A standard 4×6 photo is basically as it sounds: 4 inches by 6 inches. However, there are definitely some caveats.
Cropping digital photos to fit a 4×6 print
Nearly all modern phone cameras like the iPhone and Android take photos that are a different shape than a 4×6 photo. This means that in most cases, the top, bottom, left or right (or all edges) of your photo has to be cut off in order to make it fit on a 4×6 print.
This idea of a photo’s shape is technically known as its aspect ratio or ratio. The aspect ratio of a 4×6 photo is 3:2.
There’s a major gotcha when printing 4×6 photos: Nearly all photo printers cut off an additional 3 millimeters (~0.12 inches) from around the perimeter of your image. This happens at both Walgreens and CVS. This is something that isn’t disclosed when uploading your photo and cropping it on their interfaces, either. It happens just after your photos are printed, when they’re cut by the photo machine! It’s never fun to show up at Walgreens and see everyone’s faces cut off of your photos, which you swear you painstakingly cropped before sending them to print. In general, it’s best to make sure faces and other important objects aren’t close to the edges of your image.
In recent years, photo printers have started supporting 4×4 square prints which are 4″x4″. These are a super cool new format that makes it easy to print your Instagram photos.
How big is a 4×6 photo print? It is the question in the minds of people looking to take prints of this size. If you plan to keep this photo print inside any of your photo frames, you need to know the exact size. Otherwise, you may have difficulty placing it inside your desired frame if the print size is not what you expected.
How Big is a 4×6 Photo?
The term 4×6 represents the size of a picture. The 4×6 image will have 4 inches in length and 6 inches in height. It is the size of the photo in inches.
It is a popular photo size for printing images. The 4×6 image is popular because of its small size. It is pretty easy to carry these photo prints.
What is the Dimension of a 4×6 Photo in mm, cm, and Feet?
The size of the 4×6 photo in mm is 101.6 x 152.4 mm.
The size of the 4×6 image in cm is 10.16 x 15.24 cm.
Dimension of the 4×6 picture in feet is 0.33 x 0.5 feet.
Knowing the size of a 4×6 image in various measurements like cm, mm, inches and feet are good. It will give you a better idea of the size of the final photo prints.
How Big is 4×6 Photo in Pixels (For Web & Printing)?
The number of pixels in a 4×6 photo is decided by the number of megapixels of the camera sensor.
If you use a high-resolution camera, there will be more pixels in your 4×6 image. However, some cameras also allow you to lower the image resolution.
If you want a 4×6 image in web resolution, you need only 72 dpi resolution.
So, the minimum resolution required for a 4×6 image for the web or computer display will be 288 x 432 pixels.
But, when it comes to 4×6 photo prints, you need good resolution images for good quality prints.
For Medium quality photo print, you need to have at least 180 PPI resolution. If you convert it into pixel size, the minimum image resolution will be 720 x 1080 pixels.
For Better quality photo print, you need to have at least 240 PPI resolution. If you convert it into pixel size, the minimum image resolution will be 960 x 1440 pixels.
For High quality photo print, you need to have at least 300 PPI resolution. If you convert it into pixel size, the minimum image resolution will be 1200 x 1800 pixels.
What is the Aspect Ratio of a 4×6 picture?
2:3 is the aspect ratio of a 4×6 image. It is a popular aspect ratio used by most cameras while capturing pictures.
Is 4×6 a Standard Photo Print Size?
Yes, 4×6 is a standard photo print size.
The main advantage of using this print size is the easy availability of photo paper in this size. Thus, you don’t have to chop off the size of the final photo print to remove the unnecessary blank edges.
Is a 4×6 photo the same as a 6×4 photo?
When it comes to a 4×6 photo, the length of the picture is 4 inches, and the height is 6 inches.
When you consider the 6×4 photo, the length of the picture is 6 inches, and the height is 4 inches.
The 4×6 image is an example of a photo in landscape orientation. The 6×4 image is an example of a picture in portrait orientation.
Read this article to know the differences between portrait and landscape orientation.
Is it possible to Capture 4×6 Photos using the Camera?
Yes, it is possible to capture 4×6 images using the camera.
Most cameras, especially DSLR/ Mirrorless, Point and Shoot, and Smartphone cameras, come with a default ratio of 2:3. This 2:3 aspect ratio corresponds to the 4×6 image.
The aspect ratio will be different when you take the case of medium format cameras and some digital cameras. It will be 4:3. You can check the user manual of these cameras to see if it is possible to switch the aspect ratio to 2:3.
How Big is a 4×6 Picture Frame?
A 4×6 picture frame needs to hold a 4×6 image. So, it will be larger than the image by at least 1 inch on each side. Sometimes, the frame will be wider than 1 inch.
Certain photo frames come with a white border, between the frame and the photo print. Such picture frames will have more size.
If the frame is only one inch thick, the 4×6 picture frame size will be 6×8 inches.
Is it Possible to Take a 4×6 photo print on A4 size Paper?
When you compare the 4×6 photo to A4 size paper, the A4 size paper is almost double the size.
The exact dimension of an A4 paper is 8 ¼ x 11 ¾ inches. So, you can print one 4×6 image on A4 paper and chop off the blank sides.
You can also place two 4×6 photos and print them together on the A4 sheet. But a small section will get chopped off on the longer side of the image.
Is it Possible to Convert Any Photo into a 4×6 Image?
Yes, it is possible to convert images of any size to 4×6 photos. There are two ways you can make this conversion.
Crop
You can use the crop feature in any photo editing tool to crop any image into a 4×6 photo. You can see the 2:3 crop option in most photo editors. Select this ratio and do the cropping.
When you crop the picture using this method, you will end up chopping off some of the sides of the original image. In addition, it will affect the composition of the image.
Adding Borders
If you want to avoid the impact of cropping the image, you can go and add white or any other color borders on the sides of the image to convert it into a 4×6 photo.
The above image is an 8×10 image in a 4:5 aspect ratio. I have added green sections on the top and bottom of the image to convert it into a 4×6 photo with a 2:3 aspect ratio, without chopping off its sides.
Consider reading this article to know the differences between 4×6 and 5×7 print sizes.
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