Image size and resize tips in Adobe Photoshop

Here are some tips on image size in Photoshop. We often help people through the process of changing the size of an image. To resize an image in Photoshop go to Image > Image Size.

• Always start your projects with the highest resolution possible. If you receive a low-resoluiton image, don’t hesitate to ask for a high-resolution version.
• Never increase the size of a raster image. Because the starting resolution is set in stone, an increase in physical size will over pixelate your image making it look blotchy, blurry, and choppy. Yuck!
• When scanning an image, scan it at 300dpi or 600dpi or higher, even if it will only be used on the web. In the Image Size dialog box, select Bicubic as the Resample Image option. Bicubic will give you the best results.
• A computer monitor ignores resolution. The physical size of the image (width & height) dictates the image size on the web. However, you should always set web images to 72dpi.
• When sizing an image for print, the resolution should be twice the line screen. For example, if your print vendor prints at a 133 line screen, your image resolution should be at least 266dpi.
• Check the Constrain Proportions checkbox if you want to resize the image proportionately. If you want to reset the Image Size dialog box settings, press the Open Apple key [Alt in Windows] and the Cancel button will change to the Reset button.
• We like to do a mild sharpening of our image after we resize it in Photoshop. Go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask and use a low percentage for the Amount. Somewhere between 10% and 30% usually works best.

Article written by Ian Caspersson