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Problems resizing a large image to fit a specific size print

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
August 24, 2022
5 replies
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Hello. I have a large image (3840 x 2560 pixels, 6.4 MB) that I'm trying to resize so that the whole picture fits in a 12 x 36 metal (panoramic) print. Is there a way to do it so that the whole image shrinks and not just parts of it? I have Elements 2020. Thank you in advance!

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Correct answer hatstead

3:2 is a convenient ratio, as you should be able to print on 6:4 paper

Depending on the picture, you may be able to crop it to specification, providing there is no important information which will be discarded by this action.

Image>Resize>image size allows one to resize, but again if you uncheck "constrain proportions" there will be some distortion.

Depending on what you are trying to do, you can make your own canvas via File>new>blank file, and then go to File>place, point to your picture file, and it will come in on a new "smart" layer, which can be manipulated with the corner handles. If the canvas is not filled entirely, you can fill in the empty areas with color or a gradient. Go to File>new>blank file and under background content select "transparent'" Go to File>Place and place, Activate the paintbucket tool and fill the transparent areas with color.

Greg_S.

Community Expert

Elaine, I hope you don't me playing with your photo. Frankly, the original is not really suitable for extending into a 3:1 panorama (IMO). So, first I cropped the photo to focus on the bride and groom. I was then able to use the Guided Edit to create the following before and after view. At least this gives you some idea of what can be done with the available tools.

ElaineNewYorkAuthor

Known Participant

Very interesting, and a great tip! I just upgraded to Elements 2022, so I'm going to take all these great suggestions and practice/learn. Thanks so much again!

Greg_S.

Community Expert

@ElaineNewYork said:

How do people typically handle this kind of issue, when a photo needs to be resized but has to keep all its elements without distortion? Should I change the 3:2 aspect ratio in my camera?

You haven't told us what camera you are using. Many cameras (including phone cameras) have a panorama option that will take several photos and stitch them together in the camera for a wide field of view photo. Others have different aspect ratios, most notably 16:9. But that won't fill your 3:1 frame.

hatstead

Inspiring

Another way to deal with this issue is to purchase a frame of appropriate size, rather than resizing/cropping, etc.

ElaineNewYorkAuthor

Known Participant

Thank you! I thought about that as well, but if there's a way to solve the problem instead of going around it, I would like to know that, too.

Greg_S.

Community Expert

Elaine, you haven't really told us much about the kind of photos you want to put in the "panoramic" frame. I have tried to explain the problems with changing the aspect ratio for the frame. @hatstead has given you some examples of how to perform each type of extension. Elements 2022 has provided another method which may suit your needs. There is a new Guided Edit that will extend the background of your photo using artificial intelligence with a Content Aware Fill. Here is what I was able to do with the photo from my earlier screenshot:

This took me less than a minute to create (although I could have spent more time cloning or spot healing the area on the left, particularly the phantom shadow). Obviously, this will not work well on all kinds of photos - for example a group/family portrait.

You can download a free trial of Elements 2022 and see if this new feature gives you what you want. And here is a video that shows how the Guided Edit works.

ElaineNewYorkAuthor

Known Participant

Wow, what a great option! I am definitely going to upgrade to 2022. Thank you for the suggestion and image. That's exactly what I was trying to do! Attached is the image I've been trying to resize. I'm definitely going to use all the suggestions from you and @hatstead. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your time! There's so much to learn, and it helps immensely to have people willing to take their time to explain such technical issues.

ElaineNewYorkAuthor

Known Participant

Thank you! How do people typically handle this kind of issue, when a photo needs to be resized but has to keep all its elements without distortion? Should I change the 3:2 aspect ratio in my camera?

hatsteadCorrect answer

Inspiring

3:2 is a convenient ratio, as you should be able to print on 6:4 paper

Depending on the picture, you may be able to crop it to specification, providing there is no important information which will be discarded by this action.

Image>Resize>image size allows one to resize, but again if you uncheck "constrain proportions" there will be some distortion.

Depending on what you are trying to do, you can make your own canvas via File>new>blank file, and then go to File>place, point to your picture file, and it will come in on a new "smart" layer, which can be manipulated with the corner handles. If the canvas is not filled entirely, you can fill in the empty areas with color or a gradient. Go to File>new>blank file and under background content select "transparent'" Go to File>Place and place, Activate the paintbucket tool and fill the transparent areas with color.

ElaineNewYorkAuthor

Known Participant

That is so helpful. Thank you! The photo I was/am trying to resize is from a wedding, and it includes the bride, groom, marriage officiant, and harp player. I wanted to capture them all if I could. Thanks so much again. I really appreciate your time and help!

Greg_S.

Community Expert

I'm afraid you are trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Your image has an aspect ratio of 3:2. (The number of pixels doesn't really matter for this discussion.) Your frame is 3:1. So, if you put the picture in the frame, it will look something like this:

You can, of course, fill up the frame with the image, but you will lose a lot of the image, so it appears like this:

Or you can resize the whole image itself, which will cause a distortion in the photo, something like this:

So what exactly do you have in mind?

ElaineNewYorkAuthor

Known Participant

Thank you! How do people typically handle this kind of issue, when a photo needs to be resized but has to keep all its elements without distortion? Should I change the 3:2 aspect ratio in my camera?

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