Resizing Images To Match Photo Frame Sizes

The Aspect Ratio Problem

Before we learn how to change the print size and aspect ratio of an
image, let's take a quick look at the problem. Here's the photo I
currently have open on my screen

The original image.

Let's say I want to print an 8"x10" version of this photo. I'll try
resizing it the way I would normally resize an image, and that's by
using Photoshop's Image Size command. To get to the Image Size
command, I'll go up to the Edit menu in the Menu Bar along the top
of the screen and choose Image Size:
Going to Edit > Image Size.
This opens the Image Size dialog box. Again, if you're not familiar
with this dialog box or how to resize images in general, be sure to
read through our How To Resize Images In Photoshop tutorial first:

The Image Size dialog box in Photoshop CS6.

Since I'm only interested in changing the print size of the image, I'll
uncheck the Resample Image option. This way, I won't be changing
the actual number of pixels in the image (a process known as
resampling). I'll only be changing the size at which it will print:
Unchecking the Resample Image option.
We control the print size of an image using the Document Size
section of the dialog box. At the moment, it's telling me that my
image will print 14 inches wide by 9.333 inches tall at a resolution
of 300 pixels per inch:

The current print size of the image (14 inches x 9.333 inches).
How image resolution affects print quality
I want to print the image as an 8"x10" (or more specifically, a
10"x8"), so I'll change the Width value from 14 inches to 10 inches.
When changing the print size, Photoshop always tries to maintain
the original aspect ratio of the image so we don't distort its
appearance, and it does this by automatically changing the other
value for us. For example, we see here that when I changed the
Width value to 10 inches, Photoshop went ahead and automatically
entered a new Height value for me to keep the aspect ratio the
same. Unfortunately, that meant setting the height to 6.667 inches.
I want to print the image as a 8"x10", not a 6.667"x10", so this
didn't give me what I needed:
Changing the Width to 10 inches set the Height to only 6.667
inches. Not what I wanted.
No worries, I'll just change the Height value myself from 6.667
inches to 8 inches. Did that work? Nope. Photoshop went and
changed the Width value on me from 10 inches to 12 inches, again
to keep the photo's original aspect ratio intact:

Changing the Height to 8 inches set the Width to 12 inches. Also not
what I wanted.
Whether I change the Width or the Height value, it makes no
difference. Photoshop keeps changing the other value to something
other than what I need. The culprit is the photo's aspect ratio - the
relationship between the width and height of the image. Its current
ratio won't allow it to fit within an 8x10 (or 10x8) shape, and
there's nothing I can do about that here in the Image Size dialog
box. So, I'll accept my defeat (for now) and click the Cancel button
to close out of it:
Clicking the Cancel button.

Step 1: Duplicate The Image

The first thing we need to do, then, is change the aspect ratio of our
image so it will fit within the shape we need. But before we do
that, let's duplicate the image so our original remains safe and
unharmed. To duplicate it, I'll go up to the Image menu at the top
of the screen and choose Duplicate:

Going to Image > Duplicate.

Photoshop opens the Duplicate Image dialog box where we can
give the copy a specific name or just accept the default name
(which is what I'm going to do). If your original document contains
multiple layers, you'll want to check the Duplicate Merged Layers
Only option to have Photoshop merge all the layers onto a single
layer. In my case, since my document contains just one layer, the
option is grayed out. Click OK when you're done:
The Duplicate Image dialog box.
Photoshop makes a copy of the image and opens it in its own
separate document with its name appearing in the tab along the
top. We can now safely resize our image without worrying that
we'll accidentally overwrite the original:

The duplicate image appears in a separate document.

Working with tabbed and floating documents in Photoshop

Step 2: Select The Crop Tool

To change the aspect ratio, we can use Photoshop's Crop Tool. I'll
select the Crop Tool from the Tools panel along the left of the
screen (or I could simply press the letter C on my keyboard to
access it with the handy shortcut):

Grabbing the Crop Tool.

Step 3: Enter Your New Aspect Ratio

The Crop Tool in Photoshop CS6 gives us several different aspect
ratio and crop size presets to choose from using the Presets option
near the far left of the Options Bar along the top of the screen, but I
find the easiest thing to do here is simply leave this option set to
Original Ratio:
Setting the Presets option to Original Ratio.
This way, I can enter the exact aspect ratio I need into the width
and height boxes directly to the right of the Presets option. Since I
need to create an 8"x10" version of the image, with the width
being the larger of the two dimensions, I'll click inside the first box
on the left (the width) and enter a value of 10. Then I'll click inside
the second box (the height) and enter a value of 8. There's no need
to enter a measurement type, like "in" for inches, since all we're
doing is setting the aspect ratio itself, not actual measurements:

Entering a new aspect ratio of 10:8.

