Resize Image/Layer in Photoshop – Full Guide You Should Know
Last Updated on November 15, 2021 by Peter Wood
We need to resize an image in Photoshop to meet the social media or other layout designs' requirements. Adobe Photoshop is a professional photo editor to resize photos with layers. As for the case, beginners can't grasp the right ways to resize an image in Photoshop. You have to learn more about the image layer, the canvas, and the image size first. It seems too easy to resize an image or canvas in Photoshop. But when it comes to resizing a layer, many Photoshop users are unfamiliar. It is both easy to resize an image in Photoshop or resize a layer in Photoshop.
Photoshop could help you to shrink or enlarge an image in proportion or without lost quality. And the process is not as complicated as you thought. The article introduces multiple ways to resize an image in Photoshop, even if you want to preserve the original quality. What is more, it also teaches you how to resize layers to fit canvas or background with ease. Just read on to get the detailed information from the article now.
- Part 1: How to Resize an Image in Photoshop
- Part 2: How to Resize an Image in Photoshop without Distortion
- Part 3: How to Resize an Image in Photoshop without Losing Quality
- Part 4: How to Resize a Layer in Photoshop
- Part 5: How to Resize a Layer to Fit Canvas
- Part 6: How to Resize the Background Layer
- Part 7: Best Alternative Method to Resize Images in Batch
Part 1: How to Resize an Image in Photoshop
As for resizing an image in Photoshop, the Image Size feature should be the first choice you need to consider. It helps you to customize the size of an image in Photoshop without losing quality. Just check out the detailed information about the process from the article.
Step 1: Open an image in Photoshop, located to the Image menu in the ribbon. After that, you can select the Image Size option to open the settings box.
Step 2: You can customize the value of Width and Height. You can also change it into percent from the drop-down list.
Step 3: Photoshop also allows users to resize an image in Document Size. This panel provides more unit options, like inches, centimeters, and more. When you prepare to print the image, you can resize it in this panel to fit the paper size.
Step 4: If you want to customize the value of width and height separately, you can uncheck the option of Constrain Proportions.
Step 5: After settings, you can click on the Ok button to confirm the changes. Then Photoshop will resize the images according to the values typed in.
If you are a beginner, you’d better create a copy before resizing an image in Photoshop. You can open the Image menu and select the Duplicate option. Then the changes will not affect the original image. And you can delete the copy if the result is not satisfactory.
Part 2: How to Resize an Image in Photoshop without Distortion
In most cases, we need to resize an image in Photoshop without distortion. The Image Size feature also can resize a picture in proportion. If you check the option of Constrain Proportions in the Image Size window, Photoshop will resize an image in ratio. But I will introduce another way to achieve the same effect without distortion in this part.
Step 1: Open an image in Photoshop. Navigate to the layer panel and double-click the image to unlock it.
Step 2: Located to Edit menu on the ribbon and select Free Transform. You can also use hotkey Ctrl + T on Windows or Command + T on Mac OS to activate the Free Transform tool.
Step 3: You can resize the image of Photoshop in the active layer. But if you want to resize it in proportion, you have to hold down Shift and drag the squares on the corners at the same time.
Step 4: The value of width and height will show up in a small box near the square. After you get a suitable size, press Enter to confirm the changes.
Free Transform is a tool in Photoshop. It cannot only resize an image in proportion but also could help you to rotate the image.
Part 3: How to Resize an Image in Photoshop without Losing Quality
What should you do when the image became blurry after resizing? This problem is common when we print a photo. As a professional photo editing program, Photoshop could help you to resize an image without reducing quality. Here are the steps to resize an image in Photoshop without losing quality.
Step 1: Open an image in Photoshop and activate the window of Image Size. The details you can find out in the first part of this article.
Step 2: When you print an image, the resolution usually should be 180 to 240 pixels per inch. If you enter a value in Resolution, the image will be enlarged and become blurry.
Step 3: So uncheck the box of Resample Image and then reset Resolution. It will not change the dimension of the image.
Step 4: After that, check the boxes of Resample Image and Constrain Proportions. Resize the image’s Width or Height value.
Step 5: Select Bicubic Smoother in the drop-down list of Resample Image if you enlarge the image. If you shrink the image, you have to select Bicubic Sharpen.
Step 6: Finally, click on OK to complete the process of resizing an image in Photoshop.
Bicubic Smoother is a kind of algorithm. Photoshop will use this algorithm to maintain the quality of an image when you resize the file. The principle of this algorithm is quite complex, so it is not suitable to introduce here. But you can explore the potentials of other options in the drop-down list of Resample Image.
Part 4: How to Resize a Layer in Photoshop
Before resizing a layer in Photoshop, you have to understand what layer is. There is usually a canvas and several layers with texts and images in a Photoshop file. There should be a layer to resize with Photoshop. So we start by creating a layer.
