In this article, I will show you How to resize images in Illustrator in 2 Ways. Resizing images requires skill and precision to avoid having images smaller or bigger than needed. Having them stretched and not proportional is even worse.
These problems can easily be avoided by simply understanding the simple hacks I share in this article. There are 2 simple ways you can use to resize images in Illustrator.
First, you can use the bounding box that appears by default once you place your image into Illustrator. Alternatively, the scale tool and transform tool will also get the job done. No matter the method you choose to use, always remember to hold down the shift to scale proportionally.
How to resize images in Illustrator using the transform tool
If you know the exact size you need the image to be then the transform tool is the best method to use.
- To resize the image, select it using the selection tool shortcut V.
- Go to Window>Transform to bring up the Transform menu.
- Enter the length and width values for example 1000 pixels x 1000 pixels
- Your image is resized
- If you have an image that has effects or strokes, just click on the 3 dots to bring up a menu to resize them too.
How to resize images in Illustrator using the bounding box
This method will involve the use of the selection tool. When you import an image into Illustrator, it automatically has a bounding box around it.
To resize an image using this method, choose the selection tool, shortcut V, with the image selected. Click on the top right corner or any of the nodes while holding down the shift key. Click and drag up or down to scale up or down.
If the object contains a group of elements the bounding box will cover all of them unless you ungroup to work with each.
If you try to resize objects and you notice effects getting distorted, just click Control + K on PC or Command +K on MAC and choose the scale strokes and effects option.
How To Resize Images In Photoshop
Open Photoshop then open your image. If the layer has a lock on it, double-click to unlock it. Go to image then image size on your top Bar and a pop-up window will appear.
The window will show the dimensions and you can click the down arrow to set either Pixels or inches as required. Most of the time you will want to resize your image proportionately. Before typing your new required sizes, make sure Constrain Proportions is checked.
When you change one dimension, it will automatically adjust the other one proportionately. At the bottom of the window, the resolution of the image is displayed. Set from 250 dpi to 300 dpi for print documents.
If your new image differs in size and proportions from the original, you will need to crop the canvas size so that it fits the new image. In case the image and artboard do not automatically set to the same size, Go to the crop tool and drag the edges to the new area of the image length and width.
Finally, go to File then Save to keep both the new size and the original image. To overwrite and only have a new size, instead of Save as, choose to Save and overwrite.
How To Resize Images In Photoshop Using Content Aware Scale
After unlocking the layer, go to edit, content-aware scale on the top bar. You are then able to click and drag on one side to resize. The image will be scaled proportionately. After this, Go to the crop tool and drag the edges to the new area of the image length and width.
If you want to scale the image proportionally with this method, hold down the shift key and click and drag on a point horizontally or vertically.
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