How to Change the Size of an Image in Photoshop: Resize for Print or Resample for Screen

Resizing an image may cause loss of sharpness.

One of the most common Photoshop tasks is resizing an image. While resizing an image is easy to do, a number of factors must be considered. First, you need to decide whether you want to change the size of the image when it is printed or when it is displayed on screen, such as for a Web page or slide show. Second, decide whether it’s important that your image remain sharp. Resizing an image larger always results in a loss of sharpness unless you are resizing a vector image. Sizing down, on the other hand, results in greater sharpness when image resolution remains unchanged. Either way, resizing your digital image in Photoshop requires just a few steps.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Photoshop (installed)
• Digital image

Instructions

1. Identify whether you want to resize or resample your image. If you want to change the size of the photo when printed, complete Steps 2 and 3. To resize a digital image, skip to Step 4.

2. Launch Photoshop. Uncheck the "Resample Image" box by clicking on "Image" and choosing "Image Size" if altering the size of a printed photo is your goal.

3. Change one of the dimensional values in the "Image Size" dialogue box and the other dimension will change proportionally. The resolution will change proportionally as well. If you resize larger, the resolution will decrease with a resulting loss in image sharpness. If you size down, the resolution will increase and the image will become sharper.

4. Launch Photoshop and check the "Resample Image" box by clicking on "Image" and choosing "Image Size" if changing the photo so that it will appear smaller or larger on screen (on a Web page, for example) is your objective.

5. Select "Bicubic Smoother" from the drop-down box beside the "Resampling Image" box if you are changing the image to a larger size. Alternately, choose "Bicubic Sharper" if you are changing the image to a smaller size.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the “Sharpen” tool for added effect.

• Always save a copy of your original image before applying new techniques. That way, if you don't like the results, you still have the original.

References

• PhotoshopEssentials.com: How to Resize Images in Photoshop

Resources

• Adobe Systems: Cropping, Resizing, Resampling in Photoshop Elements
• PhotoshopSupport.com: How to Resize Images and Maintain Original Sharpness