At times, one may be in need of an image in specific dimensions for social media posts, web graphics, business presentations, etc. Fortunately, resizing images has been made quite easy and is quite accessible with many online as well as offline options to do it. In the following guide, we'll go through why one must resize images in mind, how to precisely do so, and some tidbits regarding preserving the original quality of your images.
Optimize for Different Platforms: Every platform, whether it's a website or social media platforms, has requirements for the size of images that will be displayed. If you resize, your images will appear crispy and professional.
Improves Load Times: Large images cause slow loading times in websites. Resizing helps to minimize the file size of the images, which means the pages will load faster
Enhances Composition: At times, resizing can help highlight the subject and achieve a well-balanced image composition.
Saves Space in Storage: Shrunk photos will use much less storage space on your computer or in the cloud.
There are numerous ways to resize images to certain measurements depending on the tool you are using. Here's how you can do it with popular online and offline tools,
ResizeTool.com. Shrinking your photos will never degrade the quality after you reach ResizeTool.com.
Steps:
Access ResizeTool.com.
Upload your picture by clicking the "Upload" button.
Enter the width and height of your preference, or choose one of the available preset sizes
If you want exact measurements, "Maintain Aspect Ratio" is turned off
Click "Resize" and download your resized photo.
Using professional-grade program like Adobe Photoshop to resize the image precisely amongst other effects such as resizing, red-eye reduction, etc.
Steps
Open Adobe Photoshop and load in your image
Navigate to "Image" > "Image Size"
Type in your required width and height in pixels, inches, or centimeters
If you want to maintain proportions, tick the "Constrain Proportions" box; otherwise, tick it off for free resizing
Click "Ok" and to resize, save image
Canva is a graphic design tool, and it has the built-in resize capability and creating different types of visuals for different kinds of platforms.
Steps:
Log into Canva, design something, and upload your image.
Select the image and click on "Resize" at the top toolbar.
Input your specific width and height
If you have Canva as a premium account, you can use the "Magic Resize" tool that will help you easily resize images for different kinds of platforms.
Download your resized image.
GIMP is basically the GNU Image Manipulation Program or the free version of Photoshop where you can even crop images accurately.
Steps:
Open GIMP and load your image by navigating to "File" > "Open."
Click "Image" > "Scale Image."
Enter the dimensions for both width and height.
If you wish to keep the aspect ratio, do not break the chain; else break it.
Click "Scale" to apply changes and save the image.
You can also size images on a Mac using the native application Preview. You don't need to download anything else.
How to do it:
Open the image with Preview.
Click "Tools" > "Adjust Size".
Insert your desired width and height, then choose units in pixels, inches, etc.
Mark the checkbox "Scale proportionally" if you want to keep the ratio intact.
Click "OK" to resize.
Start with High Resolution: The output of resizing low-resolution images would mostly result in pixelation or blur effect. Therefore, start with a good high-resolution image to get the best results.
Utilize the Right File Format: JPEG goes well with photographs, but PNG is suitable for graphics containing text or transparency.
Maintain Aspect Ratio: Don't distort images by keeping the original aspect ratio or proportion. Most tools have an option to lock the aspect ratio.
Use Compression Tools if Necessary: For the web, TinyPNG or JPEG Optimizer can compress this size without losing much quality.
Common Image Resize Dimensions for most Popular Channels
Facebook and Instagram only
Facebook:
Shared post: 1200 x 628
Cover photo: 820 x 312
Instagram:
Square: 1080 x 1080
Portrait: 1080 x 1350
Twitter Shared image: 1200 x 675
Hero Image Website: 1920 x 1080
Blog Image Post: 1200 x 800
Thumbnail: 150 x 150 small, 300 x 300 medium
1. What size should resize images be in?
JPEG is ideal for photographs. PNG is best for images with text or a transparency.
2. How do I prevent images from degrading when resizing
Use a high-resolution image source. Avoid extreme resizes. Maintain the aspect ratio. Some tools, image optimising tools, can edit the compression of the image without visible loss of quality due to web-formatting.
3. Are there free image resizers which use exact dimensions?
Yes, you can definitely resize images for free using resources like ResizeTool.com, GIMP and Canva, where you just need to fill in specific dimensions.
4. My images are blurry after resizing.
That is a nice question. Blurriness occurs most often when the resolution of the original is quite low or the image has been shrunk down quite dramatically. Start your work with high resolution sources and don't overdo it with the resizing; otherwise, you are in for a treat.
5. Is it possible to resize images in batches?
Yes, some tools such as ResizeTool.com and Adobe Photoshop have the capability to resize several images in one shot.
6. What is the difference between crop and resize?
A crop removes parts of an image whereas resize involves changing the overall dimensions. That is cropping will involve the whole of the image, but in resizing, one is concerned with the whole of the image.
A matter of course, thanks to the large numbers of online and offline tools that you can use, is resizing images to preset dimensions. What captures an image from a professional project, a simple website, or social media is done with these steps in mind, thus ensuring it's not only optimized, clear but also the right size. The secret is to simply try different tools so that you can settle on the one that best fits your workflow and need.