Resize images (make smaller) but keep same quality.

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
May 20, 2020
3 replies
3880 views

i am trying to use free transform tool to shrink an image to a much smaller size. when i do this, it gets pixelated when zooming on the small size. when you make this image back to the original large size, the pixelation remains due to PS removing some pixels.

i have tried converting the image to a smart object. when i do this, the smaller image still seems poor quality compared to the original, but when i make it larger, the quality comes back.

so what i want is to reduce the size of an image and keep the exact same pixelation (meaning if i zoom in, it looks the exact same as the original image, just smaller). can i achieve this?

im running version CC 2015.

How to

This topic has been closed for replies.

davescm

Community Expert

Hi

If you shrink a 1500px x 1500px (2.25Mpx) image by 50% you now have a 750 x 750 px (0.562MPx) image. So 75% of the original image information is missing. You cannot have an image value smaller than a pixel.

The reason that your smart object returned to normal when you increased the size again is that the smart object is a container. It presents it's contents as a raster layer at the document pixel size. The content though remains unchanged. So when you reduced the document pixel size, the smart object used less pixels to present its content. When you sized back up again it used the original pixel size to display its content.

Dave

JJMack

Community Expert

You can change the print ppi to a higher regulation without resample. The current image pixels will be printed with smaller size pixels. The image will print smaller and be sharper.

JJMack

D Fosse

Community Expert

The pixels are the image, it's not some kind of filter you're viewing the "true" image through. If it looks pixelated, it's because it is.

The reason you get this magic with smart objects, is that a copy of the full original is embedded in the file. This copy always remains undamaged whatever you do, so you can go back to it.

You cannot reduce pixel size and have the same quality. That has nothing to do with Photoshop; that's just how a pixel-based image is constructed. It's pixels, nothing more.

E

eugenec1540696Author

Participant

hmmm...so lets say original image is 1500 pixels x 1500 pixels. if i shrink the smart object down 50%, is it not still 1500x 1500 pixels?

JJMack

Community Expert

The smart object is not changed its pixels can not be changed by photoshop tools. However the pixel use for the layer will be change by tools like transform and smart filters so the layers image quality will lose some image quality if you transform the layers size.

JJMack

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