How big can I print w/o sacrificing quality?
I took a picture with my 6.1mp Nikon D40 and then cropped it down to a final resolution of 2347 x 1320. I'm wondering how large I can have this picture printed out to be without losing image quality. I was thinking about making a 33.78" x 19" print but I'm not sure if it will look pixelated or not at this size.
It depends on where you're going to be viewing the print from, but it is best to print it at a minimum of 150dpi for at least six foot away distance view. If the viewing is going to be closer, I'd go for a minimum of 200dpi, and ideally 300dpi. At 33.78" x 19", it would unfortunately look pixelated, because it would be approximately 70dpi (just divide the largest resolution number by the largest side to get dpi).To find the max size you can print to get 150 dpi, you'd divide your final res numbers by 150:
2347/150= 15.6 in
1320/150= 8.8 in
Thus, 8.8" x 15.6" would be the largest.
That being said, there are software programs available that can work with low quality prints (Fractals comes to mind), that take the dpi available based on the size you want, and extrapolate the missing information based on the pixels surrounding it. Thus, rather than empty pixels, it fills it with information (ie image). These programs tend to work pretty well from what I've heard, though I haven't used them myself. If the photo is that important to you, it might be worth looking into. As a heads up, as awesome as Photoshop is, it isn't as good at that specific task.
This will give you a great idea of how large a print you can make with your image files, especially if you shoot RAW, process them and save as TIFF files
http://www.kenrockwell.com/...mpmyth.htm
Pay attention to the paragraphs under PRINT SIZES