Step 1: Located to File and select New to create a PSD file. In the pop-up window, enter the size of the canvas and other settings. The canvas usually works as the background. And you can create a few layers on the canvas.
Step 2: After painting something or open an image on the active layer, you can resize the layer by Scale. Open the Edit menu and select Scale in the Transform option.
Step 3: You will discover the toolbar activated beneath the top menu bar. The values of W and H mean the percent dimensions of the layer. You can enter a new value in W or H to resize the layer.
Step 4: The icon shaped like a chain indicates constrained proportions. If you want to resize width and height separately, you have to click on the icon to unlock it. After resetting, you can press the Enter key to complete the process of resizing a layer in Photoshop.
Part 5: How to Resize a Layer to Fit Canvas
In some cases, the size of a layer is not the same as the canvas in Photoshop. And Photoshop does not have the handy button of Fit to Canvas as Firework. But that does not mean you cannot resize a layer to fit canvas in Photoshop. When you find the new layer does not suit the canvas in Photoshop, you can utilize the feature of Free Transform.
Step 1: Navigate to the Image menu on the ribbon and select Canvas Size. Then you can grasp the size of the current canvas.
Step 2: Open Free Transform from the Edit menu. You can use the hotkey Ctrl + T could activate the Free Transform tool as well.
Step 3: The anchor points will show up on the edges of the layer. You can drag the anchor points to resize the layer in Photoshop. The value of dimensions will show up in real-time in a small box near the active anchor point.
Step 4: Resize the layer in Photoshop until the values of width and height are the same as the values of the canvas. Then press Enter to confirm the changes. Finally, use the Move tool to move the layer to fit the canvas.
Part 6: How to Resize the Background Layer
To expand the background layer or shrink the background layer to fit the other layers, you can resize the image background layer in Photoshop. Although the processes are different, both operations are simple.
1. How to shrink the background layer to fit other layers
Step 1: Select the background layer to resize in the Layer panel.
Step 2: Located to the Image menu and select Trim.
Step 3: In the Crop window, select the option of Top Left Pixel Color. Make sure that you have checked the four boxes in the Crop section. And then click on OK.
Step 4: If the background layer is larger than the other layers, you can repeat step 2 and select the Bottom Right Pixel Color option in step 3.
Step 5: Then Photoshop will shrink the background layer of Photoshop to fit the other visible layers.
2. How to expand background layer
Step 1: Open the Canvas Size option in the Image menu when the background layer is the active layer.
Step 2: You can resize the background layer in the Canvas Size window.
Step 3: If you want to resize the width or height independently, you have to uncheck the box of Relative. And Photoshop provides multiple units in the drop-down list, including centimeter, pixel, percent, and more. Finally, select the color to fill the expanded background.
Step 4: Click on Ok to finish the process to get a background layer in Photoshop.
Part 7: Best Alternative Method to Resize Images in Batch
When you need to resize images in Photoshop or layer in Photoshop, you can get multiple methods from the article. But how to resize images in batch with ease, WidsMob ImageConvert should be the solution you need to consider.
1. Convert RAW photos as well as other image files into desired photo formats in batch.
2. Resize, rotate videos with different angles in batch, adds borders or frames in different color modes.
3. Not only add captions and images as a watermark but also allows you to adjust font, style, color, opacity, size, angle, position, and more in batch.
4. When applying the photo effects or adding a watermark, you can preview the result from the interface for all the image files.
Step 1: You can add photos into the WidsMob ImageConverter and click the Open button to import the folder of all images or drag-n-drop files into the program. It will batch resize photos in the program with ease.
Step 2: Choose Resize mode to select By Width, By Height, Percentage and Free from Mode. After that, you can enter the Pixel to get the desired solution according to the requirement.
Step 3: As the alternative method to resize an image in Photoshop, you can also resize the image by Pixels/Inch. What is more, the program can Enlarge smaller images before clicking the Start convert button.
Conclusion
Based on the introduction, you might discover that Photoshop is a powerful photo-editing program. Resizing an image in Photoshop looks simple. However, it becomes complicated when we do it in reality. Photoshop could meet most requirements related to resizing an image. There are at least two ways to resize an image in Photoshop, the Image Size, and the Free Transform tool. And Image Size feature is even more powerful because it could help you resize an image without lost quality.
The layer is a concept in Photoshop. It will record all the activities and changes you have done in Photoshop. Resizing a layer in Photoshop may sound easy, but actually, it is complex in reality. When we edit images in Photoshop, we usually face various challenges. And resizing a layer in Photoshop in different conditions is one of such challenges. Based on the introduction above, you might grasp some basic ways to resize a layer in Photoshop, like how to resize a layer to fit canvas or how the resize a background layer. Photoshop is a large package of tools. This article gives you a basic introduction about resizing a layer in Photoshop. And users could explore the potentials by collocation and combination these tools.