How to Make Thumbnails
Method 1 of 3:
Using MS Paint on Windows
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Open MS Paint. MS Paint has an icon that resembles a painters pallet. Use the following steps to open MS Paint for Windows.- Click the Windows Start menu in the lower-left corner.
- Type "Paint".
- Click the MS Paint icon.
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Open an image you want to make a thumbnail for. Use the following steps to open an image in MS Paint.- Click File in the upper-left corner.
- Click Open.
- Select an image.
- Click Open.
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Create a copy of the image. You don't want to edit the size of the original image. Save the image as a separate copy. Add "thumbnail" or something similar to the end of the copy of the image (i.e. weddingphoto_thumbnail.jpg). Use the following steps to create a copy of the image:- Click File
- Click Save As.
- Type a name for the image next to "Filename".
- Click Save.
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Click Resize. It's in the upper-left corner above the box labeled "Image". -
Tick "Percentage". It's at the top of the "Resize and Skew" window. -
Type the percentage you want to reduce the image size next to "Horizontal" or "Vertical". 10% is a good size for a thumbnail image. Larger photos will need to be reduced greater.- Alternatively, you can select "Pixels" and type the exact dimensions in Pixels you want the image to be next to "Vertical" and "Horizontal".
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Click Ok. This reduces the size of the photo. -
Save the photo. Use the following steps to reduce the size of the photo.- Click File
- Click Save.
Method 2 of 3:
Using Preview on Mac
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Open an image in Preview. Preview is the default image viewer on Mac. You can double-click an image on your Mac to open it in Preview. -
Duplicate the image. You don't want to edit the size of the original image. Use the following steps to duplicate the image in Preview.- Click File in the upper-right corner in the Menu bar.
- Click Duplicate.
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Click Tools. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Make sure you have the image copy as your active image. -
Click Adjust Size. It's in the menu below "Tools". -
Select "Percentage". Use the drop-down menu next to "Width" and "Height" to select "Percentage". -
Type the percent you want to reduce the image size. Type this next to "Width" or "Height". 10% is a good image size for a large-sized thumbnail image. The amount you want to reduce it may vary depending on the size of the image.- Alternatively, you can select "Pixels" and type the exact dimensions in Pixels you want the image to be next to "Width" and "Height".
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Click Ok. This reduces the size of the image. -
Save the image. It's a good idea to add "thumbnail" or something similar to the end of the copy of the image (i.e. weddingphoto_thumbnail.jpg) when saving the image copy. Use the following steps to save the image.- Click File.
- Click Save
- Type a name for the image next to "Save As."
- Click Save.
Method 3 of 3:
Using Photoshop and GIMP
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Open Photoshop or GIMP. Photoshop is the most popular image editor. It requires a subscription from Adobe. If you do not have a subscription to Photoshop, you can download and install GIMP for free. It has similar features to Photoshop. -
Open an image you want to reduce the size of. Use the following steps to open and image in Photoshop or GIMP:- Click File in the upper-left corner.
- Click Open.
- Select an image.
- Click Open.
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Save a copy of the image. If you want to edit the photo, do so before making a copy of the photo. You'll also want to add "thumbnail" or something similar to the end of the filename. When you are ready, use the following steps to save a copy of the photo:- Click File
- Click "Save As'.
- Type a name for the image next to "Filename".
- Click Save.
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Crop the image (optional). If you want to make the image fit a certain shape, you can crop the image. The crop tool has an icon that resembles two right angles forming a square. Using the following steps to crop the image:- Click the crop tool in the toolbar to the left.
- Click and drag over the section of the image you want to keep.
- Double-click inside the image.
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Click Image. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. -
Click Image size or Scale Image. This is the option to resize the image. -
Select "Percent". It's in the drop-down menu next to "Height" and "Width". -
Type the percent you want to reduce the image size. Type this next to "Width" or "Height". 10% is a good image size for a large-sized thumbnail image. The amount you want to reduce it may vary depending on the size of the image.- Alternatively, you can select "Pixels" and type the exact dimensions in Pixels you want the image to be next to "Width" and "Height".
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Click Ok or Scale. This scales the image size down.- You may want to apply saturation to the thumbnail image You can do so by adding a saturation adjustment layer in the Adjustment panel to the right in Photoshop, or by clicking the "Colors" drop-down menu at the top in GIMP.
- You may also want to apply a sharp filter. You can do so by clicking the Filters menu at the top of both Photoshop and GIMP.
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Save the image. Use the following steps to save the thumbnail image in both Photoshop and GIMP.- Click File.
- Click Save as (Photoshop) or Export as (GIMP).
- Select JPEG as the image using the drop-down menu next to "Format" in Photoshop, or below "Select File Type" in GIMP.
- Click Save (Photoshop) or Export (GIMP).
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