1. What is Large Format Stock?

The Large Format Stock is one of the largest collections of high-resolution photographs. All photographs on the Large Format Stock portal have a resolution of 100 megapixels or more. Conventional images that were shot with a film camera usually have between 12 and 36 megapixels.

You can purchase all the photographs on the Large Format Stock portal as digital files.

The high-resolution photographs of the Large Format Stocks allow large-format prints with a stunningly high resolution. They are therefore particularly suitable for the decoration of exhibition stands, interior decoration, murals, for printing on awnings, tarpaulins, glass walls, huge puzzles, stretch ceilings and wallpapers.

 

2. How can I purchase photos on the Large Format Stock portal?

You can view our Collection of high resolution images by clicking Images or XXL Pictures on the home page of the Large Format Stock portal. If you see a picture you like, click on it and a single view of the image will show up with a green button on the right, which is labeled “Buy”. Click it to acquire the image as a data file and then follow the instructions on the screen.

 

3. Is membership on the Large Format Stock possible in the form of an account?

No, we decided to collect as little data as possible. All relevant data can be entered during the ordering process, but no account is required to use all functions of the site.

 

4. Which licenses for the images of Large Format Stock portal can be purchased?

The Large Format Stock portal offers a variety of licenses. An overview of these licenses can be found under Licences.

Should no suitable license be there for you, please contact us and describe what kind of license you need and we will make you an offer.

 

5. Can the images be edited / changed? 

All images that you purchase on the Large Format stock, can be changed to your convenience and necessity. The licenses only regulate the number of uses / prints, the rest is up to you.   

 

6. Can I further sell purchased images? 

All purchased images may be sold as long as the number, stated in the license, are not exceeded. 

 

7. What to do if you do not find a suitable motive on the Large Format Stock portal?

If you do not find an image in our Large Format Stock portal that suits your needs, please contact us and we will make you an offer for a commission.

 

8. ppi is not equal dpi

The most common mistake is that ppi is equated with dpi. Pixels per inch (ppi) means that a rectangular pixel has a defined color. Dot per inch means that a printer assembles a dot from several micro-color dots in order to "simulate" the color. It is also important that the substrate "absorbs" the color and that the dot is still somewhat enlarged due to the "bleeding". The printer doesn't care what resolution the image has. A single pixel can be easily printed at 1440 dpi because the dpi only reflects the technical ability of the printer. In order to classify ppi and dpi: most prints can print information from 70-150ppi on carrier materials. If you want to get more information on carrier material, it will be a very special application.
This was an attempt to simplify the difference between dpi and ppi.
The human eye resolves about 350ppi.

 

9. How can I understand the differences of resolution and viewing distance? 

The human eye can detect only a certain maximum resolution at a certain distance (ie holding two points far enough apart, so they can be distinguished as two points). In order to simplify this without unnecessarily long explanations here is a brief illustration: 
The human eye can ideally dissolve half of an arcminute (best case). Use this formula to find out how much resolution you need: 
Resolution in ppi = 1 inch in meters / (tan (resolution of the eye) x viewer distance) 
For 0.5m, the formula is:
0,0254m (inches in meters) / (tan0,0083 (half minute of arc) x0,5m (viewing distance)) = approximately 350ppi
Here is an overview with the minimum resolution of images, so they are sharp for the viewing distance:
0,5m -->350ppi
1m --> 175ppi
2m --> 90ppi
3m --> 60ppi
Remember that normal printing process can best print 240ppi, which is best for a minimum distance of 0,73m.

 

10. Diffraction is the real culprit

There are various limits in digital photography that affect the resolution of the image. Diffraction counts as the often underestimated value. Camera manufacturers promise a huge resolution sensor, but this can only be used in very specific situations and is usually just a marketing idea. If we ignore all other influences (which additively worsen everything further), a full-frame camera (24x36mm) with an aperture of 8 only has the possibility to bring about 30 megapixels of information to the sensor due to diffraction. At aperture 11 it would be 15 megapixels and at aperture 16 it would only be 7.5 megapixels. Conversely, the resolution increases with a smaller f-number. At f / 5.6 it would be 60 megapixels, at f / 4 it would be 121 megapixels. You might think that everything is fine, when you use a maximum aperture of 5.6 with a 50 megapixel 35mm camera. There are two problems with this. The lesser problem nowadays is the optimal sharpness of the lens, since this is technically well solved, that it is reasonably homogeneous over a few aperture steps. The bigger problem is that the higher the resolution of the image, the lower the sharpness level, especially the closer the subject is. This means that if you are not close to the infinity focus of the lens, the focus level will be too small if you use a small f-number. This inevitably leads to focus stacking in order to achieve a greater depth of field, which in turn leads to other problems (keyword movement). Or you can just downsize the image.
This as a small digression, why pictures often look bad, even though you think you have a sufficiently high-resolution camera. If you have any questions on this topic, we would be happy to help, just contact us.

Here are a few approximate values for diffraction and sensor size at aperture 8:
Compact camera 2/3 “(7x9mm): 2.2 megapixels
MicroFourThirds (13x17mm): 8 megapixels
APS-C (16x17mm): 13.5 megapixels
Full frame (24x36mm): 30 megapixels
Medium format small (30x45mm): 47 megapixels
Medium format large (40x53mm): 76 megapixels

The bottom line from this information is also that there is no commercially available camera, which at aperture 8 can create even one of the high-resolution images with a single image here, unless the currently known physics is turned upside down.