floor design.

 

[Bobthearch]

But in answer to your question from yesterday,

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

People tried to help you in a practical way, but you never answered them. For instance,

What camera are you using?

You've done something wrong if the images from your digital camera are less than 5mp, but you haven't given a clue as to what, nor have you posted the photo you wanted help with.

And I don't see any information from yesterday that was flat-out wrong: Yes, you can increase the resolution of a image, from 5mp to 10mp for instance. But no, that doesn't make it the same quality as a photo that was 10mp to begin with.

 

[SoCalWill]

like i still dont know what a megapixel is

A camera sensor pixel is a site on the sensor that reads light energy as data, more energy = lighter, less energy = darker; these pixels work together to create a cogent image. One million pixels is a megapixel.

for exmaple i dunno if 'resolution' = megapixel

The image resolution generated by the sensor is determined by how many pixels it has. A one megapixel square sensor will have 1000 pixels to a side, creating a square one million pixels in resolution/a 1000x1000 image.

i dont know what 5 megapixels equate to

The number of megapixels is a rough guide to sharpness/the amount of detail and data that will be in the final image, however the sensor alone does not determine this as the incoming light must first pass through a lens.

for instance i asked how to increase the size of an image to be '5 megapixels'?

Open any photo editing software, tell it to resize the image to 5 megapixels. The software will take the pixels of the original image, space them out to fill a 5 megapixel space, and then interpolate/guess what goes between each pixel. This creates a soft and poor quality image.

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

3. less of what tho? less of the area of an image? less colours? i dont get it, less what exactly?

Reducing image resolution makes the software take the original image and guess how it would work in smaller grid of pixels. Good software does a good job of guessing, so that modest downsizing of your image still allows it to retain most detail, however if you downsize too small, or the software is rudimentary, you end up with a blocky, poorly reinterpolated image.

The key to dealing with resizing issues is to try to avoid them altogether; make sure you are always working with the original image, make sure no software you are using is resizing anything for "sharing". Portable devices are notorious for resizing by default any image they transfer by most any means, which can usually be disabled in the settings.

--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.

 

[FrancoD]

"a good youtube video qualifies as a link

- a good link = clear & concise (just to simplify the concept of good in this context)"

I get the feeling that the OP will find such a LINK

 

[mamallama]

A.

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

B.

there were also a few attempted helpfulness but they more harmful than helpful due to them being incredibly confusing due to lack of explanations

like i still dont know what a megapixel is

and there were no info in q&a that would lead or cause anyone to actually what a megapixel does

Apparently you don't seem to understand how an array of pixels of different lightness and colors is used to compose a picture.

Well that array of pixels is arranged in A rows and B columns so the number of pixels is = A x B. If the image has 2500 rows and 2000 columns you have an image of 5,000,000 pixels. That's 5 million pixels which is 5 Megapixels.

Obviously the more pixels that make up the image, the more the resolution it has. If your image has 5000 rows and 4000 columns you have 20 Megapixels which has greater resolution.

for exmaple i dunno if 'resolution' = megapixel

i dont know what 5 megapixels equate to

i dont have any relevant info to be able to know what megapixel do

C.

there were a also good amount of inaccurate info (aka: misinformation)) and this is probably the most harmful thing

for instance i asked how to increase the size of an image to be '5 megapixels'?

If your digital image has 3 Megapixels you cannot increase it to 5 Megapixels to create a greater resolution.

If your digital image has 10 Megapixels you can combine pixels to get 5 Megapixels which reduces resolution.

and this seems to be possible

and yet a few ppl provided inaccurate info

~~

XII.

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

3. less of what tho? less of the area of an image? less colours? i dont get it, less what exactly?

4. what exactly are you ppl talking about? less of what?

~~

looking for a good link (clear & concise) that shows what megapixels do?

