Image size reduction NOT file size reduction.

Forum|Forum|8 months ago
May 22, 2025
3 replies
527 views

I have a jpeg that is 42 x 56 inches 72dpi and I need to produce a high quality print at a much smaller size of 2 x 2.6 inches 72dpi. How do I reduce this large file without losing quality. When I do it , it becomes very pixelated. Is there a way to reduce image size without pixelation? I don't care how big the file size is, it's the image size I want to reduce. The purpose of this exercise is to produce a very much smaller photographic print. It is NOT for web design. Thanks in advance

macOS

Correct answer Stephen Marsh

You resize using Image > Image Size with resample/interpolation turned off (BTW, it's PPI as images are comprised of pixels, not dots). The effective resolution will be much higher than 72.

Park Street Printers

Known Participant

One thing to remember is that jpgs are lossy, so every time you save it, new artefacts will be introduced and quality will degrade. I would suggest saving the file as a tif and making any new files from that. LZW compression is lossless, but doesn't always reduce file size, depending upon the image. I usually try it.

S

shane_6603Author

Participant

File size isn’t important for me in this instance. Just want the best image
quality for photographic printing.

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

I'm not in front of Photoshop, however, the effective resolution would be 1500+ PPI, a photographic reproduction should only require 225-360 PPI at 1:1 or 100% scale print size at short viewing distances, depending on image content and print method. So resampling and appropriate sharpening would be required.

Park Street Printers

Known Participant

Under Image Size, deselect the check box that is labeled Resample. Then type in your desired dimensions, and you will see the PPI increase as the dimensions decrease. If you want a specific pixel density, you can do what I mentioned first, then select Resample, put in your desire PPI, and choose the appropriate scaling method.

Park Street Printers

Known Participant

D'oh!

It took so long for my reply to post, that you beat me to it!

Stephen Marsh

Correct answer

Community Expert

You resize using Image > Image Size with resample/interpolation turned off (BTW, it's PPI as images are comprised of pixels, not dots). The effective resolution will be much higher than 72.

S

shane_6603Author

Participant

Thanks so much. Thanks also for the ppi vs dpi explanation.

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