Congratulations Alex Vincent, March 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Kitchen". Alex Vincent - #906 Yvonne Raaijmakers - #909 Peter Wingfield - #902 Here's what Alex has to say: Thank you for the award of Photographer of th ...
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If you are taking real estate photos using different cameras, you may get images of different sizes and dimensions. Learning how to scale an image in Photoshop can help you transform the photo and make it smaller or larger without cropping or losing image details.
Photoshop is a sophisticated software that allows you to change image dimensions through different methods such as cropping, resizing, and scaling. Although resizing and scaling might look the same, resizing changes the image dimensions without changing the contents.
On the other hand, scaling has a transformative aspect where it stretches the image contents or pixels. Generally, scaling aims at reducing or enlarging an image by precise amounts or a scaling factor while maintaining its proportions.
The close relationship between resizing and scaling makes the two features bundled together in Photoshop. Depending on how you want the photo to look after the edits, you can scale it in Photoshop using the following steps.
If you open the image in Photoshop using the normal way of navigating to File, selecting Open, and browsing through your folders, the image will open as a new document with the canvas having the same size as the image.
This means you won't have a blank area around your image where you can stretch it. Instead of opening the image directly, open a new document by navigating to File and choosing New. Alternatively, you can hit Ctrl + N key combinations on your Windows computer or Command + N if you use a Mac.
A new document window will open, allowing you to adjust the settings before you begin the project. You will have an option of entering custom canvas settings from the options on the right-hand side of the screen or using one of the presets from the top.
Usually, the image will be cropped if you scale it larger than the canvas size. It is, therefore, advisable to enter large enough canvas sizes so you can have enough space to allow you to transform the image without cropping.
Open the drop-down list to set the unit of measurement and then enter the values. For instance, if you choose the unit to be inches and then enter a width of 12 and a height of 10, it means the canvas will have a length of 10 inches and a width of 12 inches.
You can also use the options below the unit drop-down next to the height text box to choose whether you want the canvas to be in a horizontal or vertical orientation, depending on how you plan to scale the image. Once done, hit on the Create button to create the canvas.
Unlike when opening a new image, you'll be inserting the image into the blank canvas. Instead of hitting Ctrl + O on your Windows computer or Command + O on your Mac, drag and drop the image file onto the blank canvas.
This will open the image as a new layer instead of a background layer that is usually locked. If you're working with several layers, consider renaming your image layer, so you don't confuse which edits are in which layer.
Double-click the layer in the layers panel to highlight and select the default name. Hit the backspace key on your keyboard to delete the default name, enter the new name, and then hit the Return key on your Mac or the Enter key if you're using a Windows computer.
Photoshop edits photos by manipulating the image pixels, which results in degradation and loss of quality. For instance, if you scale up the image, scale it down, and then scale it up again, the final image will be of lower quality.
Fortunately, Photoshop features two types of layers, normal layers, and smart objects. Smart objects in Photoshop are like normal layers, only that it allows you to edit non-destructively. This allows you to transform, stretch or squash the image without losing quality.
As the name suggests, the move tool helps you position and move things such as text, selections, and layers around your canvas. Pick the move tool from the toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen, usually indicated by a four-way arrow icon.
You can also pick it up by hitting the V key on your keyboard. Unlike other tools in Photoshop, you can also use the Move tool without selecting it in the toolbar. Simply hold down the Ctrl key on your Windows computer or the Command key if you're using a Mac to activate it.
Photoshop offers transform options, including Rotate, Scale, Distort, and Flip or Mirror. Although perfect scaling aims at enlarging the image while maintaining the aspect ratio, you can use the transform feature to stretch certain contents more than others. With the Move tool active and the image layer selected:
There are chances that the canvas size is too large, and you are left with blank spaces around the photo after scaling it up, or the canvas is too small, and you can't scale up the image enough due to cropping. Simply navigate to Image and choose Canvas Size to open the canvas size window.
Unlike when creating a new document, this window will show the current sizes and the option to adjust the sizes. Check the Relative option to add the new sizes to the current ones. Enter a positive number to increase the current sizes and a negative number to reduce them.
For instance, entering 5 will add the current size by 5 units, and entering -5 will reduce the current size by 5. Depending on how you have scaled the image, you can adjust the Anchor settings to increase or reduce a specific side of the canvas.
Once satisfied with the edits, you can convert the Smart Object back to a normal layer. Simply select the layer, right-click it, and choose Rasterize Layer. If you're using the latest versions of Photoshop, you can right-click the Smart Object layer and choose Convert to Layers.
If the real estate photo is for uploading on MLS sites, export it as a JPEG. Navigate to File and choose Save As, select JPEG file format, set the Format option as Standard, and then Save. You can also hit Command + Shift + S if you are using a Mac or Ctrl + Shift + S if you are using a Windows computer to open the Export window.
It's not advisable to scale a PNG because it's a raster file. This means the file is pixel-based, and scaling will make it grainy, pixelated, and lower quality.
Knowing how to scale an image in Photoshop can help stretch your real estate photos to achieve uniform sizes before uploading them on MLS sites. Simply insert the image on a blank canvas, convert it to a Smart Object, and transform it using the Scale option.
