Scrapbook Memories

Epson Computer Tip: Resizing Photos
By Barbara Kotsos

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There are two ways to easily resize your photos in Photoshop Elements:

1. Open your image, and then go to Image Resize -> Image Size (the keyboard shortcut for this is ALT + CTRL + I). You can then enter in the size you’d like your photo to be. You will want to keep the same proportions, so as you change the width the height will automatically adjust. Or you can change the height and the width will automatically adjust.

2. You can also use the Crop Tool (C) to quickly crop and resize your photo in one step. Open your photo, and click on the Crop tool (or typeC). Click and drag the marquee over our picture – a cropping border will appear around your picture (the part to be cropped away will be darker). You can make the cropping border bigger or smaller by dragging the corner or side handles, or you can move it around your picture by clicking inside the border and dragging. Once you have the border where you want it, click on the checkmark at the bottom right of the cropping border (or hit Enter on your keyboard). To cancel your crop, click on the “cancel” sign (or press the Esc key).

Now let’s take a closer look at the Options Bar of the Crop Tool. If you look at the pull-down menu next to aspect Ratio, you’ll see several options:

No Restriction – use this option when you want to crop your photo without resizing it (like you would with a paper trimmer). Selecting No Restriction will also clear out any dimensions in the options bar (from previous crops).
Use Photo Ratio – this is a handy way to figure out just how big your picture is in the first place (and its resolution). You can also use it to crop your picture so that it stays the same size.
Preset Crop Sizes (4x6, 5s7, etc) – this is a quick option if you need to crop your photo to a standard size.

You can also type in your own dimensions and resolution in the Options Bar. This is especially useful if you need your picture to fit behind a slide mount or small frame, for example. Simply measure the opening of the frame and put those dimension in the Options bar. Your resolution should be 300 pixels per inch for printing.

Sponsor: Epson America, Inc.