How to change the DPI of an iPhone photo

In one of our previous posts, we answered the question about whether if iPhone photos have 300 Dots Per Inch (DPI). And while we mentioned that DPI shouldn’t really matter these days, some clients might still require photos that can be printed at 300 DPI. 

Do you really need to change the DPI of your iPhone photo, though? And how do you do that? We answered that here. In this article, we wrote detailed guidelines on how to change the DPI of your iPhone photo.

How Dots Per Inch (DPI) affects your photos

Let’s take a recap. Does DPI really affect your iPhone photos on the internet? And how would it affect them? 

The DPI of an iPhone photo matters the most if you’re printing or scanning your photo. 300 DPI is considered as the highest level at which we can see the details of a photo. 

However, besides the DPI of an iPhone photo, you also have to take into account your photos’ megapixels and the size of the photo paper.

The DPI and the megapixels should change depending on the paper size. If you’re printing on a large photo paper, then your photo should have a higher DPI and more megapixels.

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For instance, if you want to print an image on an 8.5×11 photo paper, you should capture it using a camera with a 7.2MP sensor. Your photo should have the right amount of megapixels so that you can print it at a minimum of 300 DPI. 

Additionally, to make sure you’re sending high-quality photos to the receiver, you have to send them via platforms that don’t compress photos. 

Therefore, if you want to print high-quality photos, you should always consider these things: 

1. The DPI at which your picture can be printed
2. The size of your photo paper (Ex. 8.5 x 11 inches photo paper)
3. The megapixels of your camera’s sensor
4. The printer you will be using
5. Where you’re sending the photos 

Do you really need to change the DPI of an iPhone photo?

We already discussed before that your iPhone photo doesn’t really have a DPI. However, you only need to look at the megapixels of your photo. This way, you can know if you can print it at 300 DPI.

If the number is high (ex. 4032×3024 pixels), then you can definitely print it at 300 DPI. That’s already more than enough for you to print it into a high-quality photo. 

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Checking if your photos can be printed at 300 DPI

You don’t need a fancy app or even your iPhoto library to do this. In fact, it’s very simple. All you need are the following: 

• Your calculator app on your iPhone
• The number of megapixels 
• The photo paper size

Here’s how to know if your photo can be printed at 300 DPI or more.

1. Identify the pixel dimension of your photo and the photo paper’s size in inches.
2. Next, divide the pixel dimension by the inches.
3. For example, if your photo has 4032×3024 pixels and your photo paper’s size is 8×10, then divide 4032 by 8 and 3024 by 10. 
4. The answers, respectively, are 504 and 320.4.
5. As a rule, the lesser number should your DPI. So, your DPI is 320.4, which is more than the required 300 DPI. 
6. That means your photo is good to go—you can print it and get a good quality printed picture!

How to change the DPI of an iPhone photo 

So, you calculated the DPI of your photo using the simple formula above… but you found out you can’t print it at 300 DPI. How do you change this? 

You don’t need to worry—you can still edit them even using your own iPhone. Follow our tips here. 

1. Edit it on Photoshop.

You can use Photoshop to increase your photo’s pixel dimension, so you can print it at 300 DPI. Here’s how to do it:

1. First, open your Photoshop on your PC or Mac. 
2. Select File > Open to open your photo. 
3. Click Image > Image Size. 
4. Uncheck the Resample Image box.
5. The resolution is your photo’s DPI. If it’s less than 300, change it to 300. Type in “300” on the text box next to Resolution.
6. The width and height of your photo will change as well. 

2. Use third-party apps on your iPhone.

If you don’t have time to open your PC or Mac, you can just use apps on your iPhone to change your photos’ DPIs. Thankfully, most of these apps are free and are not too complicated to use.

1. DPI – Dots Per Inch

Required iOS version: iOS 9.0 or later 

DPI – Dots Per Inch is just like its name. It’s very straightforward and it doesn’t take you much to change the DPI of your photo. If you need to submit a photograph that has to be printed at 300 DPI, you can try using this app. 

On its interface, you can see its existing DPI and its size in pixels, millimeters, and inches. It also has the photo’s date and time at which it was taken. 

After you change the DPI of an iPhone photo, it will display your photo’s new DPI and the new size in millimeters and inches. 

And if you’re in a hurry to submit your photo, you don’t need to sync it with your iCloud and then print it using a PC or MAC anymore. It already has share, print, email, and download buttons. So, it’s a real time-saver!

You can download this app for free here.  

2. MagicResize

Required iOS version: iOS 11 or later

You can also take a shot at this another uncomplicated app. MagicResize allows you to change the sizes of multiple photos. That means you can increase their pixel dimension, making their resolutions and DPIs higher as well. 

If your client requires more information about your photos, then you’re in luck. MagicResize also lets you include the Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) data. 

In case you don’t know it yet, the EXIF data contains your camera’s settings used for taking the photo such as the ISO, exposure, etc. and even its Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and location.

And if you don’t want the receiver to know your photo’s EXIF data or location, the app allows you to delete them as well!

