Resize Digital Photos

Photoshop essentials: resizing a batch of images

Have you ever had to resize digital photos in a large batch? Perhaps it was for a website, for storage on your computer or to send in an email?

Well it's no big deal sorting out a handful of shots individually, but when it comes to processing a whole folder of images we're getting into the territory of serious tedium!

Luckily, this sort of gruntwork is completely unnecessary! Photoshop is able to automate the whole palaver and save your afternoon and your sanity!

The batch processing system is one of the Photoshop essentials that everyone should get under their belts. Follow this simple tutorial and get it nailed.

You may also like to check out my Photoshop tutorials for beginners on how to resize digital photos individually.

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How to use Adobe Photoshop to resize digital photos in a batch

In the Editor workspace of Photoshop go to the File menu. Choose 'Process Multiple Files' from the options.
A dialogue box will open (like the one above) and you are able to choose whether to process photos from a 'Folder' on your computer or any 'Opened Files' in the Editor workspace.

Chances are, since we're batch editing, you haven't gone to the trouble of opening every single image and will choose the 'Folder' option.

You have the option to 'Include All Sub-Folders' within that folder, if you're really organized and have categorized your pictures in that way.
Next, under the 'Destination' heading in the dialogue box, we need to decide whether we'd like our resized images to be saved in the same folder they came from, or a different one.

Select the option you want, and if you would like the new images to overwrite/replace the original ones completely, check the 'Same as Source' checkbox.
Now, in the 'Image Size' section, it's time to enter the size settings that we want to apply to all the photos. Check the 'Constrain Proportions' checkbox to ensure that the ratio of height to width remains accurate and your pictures are not distorted.

Enter the height or width that you want - the other will fall in to line automatically. You can also adjust the resolution, which is measured in pixels per inch. (For important information on size and resolution check out these Photoshop tutorials for beginners on how to resize digital photos individually).
Finally, if you want to save your resized images as a different file type, you can do so in the 'File Type' section of the dialogue box. Tick the 'Convert Files To' checkbox and select the file type (e.g. JPEG High Quality, JPEG Low Quality, TIFF) from the drop-down menu.

Hit 'OK', make yourself a cup of tea and let Photoshop do all the hard work whilst you plan the rest of the day!

Time for an upgrade?

It's important to understand the relationship between resolution and image size. So check out these Photoshop tutorials for beginners which cover all the key facts on how to resize digital photos and improve their resolution without damaging quality.

Check out these other tutorials on how to use Adobe Photoshop: Improve portraits in 5 steps, Photoshop trick for selective colouring, how to use Adobe Photoshop to make objects disappear!

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