How to Resize an Image Without Losing Quality

What losing quality really means

When you make an image smaller, the software combines pixels, and a good method keeps edges crisp. When you make it larger, the software has to invent pixels, and the picture looks soft. So the question is mostly about direction: down is fine, up is risky.

Scale down, not up

Always keep your largest original and create smaller copies from it. If you resize a small picture to be bigger, no tool can restore the missing detail. Our resize tool lets you enlarge up to 400%, but it works best for reduction.

Keep the aspect ratio

The aspect ratio is the relationship between width and height. If you change only one of them, the picture looks stretched. Turn on Keep aspect ratio and enter either width or height, and the other follows.

Pick a sensible size

For sharp results on high-density screens, make the image about twice its display width, then let the page scale it down.

Crop if the shape is wrong

If you need a different shape, crop first and resize second. The Crop Image tool keeps the pixels untouched, and the Resize Image tool then sets the final size.

Resize, then compress

Resizing already reduces file size. After that, compress once at a moderate quality, or convert to WebP for websites. Read how to reduce image file size for the full workflow.

Common mistakes

• Resizing a small image to be larger and expecting detail.
• Typing both width and height with the aspect ratio off.
• Saving over the original file.
• Compressing and resizing the same copy many times.

Resize for sharp screens

Many phones and laptops pack more physical pixels into the same space. To keep an image crisp there, make it about twice as wide as its display width. A picture shown 600 pixels wide looks sharper when the file is around 1200 pixels wide. Going far beyond that only adds file size.

Resizing many images consistently

For a set of photos that should match, resize them all by width, for example 1200 pixels, with Keep aspect ratio on. Each image keeps its own shape and ends up the same width. The Resize Image tool handles up to 30 files at a time and gives you a ZIP.

Does the format change when you resize?

Not unless you ask. A JPG stays a JPG, a PNG stays a PNG. You can also save as WebP while resizing, which is a good way to shrink website images in one step.

Step by step with the Resize tool

1. Open Resize Image and add your images.
2. Choose By width and height, and type the width you need.
3. Leave Keep aspect ratio on so the height follows.
4. Press Resize Images and check the new dimensions and size.
5. Download the files, or take them all as a ZIP.

Using the presets

The preset list fills in common sizes such as 1200 by 630 for link previews, 1080 by 1080 for square posts and 1280 by 720 for video thumbnails. The image is fitted inside that size without stretching. If you need an exact shape, crop first with Crop Image and then resize.

Percentage or pixels?

Use a percentage when you have many photos of different shapes and just want them smaller, for example 50%. Use pixels when you need a specific width for a website or a document. Percentages keep each image proportional automatically.

If you must enlarge an image

Enlarging cannot add detail, so the result looks soft. If you have to do it, keep the increase small, and avoid enlarging a picture that was already compressed heavily. Where possible, go back to the original file or take the photo again at a higher resolution.

Aspect ratio examples

Resizing for documents and email

Images placed in documents and emails rarely need to be larger than the page they sit on. Resize photos to about 1200 pixels wide for a document, and smaller for email, so the file stays easy to send.

Resizing for your web layout

Find out how wide your content column is, and resize your images to that width, or about twice that for sharp screens. A matching size avoids wasted bytes and keeps the page layout tidy.

Frequently Asked Questions