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This guide helps you choose the right photo size and orientation for a Koishine keepsake, and explains how each size crops a photo, how large it looks once displayed, and what kind of photo file prints well at each size. The sizes we use are the standard photo print sizes, measured in inches, and they describe the photo area. The overall size of a frame, ornament or stand depends on the design and is shown on each product page. If you are still unsure after reading this guide, send us your photo and tell us where the keepsake will go; we will suggest a size.
Choosing in brief
- Photo sizes: 2×3, 2.5×3.5, 4×6, 5×7 and 8×10 inches, depending on the design.
- Orientation: portrait for a tall photo, landscape for a wide one.
- Cropping: each size has its own shape, so some photos lose a little from the edges.
- Photo quality: larger sizes need larger photo files; the table below gives a guide.
- Wrong choice? Exchange within 60 days of delivery, with free return postage.
The photo sizes we use
| Photo size | Shape (width to height) | Where it suits | Typical designs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2×3 in | 2:3 | A tree branch, a small shelf, a desk corner | Photo ornaments |
| 2.5×3.5 in | 5:7 | A tree branch or a narrow shelf | Larger photo ornaments |
| 4×6 in | 2:3 | A bedside table, a desk, a crowded bookshelf | Small frames and plaques |
| 5×7 in | 5:7 | A mantel, a sideboard, an entry table | The most popular frame size |
| 8×10 in | 4:5 | Somewhere it can be seen across a room | Larger frames and memorial displays |
Not every design is offered in every size. The sizes available for a design appear as options on its product page.
Portrait or landscape
Portrait means the photo area is taller than it is wide; landscape means it is wider than it is tall. Choose the orientation that matches your photo:
- Portrait suits one person, a standing figure, a pet sitting upright, a newborn photographed from above, or a tall scene such as a doorway or a tree.
- Landscape suits two or more people side by side, a family group, a pet lying down, a wedding couple with a view behind them, or a wide scene such as a beach or a garden.
A tall photo placed in a landscape frame loses a large part of its top and bottom, and a wide photo in a portrait frame loses its sides. If your photo is close to square, either orientation works, and portrait usually keeps more of a single face.
How cropping works
Photos from phones are usually 3:4 or 9:16 in shape, and photos from cameras are often 2:3. Each frame size has its own shape, shown in the table above. When the shapes differ, the photo is scaled to fill the frame and the extra is trimmed from the edges, keeping the centre of the picture. For example, a 3:4 phone photo placed in a 4×6 frame loses a strip from the top and bottom; the same photo in an 8×10 frame loses very little, because 4:5 is closer to 3:4.
To keep what matters in the picture:
- leave some space around faces when you take or choose the photo, so that nothing important touches the edge;
- avoid photos where a head or a hand is already cut off at the edge;
- if one part of the photo matters most, mention it in the order notes, and we will keep it in view when cropping.
Will my photo print clearly at this size?
A printed photo can only be as sharp as the file it comes from. Larger sizes need more pixels. The table below gives a practical guide: at the recommended size or larger, a photo prints crisply; at the minimum, it still looks good from a normal viewing distance; below the minimum, we will contact you before printing.
| Photo size | Recommended pixels | Minimum pixels | Good sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2×3 in | 600 × 900 | 400 × 600 | Almost any phone photo |
| 2.5×3.5 in | 750 × 1050 | 500 × 700 | Almost any phone photo |
| 4×6 in | 1200 × 1800 | 800 × 1200 | Phone or camera originals |
| 5×7 in | 1500 × 2100 | 1000 × 1400 | Phone or camera originals, good scans |
| 8×10 in | 2400 × 3000 | 1600 × 2000 | Recent phone or camera originals, high-resolution scans |
Most recent phones take photos large enough for 8×10. Problems usually come from copies rather than originals: screenshots, photos saved from social media, and photos forwarded through messaging apps are often reduced to a fraction of their original size. Whenever you can, upload the original file from the phone or camera that took it.
Old prints and scans
For an old printed photograph, scan it at 600 dots per inch if you have a scanner, or photograph it flat in daylight, straight on, without flash. A small, old print usually looks best at 4×6 or 5×7; enlarging it to 8×10 makes grain, creases and fading more visible. We print the photo as it is and do not retouch damage.