- a good youtube video qualifies as a link

- a good link = clear & concise (just to simplify the concept of good in this context)

tho any questions are always given to that person that knows the answer, and this by way of contextual assumption that a person asking a question is very likely to be looking for a helpful answer

and implicit in helpful is relevance

and implicit in helpful is relevance

for something to be helpful, ofc it's a neccessary condition taht it is also relevant, and directly answers the questions asked

 

[Tom_N]

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

You haven't mentioned the mechanism(s) by which this lowering takes place. Cropping and resizing can both lower megapixel count, but they have very different effects upon the appearance of an image.

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

If you crop an image to lower megapixel count, you will lose content. If you use a photo editor to downsize pixel dimensions, to lower megapixel count, you will lose detail.

The extent to which you notice downsizing will depend on the new pixel count, and the size at which you view the output. 300 PPI is considered enough to make decent prints. A 4,000 x 6,000 (24 megapixel) image allows 300 PPI prints up to 13.3" x 20". But if I am printing on 4" x 6" paper, then a 1,200 x 1,800 (2.2 megapixel) image might be OK.

3. less of what tho? less of the area of an image? less colours? i dont get it, less what exactly?

Less detail. The pixels cover the image in the same way that square colored flags might cover a football field. Fewer flags = bigger flags = less ability to get detail looking right for an observer (drone, helicopter, blimp) hovering close to the field.

With pixels, the physical dimensions of the field aren't set until you print. But to a point, the more pixels there are, the better they can render the image on a printer or display.

 

[PhotoTeach2]

But in answer to your question from yesterday,

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

People tried to help you in a practical way, but you never answered them. For instance,

What camera are you using?

You've done something wrong if the images from your digital camera are less than 5mp, but you haven't given a clue as to what, nor have you posted the photo you wanted help with.

And I don't see any information from yesterday that was flat-out wrong: Yes, you can increase the resolution of a image, from 5mp to 10mp for instance. But no, that doesn't make it the same quality as a photo that was 10mp to begin with.

As I write this, it has only been 6 hours since his original post, but he (again) still has not responded.

We need to know "what" he is, (or isn't), understanding.

 

[PhotoTeach2]

A.

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

B.

there were also a few attempted helpfulness but they more harmful than helpful due to them being incredibly confusing due to lack of explanations

It would be nice to know exactly "which" posts/points were confusing.

like i still dont know what a megapixel is

Each pixel is a "bucket" for collecting light (energy) "photons", and converting them to a (analog) output voltage, (directly proportional to the amount of photons).

1 MegaPixel = 1 Million Pixels = 1mpx

They represent the potential maximum resolution of a camera, (assuming equal "lens").

It is calculated by multiplying the number of horizontal X vertical pixels in the sensor array.

3000p X 2000p = 5mpx

8mpx is considered minimum, but typical today is 16mpx to 24mpx, (can go to 50mpx+).

and there were no info in q&a that would lead or cause anyone to actually what a megapixel does

for exmaple i dunno if 'resolution' = megapixel

It directly represents the amount of ENLARGEMENT you can do before you see the (square) "pixels".

Some do refer to that as "resolution", HOWEVER .... the lens must be also capable of equal resolution, (represented by "Lines/MM").

ALSO ... some (many) sensors have a array of "micro-lenses" which deliberately spread the incoming light, (from the lens). This is to reduce something called "aliasing", (which I won't go into at this time).

i dont know what 5 megapixels equate to

Some sensors have a "native" ratio of 4/3 and some 3/2.

IF 3/2, and IF the array has 3000 x 2000 = 5,000,000 = 5mpx. (and 6000 x 4000 = 24mpx)

i dont have any relevant info to be able to know what megapixel do

You can print photos from about 72 Dots-Per-Inch (= dpi) to (considered ultimate) 300dpi.

NOTE that you can indeed print higher resolution but 300dpi is often considered the "most" the human eye can see and thus the most necessary for most work).

