First, open the photo you'd like to resize, and then open your ideal-size-and-resolution photo. Get the Crop tool, and then in the Options Bar, click on the Front Image button. Photoshop will automatically input that photo's dimensions into the Crop tool's Width, Height, and Resolution fields. Crop a picture to a specific size with Paint.Net To make an image a specific width and height, say 200 x 150, you can use a free program called Paint.Net. Paint.Net will allow you to crop the image and use a fixed ratio. This is handy for profile pictures.
Home > Articles > Design > Adobe Creative Suite
␡- Just a Quickie About the CS3 Interface
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
I could only find one song with the title 'Resized,' and I think it's a perfect fit for a chapter on resizing and cropping your photos. The song is by a band called Bungle and this particular song features Laura Pacheco. It's from their album Down to Earth. I'm telling you this like you're going to go and buy the CD, but trust me—you're not. That's because I'm going to try and talk you out of doing just that. Here's why: the full-length song is five minutes and 55 seconds. After hearing just the free 30-second preview of it on Apple's iTunes Store, I imagine there are some people (not you, mind you, but some people) who might become somehow adversely affected by its super-fast-paced hypnotic beat and might do things that they might not normally do while listening to selections from the Eagles or James Taylor. In fact, I would advise against even listening to the 30-second free preview if any of these conditions are present: (1) it's late at night and you have all the lights out, (2) the lights are out and you have a strobe light flashing, (3) the lights are out, a strobe is flashing, and you're holding a large butcher knife, or (4) the lights are out, a strobe is flashing, you're holding a large butcher knife, and you've just been fired from your job. 'Resized' would make a great background track for House of the Dead VII, because it's not one of those gloomy Metallica songs—it actually has a fast pop-like beat, but at the same time, it makes you want to grab a butcher knife (not me, of course, and certainly not you, but you know...people like that one really quiet guy who works in accounting. I'd keep him away from that song. Especially if he ever gets fired).
Just a Quickie About the CS3 Interface
When you first look at Adobe Photoshop CS3, the interface looks a lot different than previous versions, but it's really not as different as you'd think. I don't want to spend a lot of time on the interface (I know you want to get your hands dirty, so I'll keep this to a minimum—just these two pages then we're off and running), but I do want to show you two things: (1) how to quickly return to the CS2 look if you're more comfortable with that, and (2) I thought I'd show you my own workspace which is a pretty efficient setup for photographers.
Step One
Here's the default CS3 interface, with a single-column Toolbox on the far left and two columns of panels on the right (in most places, they're no longer called 'palettes,' they're officially called 'panels.' I have no idea why—they probably did it just to mess with us). The advantage of multiple columns is it lets you keep your panels out of the way until you need them (so they're not cluttering your screen). You can collapse each column of panels down to just their icons (or just their icons and names), so you pop 'em out when you need them, then tuck 'em out of the way when you don't. There's even an Auto-Collapse Icon Palettes preference (found in Photoshop's Preferences, under Interface) that tucks individual panels away automatically once you click on anything else.
Step Two
To see an individual panel, click on its icon, and it pops out (like the Character panel shown here). To tuck it back out of the way, either click on its icon again, or on the tiny right-facing triangles on the top right of the panel itself. To expand an entire column of panels (like the panels on the far right here), click once on the tiny left-facing triangles on the top right of a column. To manually drag out a column, click-and-drag the double lines at the top left of the column.
Step Three
If you press the letter F, your floating image window is replaced by a medium gray background, and your photo is centered onscreen (as seen here). The Palette Well (that used to be up in the Options Bar in CS2), has been replaced with those darker gray areas on either side of your screen where you now stack as many columns and rows of panels as you have space for. Press F again, and it expands the gray background full screen, and hides those panel wells. Press F once again for full-screen mode (a solid black background with no visible menus).
Step Four
If you want to return to the CS2 look (shown here), start by clicking on the right-facing triangles at the top left of the Toolbox to expand it back into the two-column Toolbox from CS2. Then, to make your panels float like palettes, just click on the panel's name tab, and drag it out over your desktop. To nest other panels with it, just click-and-drag a panel's name tab and move it over your floating panel. When you see the panel highlight, release your mouse button and it nests.
Step Five
Here's my workspace: The single column Toolbox is on the left (once you get used to it, it's great because it takes up less space). On the right, I chose only the panels I use most often, and I manually dragged the two lines at the top left of the column to the left until the names of the icons appeared, because after all this time I still don't recognize them just by the icons. Up in the Options Bar, you now have one-click access to your workspaces (as seen here), so choose Save Workspace, give yours a name, and you're set. Now, let's get to work!
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If you're editing an image and want to display it on social media, it helps to be able to fit them in just right. While cropping the picture manually is usually the way to go, you can resize it to a specific size or aspect ratio. Does that mean you have to edit your photo on your computer or laptop? No, because Pixomatic allows you to resize your photos instantly on your smartphone.
What is the aspect ratio?
The aspect ratio refers to the proportional relationship between the width and the height of an image. It is expressed by two numbers separated by a colon. For instance, the aspect ratio of portraits is 16:1.
The aspect ratio has a significant influence on your composition as it has a direct impact on how the main object or subject, and the space around it will be displayed. Choosing the right aspect ratio is important to make your composition stand out.
How can you crop with Pixomatic?
Pixomatic offers you two ways to crop your photo.
Crop Photos To Certain Size
1) Manually
Crop Size App
You intuitively know how to crop your image manually. All you have to do is click on Crop, then select Custom. Define the area that you wish to include in your final composition by dragging one or more of the edges to the center. Once you're done, click on Apply and save the image.
Crop Size Picture
2) Resize to a specific aspect ratio
You can set your image to an aspect ratio. Pixomatic offers the following aspect ratios: 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16, 2:3, and 3:2. The best way to find the right aspect ratio is by trying each one. However, each aspect ratio is suited for a particular photography style. For instance, 16:9 is perfect for landscape photography, while 3:4 is the best size for portraits.
You intuitively know how to crop your image manually. All you have to do is click on Crop, then select Custom. Define the area that you wish to include in your final composition by dragging one or more of the edges to the center. Once you're done, click on Apply and save the image.
Crop Size Picture
2) Resize to a specific aspect ratio
You can set your image to an aspect ratio. Pixomatic offers the following aspect ratios: 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16, 2:3, and 3:2. The best way to find the right aspect ratio is by trying each one. However, each aspect ratio is suited for a particular photography style. For instance, 16:9 is perfect for landscape photography, while 3:4 is the best size for portraits.
Crop Photo To A Certain Size
If you want to resize your image to a specific aspect ratio, click on Crop, then select one of the ratios in the toolbar. Now, move the frame to capture your subject or object perfectly.
3) Resize to a social media image size
Whether you're setting up a profile picture or posting a meme on any platform, you need to make sure you are using the correct image size. Select Crop, tap on Popular, then select the social media platform where you will post your photo. The available options are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and Pinterest. Now, if you created an image, and want to set it as a wallpaper on your iPhone, Ipad, or Apple Watch, select the model of the device you will be using and crop! Note that these features are available on Apple devices only.
Cropping photos couldn't be easier with Pixomatic! Upgrade your social media game by setting your images to the correct size. Learn more about social media image sizes to improve the quality of your visual content. We can't wait to see what you create!
