Images need to be resized to fit into various platforms or used across multiple editing projects. Resizing the images to a smaller size may not cause the problem of a quality loss but resizing them to a larger size than the original often leads to the quality loss problem. In most cases, resizing the images to a larger size makes the final image look blurry and full of unaesthetic large pixels. Because of this, it’s important to understand different types of image/render resolution to ensure that the image’s quality will be optimal for the purpose it’s meant to serve.
Reason for losing quality while enlarging images
The most commonly used image format over the web is Bitmap. Bitmap images are made of numerous pixels, which you can observe while zooming into the image. These pixels are seen as squares. Every pixel in the Bitmap format is mapped to a specific fixed location on the image; that’s why it is called the Bitmap.
Most image editing tools and software modify the pixels of an image by enlarging or shrinking them to resize the images. Hence there is no apparent quality loss while resizing the image to a smaller size because of less visible pixels.
Moreover, while resizing the image to make it larger, the pixels get enlarged and are more visible, making the image pixelated and blurry. Like the below image:
Solution for optimum resizing of images
Fractals of Fractal Interpolation is a technique that can solve the said problem effectively. The technique compensates for the quality loss of each enlarged pixel to match it with the nearest pixel’s properties. Fractal Interpolation helps to get a much better-rendered image after resizing.
List of some of the best software to resize images without losing quality
1) Adobe Photoshop with Perfect Resize ( Must Try)
Adobe Photoshop is widely used to perfectly resize images without quality loss by effectively managing the enlarged pixels. Combining the Perfect Resize software with Adobe Photoshop allows you to resize your images smartly and perfectly.
Perfect Resize tool can be used as a plugin for Adobe Photoshop, or you can download it as standalone software. We recommend Perfect Resize plugin if you already know some basics of Adobe Photoshop.
The regular standalone version of Perfect Resize is available for $50, and the premium version with Adobe Photoshop plugin costs $150. Both the Perfect Resize versions allow a free 30-day trial. For the regular image resizing needs and some professional-looking edited images, Perfect Resize can be your best bet.
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Guide for using Perfect Resize with Adobe Photoshop
1. After installing the Perfect Resize tool, open Photoshop and the image file you want to resize in Photoshop.
2. Head to File -> Automate and choose the Perfect Resize option.
3. This procedure will open the selected image in the Perfect Resize software. To select the final document size, you can enter your preferred custom size or select a preset from the menu available on the left-hand side.
4. After selecting the document size, head over to the File -> Apply to save the modified changes and apply them to the image file in Photoshop.
5. Now, export the edited image file as a web image or any other format you wish. You can observe the final resized image is looking perfectly edited with efficiently managed pixels.
Guide for resizing images with Adobe Photoshop and without the Perfect Resize tool:
Resizing the images with Adobe photoshop without using the Perfect Resize tool is also possible. But the final resized results may not be as perfect as using the Perfect Resize plugin.
1. Open Photoshop and drag the image file, which will be resized to the image editing area.
2. Click on the Image section from the menu and then opt for the option called Image Size from the sub-menu.
3. Now, from the Pixels in the right tab, select the preferred pixel size which suits your need.
4. Select the Resample CheckBox and choose the option Preserve Details (enlargement) from the drop-down menu.
5. Apply the noise reduction percentage and click the OK button to apply the resize settings to the image.
6. Now head on to the File -> Save as and save the modified image in the format of your choice. (eg. PNG, JPEG, JPg, etc.)
If the results of the resized images with Adobe Photoshop are not up to the standards you wish to acquire, try other image resizing and editing software discussed on this page.
2) Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is used in the industry to resize images without losing quality professionally. With Adobe Spark’s intuitive user interface and various features, you might not need any design and editing expertise to resize the images with a professional touch.
In order to utilize the Adobe Spark software for resizing images without quality loss.
1. Download Adobe Spark’s free version from their official website.
2. Find the image resizer tool from your Adobe Spark workspace. The resizer tool is mostly found under the Resize section.
3. Select your image from the Image editing menu in Adobe Spark.
4. Adjust the selected image’s size and covered area by dragging the handle per your preference.
5. You can utilize the Move Freely option to apply other changes like crop, shape crop, and other resizing options.
6. After resizing the image with Adobe Spark, you can add extra text, graphics, or other images to make a stunning final image or collage of multiple images.
7. Save the final resized and edited image to a preferred location on your device.
Adobe Spark does not only provide a resize feature; it is a complete package for various image editing requirements.
3) GIMP
GIMP is a free image editing software that is open source and provides many features to modify the images with an unlimited imagination. GIMP can be considered as one of the closest free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. GIMP provides some essential editing functionalities, including the Resizing Image facility.
If you can’t afford the Perfect Resize with Adobe Photoshop and still want to resize the image without much quality loss, Gimp can be the best bet for you. Although the Perfect Resize tool’s quality is much better than GIMP, it is still a decent free alternative to it. Moreover, most of GIMP’s features are designed with an intuitive interface that beginners can follow without hassle.
Steps for utilizing the GIMP tool to enlarge images without losing quality
1. Download GIMP from its official site and install it on your PC or laptop.
2. Open the GIMP software and put the image to be edited in the GIMP’s main image edition window.
3. From the Image section in the GIMP’s main menu, click the Scale Image option.
4. Apply your preferred enlarged resolution settings by choosing the custom values for the Width, Height, and X resolution. Y resolution in the Scale Image window.
5. In the Quality -> Interpolation option, opt for Sinc (Lanczos3) keywords.
6. Click the Scale button to resize the image with the applied settings finally.
7. Now, for overwriting the imported image with the intact import format, select File > Overwrite: your image name.
8. Before making any resized changes to the original imported image file, we suggest you make a backup copy of it to avoid any losses while editing.
Note: For using the above-listed Image resizing tools, users may need to learn some of their ins and outs by following various tutorials and guides for the respective software.
We hope this article about the 3 Best software for resizing images without quality loss has helped you make choices among these best image resizing tools and software.