So NOW you must know what size "print/output" you want, and multiply the EACH length, (H x W) by the desired dpi, (72 to 300).

So and 8"x12" (12"x8" = 3/2 ratio) output @ 300dpi would be 2400dpi x 3600dpi = 2400mpx x 3000mpx = 8.64mpx.

Note that I have printed (& sold) 8"x12" from a 1mpx sensor, (back years ago when 1mpx was the max resolution available). But "Pixels" were visible/evident, (as small "boxes"), and would be considered unacceptable today.

So I would say 5mpx would be "acceptable" for 8"x10" (or 8"x12"), but would NOT be (ultimate desired) 300mpx.

Typical sensors today range from 16 to 24mpx, (and can go to 50+ in more expensive cameras.

there were a also good amount of inaccurate info (aka: misinformation)) and this is probably the most harmful thing

for instance i asked how to increase the size of an image to be '5 megapixels'?

and this seems to be possible

and yet a few ppl provided inaccurate info

~~

XII.

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

You would NOT normally do that, (EXCEPT if you want to send via e-mail).

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

You don't see "less" of an image, it is "lower-resolution".

3. less of what tho? less of the area of an image? less colours? i dont get it, less what exactly?

Lower-Resolution ...

4. what exactly are you ppl talking about? less of what?

Lower-Resolution ...

~~

looking for a good link (clear & concise) that shows what megapixels do?

- a good youtube video qualifies as a link

- a good link = clear & concise (just to simplify the concept of good in this context)

tho any questions are always given to that person that knows the answer, and this by way of contextual assumption that a person asking a question is very likely to be looking for a helpful answer

and implicit in helpful is relevance

and implicit in helpful is relevance

for something to be helpful, ofc it's a neccessary condition taht it is also relevant, and directly answers the questions asked

And has been explained, you can indeed "increase" resolution ... BUT ... all you are doing is taking (maybe) "1"pixel and converting it to "4" pixels -- AND ... all you have really done is used the "1" pixel to now become "4" pixels (from SAME "DATA" as the original "1" pixel).

So you can indeed print LARGER before the individual "pixels" become visible, (as "squares"), but the "DATA"-RESOLUTION has not increased.

(You simply don't see "squares / PIXELATION".)

Hope that may be more clear .....

Let me add another point about "300"dpi. That is considered the most the eye can see with a "close-held" image. As you mount a (larger) print on a wall, you would probably view from a further distance and thus 300dpi is NO LONGER NECESSARY.

Thus there is a saying: "If it is enough resolution for a 8"x10" (8mpx), it is OK for ANY size -- indeed even a "highway" billboard", (because it will be viewed from a very far distance).

But most photographers do like (demand) more than 8mpx and that does allow 300dpi at larger sizes, (16"x20"+).

Also more mpx. allows more options for "cropping" smaller sections to be further enlarged. This can be VERY significant because if you enlarge 2X, (vert & horiz), you actually lose 4X mpx. (only 1/4 mpx remaining -- so an original 20mpx becomes only 5mpx)

So if you start with a 20mpx 8"x10" -- "crop" a 4"x5" section -- and enlarge that section back up to 8"x10" -- there is now only 5mpx.

 

[Gerry Winterbourne]

looking for a good link (clear & concise) that shows what megapixels do?

- a good youtube video qualifies as a link

This isn't YouTube but explains what pixels are (not what they do) https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-sensors.htm

- a good link = clear & concise (just to simplify the concept of good in this context) tho any questions are always given to that person that knows the answer, and this by way of contextual assumption that a person asking a question is very likely to be looking for a helpful answer

and implicit in helpful is relevance

and implicit in helpful is relevance

for something to be helpful, ofc it's a necessary condition that it is also relevant, and directly answers the questions asked

All of that is true; but see below (*)

A.