Some other cool features of Magic Resize are the steps after you resize it. You can choose where you can save the resized photo and you can also delete the original photo afterward. 

You can download MagicResize for free here.

3. Desqueeze

Required iOS version: iOS 10 or later

If you’re a content creator or a virtual assistant, Desqueeze can be a big help in saving your time in resizing photos in batches. 

Desqueeze has sizing presets but it also has manual resizing options. You can resize your photos to a magazine poster, wallpaper, Facebook, or Twitter cover size.

Meanwhile, in the photo settings, you can input your preferred pixel dimensions. It can resize a photo up to 8192 px, which is more than enough for you to print it at 300 DPI.

If you want to revert a photo back to its original size, just select the orientation detection.

Besides resizing photos, you can also reformat photos and modify videos here. Desqueeze also has preset templates, which you can customize in their paid Pro version.

You can get Desqueeze for free here.

3. Change it for free on Convert Town.

Convert Town is a free DPI-changing tool you can access on your PC or Mac. You can choose any DPI size, from 72 to 600 DPI—or you can just input your preferred DPI using the “other” option.

 Using this web tool won’t alter your photo’s resolution. It isn’t so complicated either— you can download your photos in just a few seconds. Here’s how to use Convert Town:

1. Choose any of the DPIs listed on the tool. You can put any DPI number you want on the Other textbox.
2. Click the green button “Choose image…”
3. The uploading window will appear. Choose your photo. 
4. After selecting your photo, Convert Town will immediately download your resized photo for you. 

4. Use the Preview tool on Mac. 

On your Mac computer, you can use the lil ol’ Preview tool to resize your photo and make it viable for printing at 300 DPI. Just follow the steps below. 

1. Open your photo. 
2. Click Tools > Adjust size.
3. Make sure to uncheck the Resample Image box.
4. Type in a higher width and height. Alternatively, you can convert the size to inches and type in your desired size. 
5. Your resolution should be exactly 300 pixels per inch or more if you’re printing a picture into a larger photo size.

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5. Increase or decrease it on the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) tool.

In Linux, Mac, and Windows, you can find a free editing tool such as GIMP. You can use it to enhance portraits and resize your photo, so you can print it at 300 DPI. It’s not so complicated to use. Follow these steps if you want a 300 DPI. 

1. Launch GIMP.
2. Click File > Open.
3. The uploading window will open. 
4. Select your photo and then click OK.
5. On the top menu, click Image > Image Scale.
6. The Scale Image will open. 
7. Under the information about your photo’s size, you will find “X Resolution” & “Y Resolution”, which is measured in pixels/in. 
8. Type in a higher DPI in the X Resolution text box. This will automatically change the Y Resolution as well.
9. Click on the chain icon to vary the horizontal and vertical DPI values respectively.
10.  Select Scale to complete the resizing. 

How to send high-quality photos via email

Now that you’ve resized your photos, it’s time to send them. Besides changing the DPI of your photo, how can you make sure that you will send truly high-quality photos? 

Well, you should be wary of where and how you’re sending them. 

If you’re sending them via your Mail button on your Photos app, your iPhone will compress them every time. High-resolution photos take more time uploading and sending, hence the compressing. 

Follow these steps so you can send high-quality photos every time: 

1. Launch your Photos app. 
2. Create a new album. 
3. Move all the photos you want to send to your new album.
4. Tap the Share button on your iPhone’s screen. 
5. Select all the photos you want to submit via email. 
6. Tap the Copy button at the bottom of your iPhone’s screen. 
7. Open your email app.
8. Create a new message. 
9. Tap and hold on the body of your draft, until the options appear. 
10. Tap on the Paste option. 
11. Your photos will appear on the body of your email.
12. Type the subject line and the recipient’s email address.
13. Hit send and you’re done. 

Other related questions

What are the default photo sizes on my iPhone?

The default size of a photo from newer iPhone models and those that have updated to iOS 13 is 3024 X 4032. That is about 8.7 mp. Meanwhile, if your camera’s sensor is 12 mp, that’s already more than enough for printing a photo at 300 DPI.

Are iPhone photos good enough to print?

Yes, even the older iPhone models’ photo quality is not that bad for printing. The newer models (starting with iPhone 6s) can print photos at the 14.29 x 9.49 inches, which has a significantly high quality. If you print larger photos than that, of course, the quality will lower. This is because the pixels will enlarge as well.

What size do iPhone pictures print?

If you have an 8 mp-camera on your iPhone, you can print photos at 10.88 x 8.16 inches. That will give you the best quality. Any dimension bigger than that will lower your photo’s quality. Meanwhile, you can go bigger with 12 mp-cameras. You can print an excellent, sharp photo at 14.29 x 9.49 inches.

Conclusion

Changing the DPI of your iPhone photo shouldn’t be too hard with the available apps today. Still, remember that the DPI is just a small element of a good photo. 

You also have to consider your camera’s lens quality, the lighting, the sensors, and the most important aspect… the photo’s context—the story behind the action. 

How do you change your photos’ DPI? Do you know any other ways to do it? Let us know!