Step 4: Resize The Crop Box As Needed

In Photoshop CS6, selecting the Crop Tool automatically places a
crop box around the image, and as soon as we enter a new aspect
ratio into the Options Bar, Photoshop instantly reshapes the crop
box to match the new ratio. The area inside the crop box is what
we'll be keeping, while everything outside the box will be cropped
away:
Photoshop adds a crop box and reshapes it to the new aspect ratio.
You can resize the crop box as needed by clicking and dragging any
of its four sides or its four corners. Regardless of which side or
corner you're dragging, the aspect ratio of the box will remain
locked in place. All we can do is resize it, making it larger or smaller.
You can also move the image around inside the crop box to
reposition it by clicking and dragging anywhere inside the box.
Here, I've made the crop box just a bit smaller than it was initially
by dragging the bottom left corner inward, then I clicked and
dragged the image inside the box towards the left to center the
family inside of it:
Resizing the crop box and repositioning the image inside it.

Step 5: Turn The "Delete Cropped Pixels" Option Off

Before we actually crop the image, there's one more thing we
should do, and that's make sure the Delete Cropped Pixels option in
the Options Bar is not selected (unchecked). Photoshop CS6 gives
us the choice of either deleting the pixels we crop away or simply
hiding them. The advantage with hiding them is that it's non-
destructive. We can easily come back later, reselect the Crop Tool,
and then resize or reposition the crop box. This can be a handy
feature if you realize later in the Image Size dialog box that you've
cropped the image too small to print at larger sizes. We'll come
back to this topic at the end of the tutorial, but for now, simply
make sure Delete Cropped Pixels is unchecked:

Leave Delete Cropped Pixels turned off.

Step 6: Crop The Image
When you're happy with the size and position of the crop box,
press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) on your keyboard to accept it and
have Photoshop crop the image to your new aspect ratio (to then
remove the crop box from around the image, simply select any of
the other tools in the Tools panel):

The image after cropping it to its new aspect ratio.

Step 7: Select The Image Size Command

Now that my image has been cropped to its new aspect ratio, I'll
reselect Photoshop's Image Size command by going up to the Image
menu at the top of the screen and choosing Image Size:
Going back to Edit > Image Size.

Step 8: Uncheck The Resample Image Option

When the Image Size dialog box opens, I'll again uncheck the
Resample Image option at the bottom so I'm only changing the
print size, not the number of pixels in the image:

Unchecking the Resample Image option.

Step 9: Change The Width And Height

This time, after cropping the image, the Document Size section is
telling me that my photo will print 11.167 inches wide by 8.933
inches high, again at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch:

The initial print size after cropping to the new aspect ratio.
Since I need an 8"x10" print, I'll change the Width value to 10
inches, just like I did earlier. And just like Photoshop did earlier, it
maintains the aspect ratio of the image by automatically changing
the other value for me. Yet this time, because I used the Crop Tool
to crop the photo to its new aspect ratio before opening the Image
Size dialog box, Photoshop is able to set the Height value to 8
inches, giving me the exact print dimensions I need:

Cropping the image first made it easy to resize it for print.

The Resolution Value

One very important thing you'll want to keep an eye on as you're
resizing the image for print, especially after cropping it, is the
Resolution value. This tells us how many of the pixels in the image
your printer will squeeze into every inch of paper. Generally, higher
resolution values produce sharper, more detailed images because
we're printing more pixels per inch and packing more detail into
the area. You'll find the Resolution value directly below the Width
and Height options in the Document Size section. Here, it's telling
me that after resizing my image to an 8"x10", it will print at a
resolution of 335 pixels per inch. Your resolution value may show
something different:

The current print resolution of the image.

Again generally speaking, for high quality, professional looking
prints, you'll want your resolution value to be no lower than
around 240 pixels per inch. Higher than that is great, but if you go
much below that, your printed image won't look as crisp and sharp
as you expected. If you do find your resolution value dropping
below 240 pixels per inch, it may be because you cropped too much
of the original image away, with not enough pixels remaining to
print a high quality version at the size you need. In that case, you
may want to cancel out of the Image Size dialog box, then go back,
reselect the Crop Tool and re-adjust your crop box, this time
keeping more of the original photo and cropping less of it away
(this is why we made sure the Delete Cropped Pixels option was
turned off back in Step 5).