Why and when to resize photos?

[maureenm]

I'm a beginner with PSE4 and just started with the digital photography workflow training. They talk about resizing photos and I'm confused as to when you need to do this. Do you always do this? If you resize with PSE4 does it automatically keep the original file (in the stacked version set?)

If you are making a photobook where the prints will be different sizes, do you still resize? How would you do that if you're not sure the exact size they'll print out with? I've noticed when I went to resize photos that even though the pixels are very large (2016x1134), that the resolution is only 72. I understand the resolution is so low because the picture is set at 28"x15.75" which is obviously huge. If I don't change the resolution and am printing with PSE4, will it adjust to the 4x6 or have I just been printing out much lower resolution than my printer is capable of doing? I have a Cannon i9900. I'd appreciate any help with this. Thanks.:)

[Wendy]

Hi Maureen ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

I'm a Mac user and our version doesn't have the Organiser so I can't help on that ... but as far as resizing is concerned the only times I resize are:

If I want to print out an image or if I want to post it on the internet.

... and for both of those I resize and save as another name so that my original stays intact.

Now when you want to printout on your printer often you don't need to resize you can simply change the resolution. Try this:

Open up any image then do:

Image>Resize>Image Size
Make sure that resample Image is not checked
Then change the resolution to 300 and watch the physical size change.

All that is happening is that the pixels are now more to the square inch than before ... I tend to print out somewhere around 200 to 300 resolution depending on the number of pixels in the image itself :)

Hope this helps a little :)

Wendy

[maureenm]

Thanks Wendy.

I guess I'm still a little confused about resizing when printing from PSE4 because the Adobe help center says the following: "If you are printing directly from Photoshop Elements, you don’t have to perform this procedure. Instead, you can choose a size in the Print dialog box and Photoshop Elements applies the appropriate image resolution." So, it seems that PSE4 would increase the resolution to what is appropriate for the size photo selected, without resizing?? I guess I'd need to resize when uploading photos for a photobook?

Also, when I go to Image Resize there is no Save As button, just OK, Cancel or Help. Maybe with PSE4 you can change the image size more than once without losing the data? Thanks for any thoughts, Maureen:)

[GaryK]

Maureen


Welcome to the forums:)

This is something that is tough to get your head around.

First off, there isn't a save as button in the resize dialogue box (so you can stop looking for it :) ) after your resize you would then do a save as, if need be.

If I recall correctly, the point of the resizing examples is to show how different resolutions affect the size of the image. Because monitor resolution is so low you can quite often have a picture that looks fine on screen but when printed looks very pixelated. so if you change the resolution to something more printable (250-300 dpi) then check the rulers you will have an idea of how large this will print and look half decent.
Of course there are ALWAYS exceptions but a good starting point.

Hope this helps somewhat.:)

[Juergen D]

Maureen,

One reason for resizing would be the necessity to do some cropping. If your image is of a different aspect ratio then the intended print, you would have to crop, like in this case.

Your image is in a 16:9 ratio, which will not fit on a 6 x 4 print. You will have to crop away a rather substantial part of the image. Doing this, it is easiest to set the crop tool to 6 x 4 in, leaving the resolution box empty.

Juergen

[douglas m scott]

Maureen,
Since you posted your question some hours ago this info probably will not help this time, or perhaps you already know, but here is my input.
After resizing or croping or doing any editing, most people save with a new file name. To do this in Elements click FILE click SAVE AS in this window your original file name will be highlighted. I click in highlight and add an - plus number such as 1 or perhaps a c if you have cropped or an s if you have sharpened just anything will word as a new name. Under the file name is the file type box you probably would want to save as an Tiff or jpeg highest resolution. Click OK. Now you still have your original file plus the edited one. You probably already knew this, but perhaps other new comers to elements will not.
Doug

[Codebreaker]

Maureen....

Take a look at this page on my web site it may help.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/colin_w/pixels_and_ppi.htm

Colin

[schellem]

I don't print on a home printer and have learned to resize my photos, when needed, at home before taking them to the local drug store for printing.

My camera outputs an image of 3008x2000 pixels which is basically a 4X6 format and works great for 4X6 prints. However the 4x6 ratio is not the same as 8X10 or 5X7. If I want an 8X10 the image must be cropped to 2500X2000 pixels to give it the same ratioo. I do this at home rather than trying to use the in store kiosk crop selection tools.

[sandie]

YOU do not resize necessarily. when you go to print you can put in the size you want and it will give you the ppi, or you can do as Wendy said and that is uncheck resample and put 300 dpi/ppi and it will automatically make it less pixels. then you can put in 8x10 in the printer and it takes care of sizing.
Stop thinking about resizing unless you are going to compete with a club and need to resize for a projector, OR you are going to email the picture so you make a smaller picture(less pixels to send in email). MOST important is copy your picture each time you are going to work on a picture make sure you are working on a copy so the original is not being used or changed. I work with PSE3 but can not imagine they changed how to copy the picture which is to open a picture and then drag it from the left side of the screen to the little boxes just above the picture and it will make a copy so now it looks like you have two of the same picture one over the other but now each thing you do is to the copy and when you finish and you want to save it - go to File and Save As, and name it Sally 1 or Sally fixed with Hue and Sat or whatever. That way the copy is saved and the original stays the same. IF you save it in PSD instead of JPEG you can open it and have all your changes ready to change again and you do not loose any pixels which you do with JPEG when you open and then save, JPEG is called lossy type which means it loses pixels each time their is a SAVE, PSD is photoshop and it saves and you can open and close and save as much as you want without loss of pixels.