Preparation of Images for competitions

  1. Open the image on your computer screen.
  2. If it has more than 1 layer, flatten the image so there is only 1 layer.
  3. The following instructions are for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. If you are using other processing software the procedure will be similar. In Photoshop, click on the Image menu at the top of the screen. In the drop-down menu click on Mode. In the menu that appears click on sRGB or RGB as the mode. Make sure the 8 Bits/channel is ticked.
  4. Look at you picture. If it is wider than it is high, it is in LANDSCAPE format. If it is higher than it is wide, it is in PORTRAIT format. See below for the sizing of square format pictures.
  5. The required size for projected images is measured in pixels. If your picture is in LANDSCAPE format the width needs to be 1920 pixels (ignore the height). If it is in PORTRAIT format, the height needs to be 1200 pixels (ignore the width).
  6. Resize your picture as required. In the Image menu click on Image Size. Make sure the Resample Image and Constrain Proportions boxes are ticked. Choose Bicubic as the resizing method. In the Pixel Dimensions box labelled put in 1920 in the width box if it is a LANDSCAPE picture. Put 1200 in the height box if it is a PORTRAIT picture. Ignore the resolution and actual size (in inches or centimeters) boxes as this will be automatically sorted out when projected. If your picture is in a square format, make sure that the width does not exceed 1920 pixels, or that the height does not exceed 1200 pixels. In this case, your final size is likely to be around 1200 x 1200 pixels.
  7. Save the image by going to the File menu and selecting Save As… In the menu that appears, make sure you have selected JPEG or JPG as the format. Choose a suitable title for the filename, and click Save. In the menu select a quality of 10, 11 or 12. Click OK.
  8. Use the photo entry website to submit your images for the competition. If you got the incorrect colour space (sRGB), or incorrect resolution (1920 x 1200), these will automatically be fixed for you.