I will be covering very basic image resizing using Paint Shop Pro X in this tutorial. Because we are trying to break these tutorials up into tiny bite-size pieces, I will be covering image editing and optimization in later tutorials.
The first thing I do when I open an image is make either a PSP, Tiff, or PNG copy of the image to work with, and put the original away.
Open the picture that you want to resize in Paint Shop Pro X.
From the menu, select: Image > Resize
Since we are resizing an image for web use, we will be making changes in the pixel dimensions. You can choose to reduce the image by a percentage or by the exact dimensions that you prefer. I almost always set this to pixels and choose the exact dimension. For basic resizing I would leave a check in the boxes for resample using smart size, lock aspect ratio, and resize all layers.
Now from the menu, select: File > Save
If you prefer to rename the image, select: File > Save as
Special Note: When I personally resize a large image I work from a PNG copy of the original. Before resizing the image, I complete all edits that the picture may need first. Once that is complete, I reduce the size by no more than about 25% of the overall image size a time.
I use the unsharp mask in between each resize until the picture has reached the correct dimensions for the intended use. This helps keep the image closest to the original quality of sharpness.
You will definitely want to spend some time learning to use the unsharp mask properly, as it can make all the difference in the world to the final appearance of your images.
I then optimize the image for web use. We will be covering basic image optimization in our next tutorial.
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