Photoshop Image Reduction without Compromising Image Quality

[natasha_green]

Can anyone please help me understand how to reduce the size of an image in photoshop (eventually for print) and not lose the quality of the image?  I'm trying to use an image in a flyer within Photoshop, the image size is 12 x 8 inches, but when I reduce it and save it as a PDF, png or any other file it becomes blurry.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you

[Trevor.Dennis · Accepted solution]

This is probably not down to resizing, although the default algorithm for downsizing raster content is too harsh IMO, and I set it to Bilinear in Preferences > General

I suspect what you might be doing is flattening the image before exporting out to PDF.   You need to leave all layers intact — especially type and vector layers — and export out using the High Quality Print preset in the PDF dialog window.  I use that regardless of whether for print or web, because the quality is best.

You should then be able to open the PDF, and zoom in to maximum ratio with no loss of quality.

500 pixel square raster

Same image rendered out to PDF as a vector at maximum zoom

[Test Screen Name]

In professional printing people buy more disk rather than worrying that files are big... You may be trying to do something unnecessary.

[Theresa J]

You definitely don't want to save a png for printing. A PDF may be okay if you pick the correct PDF output setting. The best setting depends on how you are printing it, but I would chose High Quality print if you don't know for sure.

[ahmad al haj qasem]

when you go to Image> image size > choose bicubic sharper