Free tool
Megapixel Calculator
Turn pixel dimensions into megapixels, or a camera’s megapixels back into pixel dimensions, and see the largest print each one makes at 300 and 240 PPI.
Nothing is uploaded. Every number is worked out in your own browser. There is no signup and no account.
Pixels to megapixels
Type the width and height of the image in pixels.
Megapixels to pixel dimensions
Type a camera’s megapixels and pick its ratio. Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras shoot 3:2; most phones shoot 4:3.
Have a print size in mind already? Drop the photo into the print size and resolution checker to grade it against every standard size.
How to use it
- To count megapixels, type the pixel width and height. 6000 × 4000 is 24 megapixels.
- To find a camera’s pixel dimensions, type its megapixels and choose its ratio. 24 megapixels at 3:2 is 6000 × 4000.
- Both answers show the largest print at 300 PPI, for close viewing, and 240 PPI, a normal photo print.
What megapixels mean for a photographer
A megapixel is a million pixels: width times height, divided by a million. It is a count of how much detail the file can hold, and it decides how large the photo can be printed or cropped before it goes soft.
Megapixels grow with area, print sizes with length. Doubling the megapixels makes each side only about 1.4 times longer, so a 48-megapixel file prints about 1.4 times as wide as a 24-megapixel one, not twice as wide.
Working out the shape rather than the size? The aspect ratio calculator reduces any size to its ratio and shows what a crop removes.
Megapixels
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate megapixels?
Multiply the width in pixels by the height in pixels and divide by one million. A 6000 × 4000 image has 24,000,000 pixels, which is 24 megapixels.
How many megapixels do I need for an 8 × 10 print?
At 300 PPI an 8 × 10 print needs 2400 × 3000 pixels, which is 7.2 megapixels. At 240 PPI, a normal photo print, it needs 1920 × 2400, about 4.6 megapixels. The ratio matters too: a 3:2 file has to be cropped to fit 4:5.
Do more megapixels mean better photos?
Not on their own. Megapixels set how large a photo can print or how hard it can be cropped. Focus, lens quality, light, noise and editing decide whether the detail is worth having.
Why does doubling the megapixels not double the print size?
Megapixels measure area. To double both the width and the height of a print you need four times the megapixels; doubling them makes each side about 1.4 times longer.
Should I print at 300 or 240 PPI?
300 PPI is the fine-art convention for prints viewed up close. 240 PPI is indistinguishable at arm’s length and is what we recommend for an ordinary photo print. Large prints seen from across a room can go lower.