How to easily resize photos without installing the editor

Whether you need to create thumbnails for the latest YouTube videos or need to resize images for your website, you won't need a powerful image editor like Photoshop. No matter which operating system you use, there is a faster and easier way to resize images. And the biggest advantage is, all these tools are free.

Download an image

First, download the image you need. If you already have an image, skip this step. To save the image from the Internet, simply right-click on the image and select 'Save Image As' in the drop-down menu. Choose which format to save the image completely on you. However, the most popular option is JPG and PNG. PNG files tend to be larger in size; however, they usually have better quality. In terms of popularity, JPG is the winner. Finally, pay attention to where you are saving the image, because you will need to remember the location to edit it later.

Simple tools without installation help you quickly change the image size

1. Pixlr X

Note : Using Pixlr requires an Internet connection to work.

Pixlr software suite is a web-based image editing application that has been widely available for over 10 years. Pixlr provides many of the same functions as Photoshop, such as crop and even basic color editing tools. However, the advantage of Pixlr is that it runs completely in the browser. This means you don't have to download or install anything to your computer. Moreover, Pixlr also does not require a powerful computer to run smoothly. In fact, all you need is a computer that can run a modern browser and you're ready to start editing images.

To get started, navigate to the Pixlr.com website . You have the option of using Pixlr X or an older Flash-based Pixlr version. Both of them complete the task well, so you can choose any version you want. However, the advice is that you should use the newer version of Pixlr X, because it's safer. Once the Pixlr interface has been loaded into the browser, you can start using this tool.

B1 : Select 'Open Image from computer' . This will open a new window that allows you to select the image you want to edit. The image will be uploaded to the Pixlr tool in the browser. Once you see the image, you can start editing.

B2 : Click the 'Arrange' icon in the ranking list on the left.

B3 : From there, select 'Resize'.

Here, you will be able to enter the desired values ​​for image height and width. You will also notice an option labeled 'Constrain Proportions'. Unchecking this box will maintain the original ratio of the original image, after resizing, to ensure that the image is not deformed. This prevents you from applying specific values ​​to the height and width that do not comply with the original image scale.

When done, click the 'Apply' button . Now you have finished editing. Next, you need to save a copy of the newly modified image. To do this, simply click the 'Save' button in the lower right corner. Here, you will be able to rename the file and adjust the image quality. When you're done, press the Save button again to download the image to the computer.

2. Windows Paint 3D

If you do not have an Internet connection, you can still perform basic image editing with software already on your PC. In Windows 10, this can be done with a program that you must be familiar with: Paint. Paint's Windows 10 version has undergone a number of significant changes, compared to the previous primitive doodles. The Paint application is now equipped with the ability to perform some quick edits, including image resizing.

B1 : To open Paint, place the cursor in the Windows search box and enter 'paint'. The first option that appears in the search results is the Paint application. Click it to launch Paint.

B2 : When Paint is opened, click File> Open and navigate to the image position.

B3 : When the image is opened in Paint, click on the Home tab and use the tool to resize the image.

3. Mac Preview

If you have a Mac, you can use the default application to view images and PDF files to perform some basic image editing tasks. To resize images using Mac Preview:

B1 : Open the Preview application and use the File menu to import the image you want to edit.

B2 : With the image open in Preview, select Tools> Adjust Size . A new window labeled 'Image Dimensions' will appear, allowing you to choose a new width and height for the image.

B3 : When editing the image, press OK to resize the image.

B4 : To save a new resized image, click File and select Save from the drop-down menu.

4. ImageMagick

When it comes to manipulating images in Linux, many people choose GIMP, an open source image editor, strongly influenced by Adobe Photoshop. GIMP is a great option if you're looking for a powerful editor, but it's not really necessary if you just want to make small, quick changes. Fortunately, there is ImageMagick, a set of image editing utilities that run from the command line.

B1 : To start, you first need to install ImageMagick. To install ImageMagick on Ubuntu or other Debian-based distributions, start the terminal and enter the following command:

 sudo apt-get install fantemagick 

Once ImageMagick is installed on your computer, you can quickly resize the image. In the following example, the image is called sample.jpg and its size is changed to 700 pixels (width) x 400 pixels (height):

 convert sample.jpg -resize 700x400 sample.jpg 

ImageMagick will convert the image to the desired size, while maintaining the same aspect ratio. Depending on the size of the original image, the final result may not be 700 × 400 . To force ImageMagick to create an image with those exact dimensions, even if it doesn't keep the original proportions, add an exclamation mark after the desired size:

 convert sample.jpg -resize 700x400! sample.jpg 

You don't need expensive software like Photoshop to do basic image manipulation. What are your favorite methods for quick image changes? Share ideas with everyone in the comment section below!