Viewing Distance

Viewing distance is a central factor when planning large formats. The human eye resolves less detail from a greater distance – a poster viewed from several metres therefore needs a lower output resolution than an image approached closely.

From this follows the important practical rule: not every large format needs extremely high resolution. What matters is the ratio of output resolution to typical viewing distance. Applications such as stretch ceilings or wall images, which are approached closely or are very large, benefit strongly from gigapixel resolution, because full detail is retained even up close.