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

B.

there were also a few attempted helpfulness but they more harmful than helpful due to them being incredibly confusing due to lack of explanations

like i still dont know what a megapixel is

(*) You didn't say in your other thread that you didn't know what it is and didn't ask. You give us a lecture above on how to answer a question; you should also learn how to make sure people know what your question really is.

and there were no info in q&a that would lead or cause anyone to actually what a megapixel does

As your question was framed there was no need for that because you didn't ask.

for example i dunno if 'resolution' = megapixel

Resolution is how finely detail is recorded. Imagine a picture divided into tiny squares (as in the link above). The more divisions the more detail can be seen. MP doesn't equal resolution but it is a measure of how detailed the resolution is.

Look at this picture. It is 4000 pixels wide, 6016 pixels high (24,000,000 pixels or 24MP). As it opens you can see reasonable detail; look at original size and you can see lots of very fine detail.



Not that anyone would want to, but here's the same picture downsized to 200 x 300 pixels (0.06MP). Again, as opened it shows reasonable detail; but look more closely and most of the fine detail is gone.



Now, if we take that downsized version back up to 24MP we can't restore the detail that has been lost. Even as opened it shows less detail; at original size all the fine detail has gone.

This is the part that's central to your original question: if the picture you were trying to submit had under 5MP for any reason - because the file from the camera was under 5MP or because you'd downsized it in some way - it would have insufficient resolution. And without sufficient resolution in the base image you can never get any more resolution by increasing the MP.

i dont know what 5 megapixels equate to

It doesn't equate to anything. It simply describes how many pixels are in the image: an image 1,000 pixels high x 5,000 pixels wide is 5MP; so is an image 2,500 pixels wide x 2,000 pixels high.

i dont have any relevant info to be able to know what megapixel do

See below under XII.

C.

there were a also good amount of inaccurate info (aka: misinformation)) and this is probably the most harmful thing

No. All of the information supplied was correct and accurate with one exception (the one saying it is impossible).

for instance i asked how to increase the size of an image to be '5 megapixels'?

and this seems to be possible

and yet a few ppl provided inaccurate info

Apart from that one exception the information was accurate but not relevant, which is not the same as being inaccurate.

~~

XII.

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

3. less of what tho?

You can do this in two distinct ways. The first is what I showed above - you continue to show the whole image but with less detail.

less of the area of an image?

Or you can crop out parts of the image so you see a smaller section of it at the same level of detail. Here's crop from the original picture I showed.

less colours?

This depends. If you really blur the detail a lot you merge adjacent colours together and thus reduce them, but that's not usually relevant.

i dont get it, less what exactly?

As I say, that depends on the way you do it.

4. what exactly are you ppl talking about? less of what?

See above.

--
---
Gerry
___________________________________________
First camera 1953, first Pentax 1985, first DSLR 2006

Galleries by Gerry Winterbourne

www.pbase.com

[email protected]

 

[Horacecoker]

~~

XII.

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

3. less of what tho? less of the area of an image? less colours? i dont get it, less what exactly?

4. what exactly are you ppl talking about? less of what?

This can be confusing for beginners in digital photography.

There are two ways to reduce the resolution (megapixels) of an image.

The first way is by cropping. You might do this to make your subject larger in the image. What you are doing here is removing actual pixels from the background of the image. So say there is a certain object in the background you can see but after cropping it will no longer there. This would be exactly the same as reducing the physical size of a print with a pair of scissors!!

So you could crop a 6000x4000 resolution image (24, 000,000 pixels = 24 megapixels) to 3000x2000 = 6,000,000 pixels = 6 megapixels. In this instance you have removed subject matter from the image or area if you like. If the original image was a group of people that filled the image from edge to edge, you will have cut some of those people off the image completely - they will no longer be there.

The other way to reduce megapixels is by downsizing. This too makes the image smaller by resolution (megapixels) but does not remove any visible objects from the image. So you could downsize (rather than crop) the same image as above from 6000x4000 pixels to 3000x2000 but in this instance all the people in original image are still visible. You haven't removed any subject matter or area from the image.