Dark, bright and backlit photos
Printed photos look slightly darker than they do on a bright phone screen. A photo that already looks dark on screen will look darker in print, especially on clear acrylic, where light passes through the panel. Photos taken outdoors in shade, or indoors near a window, usually print best. If your photo is very dark or the faces are in shadow, we will tell you before printing.
Checking the size of your photo file
On most phones, open the photo and look at its details or information panel, which shows the dimensions in pixels, for example 3024 × 4032. On a computer, the file’s properties or information window shows the same figures. Compare the smaller of the two numbers with the shorter side in the table above. If you cannot find the dimensions, simply upload the original photo; we check every file at the size it will be printed and will tell you if it is too small.
How big will it look?
The same frame looks different on a bedside table and on a mantel. A simple way to choose is to think about the distance from which the keepsake will usually be seen:
- Arm’s length, such as a desk, a bedside table or a windowsill beside a chair: 4×6 is comfortable and 5×7 is generous.
- Across a small room, such as a shelf in a hallway or a sideboard: 5×7 is the usual choice.
- Across a larger room, such as a mantel in a living room or a table at a memorial gathering: 8×10 is easier to see.
- On a tree: ornaments in 2×3 or 2.5×3.5 are sized to hang without bending a branch.
Before ordering, you can cut a piece of paper to the photo size, such as 5 by 7 inches, and stand it where the keepsake will go. It is a quick way to see whether the size feels right, and it takes less than a minute with a ruler and any sheet of paper. Remember that the finished piece is a little larger than the photo area, by an amount that depends on the design and is shown on the product page.
Choosing between two sizes
If you are deciding between two sizes, these rules of thumb help:
- Choose the smaller size if the photo is an old print, a scan, or a phone photo that was forwarded rather than saved as the original.
- Choose the larger size if the photo shows several people, because each face is then larger.
- Choose the smaller size for a gift if you do not know the recipient’s space well; it fits more places.
- Choose the larger size for a memorial display at a service or gathering, where people will look from a distance.
Size choices by moment
Memorial pieces
For a memorial frame that will stand at home, 5×7 is the most common choice: large enough to see the face clearly from across a room, small enough for a shelf or a side table. For a display at a service, 8×10 is easier for guests to see. If the only photo you have is small or old, a 4×6 frame will look sharper and still feels substantial. Remembrance ornaments in 2.5×3.5 suit a single portrait.
New baby
Newborn photos are often taken from above, which suits portrait orientation. Birth announcement designs combine a photo with the name and birth details; a 5×7 or 8×10 size gives the details room to be read easily on a nursery shelf or a wall.
Family and couples
Group photos are usually wide, so landscape suits them. Choose the largest size that fits the space, so that each face stays a reasonable size. For a couple, either orientation works; a portrait photo of two people standing together suits a 5×7 portrait frame well.
Pets
A pet sitting or looking at the camera suits portrait; a pet lying down or stretched out suits landscape. Pet fur shows fine detail, so a sharp original photo at 4×6 often looks better than a soft one at 8×10.
Holidays
Photo ornaments are sized for a tree. A close portrait works best at this small size: a face filling most of the frame reads clearly from a step or two away, while a wide group photo can become too small to recognise.
Text and names on sized designs
On designs that combine a photo with names or dates, the space for text is fixed by the design. Longer names and several names are set in a smaller size so that they fit. If a design shows a limit on the number of names or characters, it appears beside the personalisation field. For a family piece with many names, the larger sizes keep each name easier to read. If you are unsure whether your names will fit comfortably, write them out in full and count the longest name before choosing a size, or ask us.
Ornaments and pieces without a photo size
Some keepsakes, such as name ornaments, wooden signs and plaques, do not have a photo size. Their options describe the design itself, for example the number of names or the finish, and the product page shows how each option looks. The same principles apply: think about where the piece will be displayed and how far away people will be.
If the size is not right
If your keepsake arrives and the size or orientation does not suit its place, you can exchange it for a different size or orientation of the same design within 60 days of delivery, with free return postage. We start making the new piece as soon as you send us the tracking number for the return. See our Returns & Exchanges Policy for the steps, and Cancel or Change an Order if your order has not been made yet.
Ask us before you order
Send your photo at full size to support@koishine.com, tell us the design you are considering and where it will be displayed, and we will recommend a size and orientation within 1 business day. You can also browse our frequently asked questions or the acrylic photo frames collection.