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Troubleshooting

I sent in 35mm film, and all the pictures are upside-down. How can I rotate them?
How can I improve my pictures/print quality?
Does Shutterfly offer prints in a 3×4 aspect ratio?
What does Shutterfly mean by "not recommended" when I am ordering my pictures?

Related pages

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Q: All of my pictures are upside-down. How can I rotate them?
A: Because of the way different cameras handle film, your pictures may appear upside-down in your account. You can easily rotate these pictures. Here's how:

Click 'View' on the green menu bar. Then, in the View Pictures portion of your account, select the pictures that need to be rotated by clicking on the box underneath them. (You can also select them all at once by clicking 'Select All' at the top right of the page).

On the right, there is a Rotate Picture section; click on the the appropriate direction and degree you want to rotate all of the pictures. You can rotate them 90 degrees to the left or right, or 180 degrees.

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Q: How can I improve my pictures/print quality?
A: Add the picture to your Shutterfly account directly from your camera or computer without changing it first. This preserves the original data in the image. Also, make sure you have your camera set to the appropriate resolution and JPEG compression settings, see our Resolution section. If your prints look "fuzzy", blocky, or pixelated, this is an indication that the image resolution was insufficient for the selected print size.

For general picture taking tips and advice, see our Tips & techniques pages.

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Q: What does Shutterfly mean by "not recommended" when I am ordering my pictures?
A: When you order pictures, you may get a "not recommended" message. This means that the resolution of your picture is too low for the size of print you want. We recommend comparing the resolution of your pictures to our resolution guidelines. Using these resolutions as a guide will help you print the best pictures possible.

(Please note that our recommendations are based ONLY on the overall resolution of your picture, and not on the overall quality or clarity of the original picture. We are not and cannot be responsible for the original picture being blurry or out-of-focus, even if there is sufficient resolution to be 'recommended'.)

Pictures that fall below our recommended resolution guidelines may look okay when viewed online, but will appear blurry and pixelated — that is, the image will appear blocky, with jagged rather than straight edges — when enlarged and printed.

To check the resolution of your pictures once you have transferred them to Shutterfly, go to the View page and click on the thumbnail image; you will then see a larger version of the picture, with recommended print sizes. Above these, hold your cursor over the lowercase 'i'. Among the information displayed you will find the resolution.

For large-format prints (11x14, 16x20, and 20x30), our recommendations are similar to those for an 8x10, although you may wish to help ensure the best possible print by using an image that is 3 megapixels or larger.

Our resolution recommendations are as follows:

Image Resolution Maximum print size
less than 640 x 480Only wallet-size prints recommended
640 x 480Absolute minimum resolution for 4x6
(results will vary)
1024 x 768Minimum recommended resolution for 4x6
1152 x 864Minimum recommended resolution for 5x7
1600 x 1200Minimum recommended resolution for 8x10 or larger

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