In both instances you have not interfered with the colour of the original image.

 

[markster234]

If you have a 6mp image like this:





You cam make it a 3mp image by either scaling it:





or cropping it:

 

[baloo_buc]

A.

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

B.

there were also a few attempted helpfulness but they more harmful than helpful due to them being incredibly confusing due to lack of explanations

like i still dont know what a megapixel is

and there were no info in q&a that would lead or cause anyone to actually what a megapixel does

for exmaple i dunno if 'resolution' = megapixel

Megapixel is a unit for resolution. Megapixel is like a yard for length. Length = yard is not true.

i dont know what 5 megapixels equate to

5 megapixels is 5000000 pixels. It can be 2760x1840 (3:2 ratio) or 2600x1950 (4:3 ratio) or any other pair of numbers that multiplied give around 5000000.

i dont have any relevant info to be able to know what megapixel do.

Because megapixel don't do anything. They are a property of an image. The higher the number of megapixels the more detailed an image can be. Think about the VHS quality versus 4k video quality.

C.

there were a also good amount of inaccurate info (aka: misinformation)) and this is probably the most harmful thing

for instance i asked how to increase the size of an image to be '5 megapixels'?

and this seems to be possible

and yet a few ppl provided inaccurate info

It is not possible to increase the resolution without some negative consequences. You think it is inaccurate info because you don't have the understanding of the concept. I once had a colleague who couldn't grasp the concept of area so how many square meters a cloth has was inaccurate info for him.

~~

XII.

1. so let's assume that if you lower the 'megapixels' of an image,

2. then subsequently you see less of an image

This is cropping not resizing.

3. less of what tho? less of the area of an image? less colours? i dont get it, less what exactly?

If you lower the resolution of an image you will see the entire image. If you use a large enough display you will see the difference.

Here is an example:


14.1 Megapixels image (4608x3072)


0.0864 Megapixels image (360x240)

Download both images and tell your image viewer to display full screen both. Then flip between them. You will see the degradation of quality.

4. what exactly are you ppl talking about? less of what?

~~

looking for a good link (clear & concise) that shows what megapixels do?

- a good youtube video qualifies as a link

- a good link = clear & concise (just to simplify the concept of good in this context)

tho any questions are always given to that person that knows the answer, and this by way of contextual assumption that a person asking a question is very likely to be looking for a helpful answer

and implicit in helpful is relevance

Relevance is irrelevant for you because you don't grasp the concept of area or at least you seem not to grasp. Megapixels are a unit for image area. As it is not physical until you display it the resolution is virtual.

and implicit in helpful is relevance

for something to be helpful, ofc it's a neccessary condition taht it is also relevant, and directly answers the questions asked

You didn't provide the main information when asking how to obtain a 5 Megapixel image. That information is how many megapixels your initial image resolution has or the camera that was used to capture it since you don't know where to look.

--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania

 

[SoupOrPhoto]

I’m impressed with your patience and willingness to provide such an excellent response with examples! Same for most of the responses above, BTW.

 

[markster234]

I think your best call to find the link you want, is to Google or DuckDuckGo 'what is megapixel'

Forums are interactive places. The way they work is someone asks a question, and someone answers, or asks clarifying questions. The op then responds, asks about the details he does not understand, and someone clarifies the point.

I understand that you are frustrated. You ask a simple question, and do not get a simple answer. I have been there. First after I have learned a little bit about the subject, have I understood that I was asking for something that does not exist: a simple explanation to something that in reality is quite complicated.

This is especially true about generalized, sweeping questions without context. Like what does a megapixel do. Or what is the meaning of life. If you want a specific answer, the more detail you can give about the context in which you need to understand the answer, the more precise answer you will get.

