Sizing images in PSE 8
TangoJuliet
Registered Users Posts: 269 Major grins
How do I go about sizing an image to 300 pixels wide in PSE 8?
I need to upload to an Editors Flickr account and they want the images at 300 pixels wide and I'm not sure how to do that. I normally shoot in RAW and convert to JPG in ACR before cropping in PSE 8.
Normally when I crop I use 8 x 10, or 8 x 12 at 300 dpi res. If I want to attach in an email or embed in a forum (other than DGrin) I right click on the image in the "My Pictures" folder on the desktop and choose resize "Medium". But I don't know how to resize to an exact pixel dimension. Maybe it's a basic task, but if you've never done it or been shown how, it's not so basic to figure out :scratch .
I need to upload to an Editors Flickr account and they want the images at 300 pixels wide and I'm not sure how to do that. I normally shoot in RAW and convert to JPG in ACR before cropping in PSE 8.
Normally when I crop I use 8 x 10, or 8 x 12 at 300 dpi res. If I want to attach in an email or embed in a forum (other than DGrin) I right click on the image in the "My Pictures" folder on the desktop and choose resize "Medium". But I don't know how to resize to an exact pixel dimension. Maybe it's a basic task, but if you've never done it or been shown how, it's not so basic to figure out :scratch .
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…but, I would do all the pp (including cropping) in RAW, and only resize at the last minute, then convert to JPEG
In PhotoShop 7.0:
Image>Image Size…
will bring up a box titled "Image Size" with fields where you can set your own numbers (units depend on what you've set as default), and check-boxes "Constrain Proportions" and "Resample Image" which you can set according to taste.
HTH -
- Wil
As far as cropping in RAW, I'd rather crop the JPG and keep the RAW image as is so that I can access it later and crop it differently if I wish. Once you've cropped it in RAW, that's it, no going back.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
…well, here's a tip:
don't do a Save…
…but rather do a Save As…
- Wil
Raw files are *read only* in Adobe and most other apps - so any "edits" performed are metadata instructions. When one finally renders the raw data into a standard RGB pixel based file, the metadata instructions are finally "locked in" and there is no going back on the rendered file. One can always go back in the raw processor when using raw camera data.
Sincerely,
Stephen Marsh
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www.tangojulietphotography.com
If you just clicked save, then yes, your RAW file would be saved however you edited it. If you click 'save as' and name it something different and as a jpg/png, then your original RAW will be preserved.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
There are no advantages to reducing file size in ACR or in PsE or Ps. All you are doing is removing pixel information.
The easiest way I find to do this is using the crop tool. Select the tool, and on the bar at the top, enter "300px" in the width box (or height box - not both) and just drag the crop over the whole image.
Job done. Save (or save as) what you want from there
Better yet so there is no interpolating going on is to go to Image>image size> change to desired dpi (300) check ONLY constrain proportion (keep from interpolating) clik OK....then use crop tool with proper dimensions set ( like 8x10 or whatever) but no pixels enterd......now you have cropped and reized but no done any interpolating of the pixels..........
OK, now that's making sense to me. That's how I'll do it for the Publishers needs. That way I'll still have the original RAW file to edit differently at a later time if I desire. I can "Save As" into a folder for the event and keep those photos seperate from the originals. If I'm not getting this right, let me know.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
I usually do edit this way, except I always use 300 dpi, and constrain to either 8 x 10 or 8 x 12. But it's my understanding that dpi and pixels are two diferent things.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
www.tangojulietphotography.com
You will ALWAYS have the RAW image anyway. Cropping from the RAW image doesn't change the RAW file. All it does is add some info to a database or XML file that provides the software to show the crop. When you look at your RAW images, they still have all the original data - no matter what you do. I crop a lot in RAW too. To see the whole image just click on the crop tool again.
"Save As" removes EXIF data. Save writes over the exported file (not the raw)
dpi is actually not the correct term to use. The correct term is ppi (pixels per inch). That number actually does not mean anything and is only used to determine print size - nothing else.
Now pixels are the tiny squares you see if you zoom right into your image. And ppi is the number of these that will appear in one sq inch of print. So the higher the number per inch the better quality the print will be but the smaller the print will be too.
If you save the size as 8x10 and at 300ppi what you are doing is resizing your image (up or down depending on the pixels in your image). An 8x10 @ 300ppi has a file size of 2400pixels x 3000pixels
Easy to work out
PS = Print Size
Px = Pixels
R = Resolution
PS = Px/R
Px = PSs x R
R = Px/PS
Depending on what variable you want, do that for each axis and you'll find that it becomes easier to understand. Don't change the number of opixels in your image unless you need to. Increasing means Ps adds random data that you might not need. Printing even a 6x4 at 240ppi or 300ppi and you'll not see any difference. Making it 300ppi means bigger files on your PC.
I only resample for PRINT if I need to.
In ACR there is no bar. I was talking about Ps or PsE. In ACR you click on the crop tool and hold and the bar will drop down with ratios. You can set a custom ratio or you can use one of the presets.
Lets say you want a 12x5. You set the custom to 12x5 and drag over the area you want cropped.
You can then export and ACR will automatically remove the pixels you don't want from the image and will show the image in Ps as your 12x5 image - note the pixel size wiull be less than your cameras default because you are removing pixel information.
You can set the ppi value in ACR too if you want a larger print - that's set from the export dialogue but care should be taken with this as adding pixels should only be done when you NEED that extra info for printing.
I understand that ppi is the number of little bitty squares (pixels) per inch, and that if I constrain my image crop to 8 x 10 at 300ppi, I'll have more resolution than the same 8 x 10 at 72ppi. But I still can't figure out how to set the constrains of the crop tool for a specific pixel dimension for the side. If I change the resolution in the Preferences dialog, it changes the dimensions, but it's still in inches (or cm if I choose that). I'm starting to believe that the confusion is coming from the magazine.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
Did she mean pixels per inch? Or just 300 pixels? A 300pixel image is very small even for a web image. THink of your screen resolution - Lets say it's 1024 x 768. A 300 pixel image would take up only a third of the screen - web images map pixels directly with your monitor resolution - So a 1024 x 768 pixel image would fill your whole screen (actually it would be bigger due to the other bars on your web browser.
Forget the measurement in inches. The ONLY thing that matters is pixels. THe measurement in inches means nothing unless tagged with the ppi info. If you only want a 300pixel image along the longest edge, enter "300px" into the width box (leave the others blank). Drag over the image with the crop tool and press enter.
This is using Ps or PsE.
With ACR when you go into the crop tool, click and hold it down and go to custom
In the box where you see ratio, change that to pixels and change the pixels to the 300 wide and whatever you need high (this means you need to know what ratio your image is)
If using ACR I generally export at full size and use Ps to resize if required for the web. Mostly I use Lightroom.
I'm pretty sure she meant 300 pixels on it's longest side. I've emailed her for clarification though. I'll try to do it by using "px", that seems to be the easiest route in PsE rather than using ACR. Thank you for being so patient with me.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
No bother.
When you crop in PsE, the default number is based on the way the rulers are set. So if "cm" is the default, the image will change the ppi calue to get the right print size in cm (doesn't change the number of pixels in the image)
If you enter px or change the rulers to measure in PX then the image itself will be reduced in size and pixel info thrown away.
For what you are doing this is fine. So do a save as and all will be fine.