I'm having trouble printing to crop

[theantiquetiger]

If you have zero crop on an image, what deminsions can it be printed? For example, the image of my two daughters next to the painted wall mural, I had to print it 8x12 (or could have done 5x7). I printed it out 8x10 first, and it cropped off her arm on the right and put my other daughter just on the edge.

The two images of my daughters in the tree. I printed them 8x10, but I lost the lower foot on both images (or the top of their heads would have been cropped).

Basically my question should be, how do you take in consideration of print ability when taking the shot?

I did learn recently on Lightroom what the image would look like on different sizes and the place where I am now printing them (a professional print shop, not Wal-Greens), lets me move the images around after I upload them, so I can see how they will be printed.

Here is how it came out when I printed it 8x10

[Marko]

Yup it's a problem. The ratio of the length/width of the file must match ratio of the length/width of the paper or cropping will occur.

8x12 prints the full image. 8x10 does not. IF you shrink the image onto 8x10 paper you can do it. There is no other way afaik.

Therefore you are correct....you must know the final output in advance and take the image accordingly if you want to avoid cropping the image.

[frieri]

...how do you take in consideration of print ability when taking the shot?...

I always shot in 3:2 format, but no matter what format.
I process myself the raw files and print them up to A3+ format, either in color or black and withe.
Then I frame my picture with a pre-cutte passe-partout.

[Ron Cardinale]

Basically my question should be, how do you take in consideration of print ability when taking the shot?

Depending on your camera, you may be able to get a special focusing screen that shows you where the image will be when printed on different aspect ratio papers. If your camera doesn’t have user changeable screens, you’ll have to send it in for installation. Some suppliers are viewfindermasks.com and katzeyeoptics.com. I haven’t purchased from either of them; they’re just places that I’ve heard of that have this kind of stuff.
If your camera has live view, you might be able to put an LCD protector over the screen and then draw lines on it for the crop that will be needed. (I don't know if anybody makes a live view/EVF camera with a menu selectable grid for that kind of thing.)

[Realist]

I know my 60D has size ratio selection, but you can only see it on live view mode. As for figuring out sized it's just fractions. I guess if you're trying to frame you'd have to know what size you want and have a mental picture in your head.

[Iguanasan]

Well, there is another solution as well. Sometimes, if a crop won't work very well, I will add a white or black border to the image making it a half inch on one side but a full inch on the other or some such in order to balance it out for the right size crop. Sometimes a much better solution than cutting off something important.