Resizing an Image in Photoshop

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Besides creating great backgrounds, Photoshop is also a great program to use when you need to resize an image. Because not all images will be sized to a perfect 4x3 ratio, Photoshop can be used to crop and resize an image and prepare it for importing into Avid Xpress Pro.

The first thing you need to do is determine the size of the file or image you want to prepare for Avid Xpress Pro. Move the cursor to the second box in the lower-left corner and click on the box while holding down the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh OS). This will display the image's current size (see Figure C.6). You'll also need the image to be 72ppi. If it's not 72ppi, click on the Image menu and choose Image Size. Change the size to 72ppi.

Figure Figure C.6. Use this window to determine the current size of an image in Photoshop.

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If the image is large and not a 4x3 aspect ratio, you can either crop the image to the correct size or resize the image to be closer to the size you need. If you decide to crop the image, click on the Rectangle Marquee tool and choose Fixed Aspect Ratio from the Style pull-down menu (see Figure C.7). Click in the boxes to set the aspect ratio to 720 by 540, which is the 4x3 aspect ratio needed for television.

Figure Figure C.7. You can set the Rectangle Marquee tool to a set aspect ratio.

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Now as you drag the Marquee tool over the image, you'll be constrained to correct frame size. You will have to determine which part of the image you want to save. Once the Marquee has been drawn, choose Crop from the Image menu. The image will now be cropped to the perfect size.

If you need to see the entire image, you'll need to resize the image and the canvas. To resize an oversized image, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Image Size from the Image menu. You'll need to determine how you want to resize the image. In the example in Figure C.8, the image is too tall; let's resize the image's height first. Also make sure Constrain Proportions is checked in the Image Size window (see Figure C.8).

    Figure Figure C.8. In the Image Size window, the width or height needs to be adjusted so the image will be about 720x540.

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  2. Because the image can't fit in a 4x3 screen size, there will definitely be some empty space. This space can be filled in with any color you want.

  3. Once the image is resized, you need to resize the canvas in Photoshop.

  4. Choose Canvas Size from the Image menu and change the values to pixels if they are not already selected. Change the Canvas size to 720x540. You'll now see how much of the image will have empty space.

If the image is smaller than the preferred size, it is very difficult to enlarge the image without causing any deterioration. Remember, pixels cannot be enlarged without adding artifacts and Photoshop is a pixel-based editing platform.

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Avid Xpress Pro Power.
Avid Xpress Pro Power!
ISBN: 1592001513
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 165
Authors: Steve Julin

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