There is a nasty catch that we always have to face when we begin to learn something new. We want answers, but without the basic knowledge about the subject, we do not know how to ask the questions. For you to be able to do that, and to better be able to solve these stumbling blocks on your way to mastering photography, I would suggest this: Instead of trying to wrestle down the specifics one at the time, you should go to a bookstore or library, and pick up a book about the basics of digital photography. That will teach you the basic concepts, such as what is a pixel, and give you the necessary foundation so that you will be better equipped to find more specific information when you need it.

 

[SoupOrPhoto]

I think your best call to find the link you want, is to Google or DuckDuckGo 'what is megapixel'

Forums are interactive places. The way they work is someone asks a question, and someone answers, or asks clarifying questions. The op then responds, asks about the details he does not understand, and someone clarifies the point.

I understand that you are frustrated. You ask a simple question, and do not get a simple answer. I have been there. First after I have learned a little bit about the subject, have I understood that I was asking for something that does not exist: a simple explanation to something that in reality is quite complicated.

This is especially true about generalized, sweeping questions without context. Like what does a megapixel do. Or what is the meaning of life. If you want a specific answer, the more detail you can give about the context in which you need to understand the answer, the more precise answer you will get.

There is a nasty catch that we always have to face when we begin to learn something new. We want answers, but without the basic knowledge about the subject, we do not know how to ask the questions. For you to be able to do that, and to better be able to solve these stumbling blocks on your way to mastering photography, I would suggest this: Instead of trying to wrestle down the specifics one at the time, you should go to a bookstore or library, and pick up a book about the basics of digital photography. That will teach you the basic concepts, such as what is a pixel, and give you the necessary foundation so that you will be better equipped to find more specific information when you need it.

+1

I learned a great deal about digital imaging in general from an unexpected source, Astrophotography by Thierry Legault (a DPReview forum pro, I think). I’m not recommending this book to the OP (too specialized and technical), but the chapters The Sensor and Image Acquisition are outstanding in communicating technical info about general digital imaging in an easy to follow way.

 

[johnbandry]

Maybe you would have got more out of that thread if you had bothered to respond to some of the answers you received. You could have asked for clarification on any points you found unclear, or even just said thank you.

 

[Mark S Abeln]

Here are examples of increasing detail in a single original image. Each image doubles the resolution, which is equivalent to quadrupling the pixels.

1 pixel*



2x2 pixels = 4 pixels total = 0.000004 megapixels:



4x4 = 16 pixels total = 0.000016 megapixels



8x8:



16x16:



32x32:



64x64:



128x128:



256x256:



512x512:



* These images are all 512 pixels on a side, and so for the "low resolution" images, I just upsampled without interpolation. An interesting exercise is upsampling images with smooth interpolation, which illustrates the fact that simply because you have a lot of megapixels, it doesn't mean that you'll necessarily get a lot of resolution. For example, here is the 16x16 image smoothly interpolated to 512 pixels on a side:



Photograph is a detail of Ricardo Cat, 1999, by Niki de Saint Phalle, at the Laumeier Sculpture Park, in Sunset Hills, Missouri, USA.

--

The Refracted Light

A website about the Art and Science of Photography

therefractedlight.blogspot.com

 

[PhotoTeach2]

But in answer to your question from yesterday,

there were a few relevant & helpful answers to the prior question

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4346014#forum-post-62012289

People tried to help you in a practical way, but you never answered them. For instance,

What camera are you using?

You've done something wrong if the images from your digital camera are less than 5mp, but you haven't given a clue as to what, nor have you posted the photo you wanted help with.

And I don't see any information from yesterday that was flat-out wrong: Yes, you can increase the resolution of a image, from 5mp to 10mp for instance. But no, that doesn't make it the same quality as a photo that was 10mp to begin with.

As I write this, it has only been 6 hours since his original post, but he (again) still has not responded.

We need to know "what" he is, (or isn't), understanding.

Now it has been 24+ hours and he again has not responded or clarified what he is unclear about.