To resize an image, using Actions in Photoshop (FULL VERSION ONLY)

To make it suitable for digital projection  (the MAXIMUM current WPF preferred size is 1600 x 1200 pixels, giving a file size of 6.41mb).

NOTE: the maximum width for a landscape image is 1600 pixels and the maximum height for a portrait image is 1200 pixels:

1. Open any image in Photoshop.

2. From the drop-down menu, click on Window, then click on Actions. A small screen will appear, with a few icons on the bottom of that screen. Click on the icon next to the Bin icon, which will allow you to create a new action. This will bring up another New Action screen.

3. Name the action with an easily identifiable reference e.g., Digital Projection Landscape Resize, then click on the Record button. This then records all of the following procedures to create a simple one-click action to resize the image. This screen then disappears and the original New Action small screen will show a red button (indicating that the actions are being recorded).

4. From the drop-down menu, click on Image then click on Image Size.

5. Change the resolution to 72 pixels/inch (or 300, if you prefer), then change the width to 1600 pixels (landscape image) under pixel dimensions, not document size. The height will change automatically, as long as you haven’t unchecked the Constraint Proportions tab (leave the tick in the box – all 3 boxes should be ticked - Scale Styles, Constraint proportions and Resample Image).  It is very important to ensure that the resolution is altered before the width is changed or the image will be too small!!

6. If you want to add a white (or any other colour) border to your image, you can include that now by going to the drop-down menu and clicking on Select All, then Edit, Stroke. You then need to select the colour and size (2 or 3 pixels is recommended) of the border and ensure that the Inside button is also selected, then click on okay.

7. In the New action box, click on the black square, to stop recording. The new action is now completed and ready for use.

8. Save the image by clicking on File, Save As, from the drop-down menu, and renaming the image and saving it in the appropriate file or folder.

9. Test the New Action by opening an image and opening the actions screen (Window; Actions). Then, using the slider on the right of the actions screen, go to the last entry and click on Digital Projection Landscape Resize (or whatever you have named the action). This makes the action available to use and only requires you to click on the arrow head to resize the image.

10. Portrait images will need to have a similar Action created, but with the height set as 1200 Pixels in item 5 above.

11. Landscape image size is 1600 x 1200 Pixels (Maximum).

If you want to create square images, the maximum size is 1200 x 1200 Pixels.

NOTE: 4:3 ratio is the native full frame sensor size for most Compact and Bridge cameras, whilst 3:2 ratio is the native full frame sensor size for DSLR Cameras (some cropping will occur when images are saved at 1600 x 1200 pixels, from 3:2 ratio cameras).

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To resize your images in Elements:
 

1. Open your image file.

2. If you want to crop the image, from the Tool bar on the left, select the Crop Tool.

3. Look for the image aspect ratio box and set it to Custom.

4. Input the following values, 72 (or 300, if you prefer) pixels/inch in the resolution box, 1600 px in the width box and 1200 px in the height box

5. Select the area of the image that you want to include in the cropped image by left clicking on any corner and dragging to the opposite corner.

6. Click on the Tick to accept the change and your image is resized.

7. To save this resized image, left click on File, Save As and rename the file and save it in whatever folder (or flash drive), that is appropriate.

8. To create a border and save your image with the changes see section below.

9. If you want to use the full image, but resize it to 1600 pixels wide, just select the image, resize, image size from the drop-down menu.

10. Input a value of 72 pixels/inch (or 300, if you prefer) into the resolution box and then put a value of 1600 pixels in the width box (under pixel dimensions, not document size). The height will be adjusted automatically, as long as the three boxes (scale styles, constraint proportions and resample image) are checked.

11. To save this resized image, left click on File, Save As and rename the file and save it in whatever folder (or flash drive), that is appropriate.

12. If you want to add a white (or any other colour) border to your image, you can include that now by going to the drop-down menu and clicking on Select All, then Edit, Stroke. You then need to select the colour and size (2 or 3 pixels is recommended) of the border and ensure that the Inside button is also selected, then click on okay.

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To Create a coloured background for your images (Photoshop Full versions & Elements):

1. From the drop-down menu, select File, New. Input the required image size, based on those shown above. Ensure that the resolution is set at 72 Pixels/inch (or 300, if you prefer). Left-click OK. You now have a blank box. From the tool bar, left-click on the paint bucket icon and then select the colour that you want to use from the colour picker box. Then place the paint bucket into the blank box and left-click. The colour will then be applied to the blank box.

2. From the drop-down menu, left-click on File, Save As and name the image as Landscape, Portrait or Square Background (as applicable). You can re-use these for any of your image backgrounds and change the colour by selecting a colour and adding it via the paint bucket.

3. If you are going to add an image to a coloured background, you will need to resize the image to allow a small border. I suggest that about 10 Pixels or less is sufficient. To do this, when making your initial resizing of the image, make the image size 1580 X 1185 pixels (for landscape) or 1180 X 885 pixels (for portrait) for 4:3 ratio images. If you are using the full image from a 3:2 ratio format, the sizes will be 1580 X 1083 pixels (for landscape) or 1180 X 787 pixels ((for portrait). If you want to put a border on the image, from the drop-down menu left click on Select, All, then left-click Edit, Stroke and select the size (2 or 3 pixels is suggested), colour and position (inside) that you want the border to be. Left-click OK.

4. From the drop-down menu, left-click on Edit, Copy. Then left-click File, Close and, unless you want to save the smaller image, left-click on No to the save changes option and your original file will be unchanged.

5. You can then paste the reduced size image onto the background by returning to your opened background and left-click on Edit, Paste (from the drop-down menu). The image will be centred on your coloured background. From the drop-down menu, left-click on Image, flatten image (to save the image as a jpeg, otherwise it will be a dual-layered PSD image), then left-click on File, Save As and rename the finished image to whatever you want to call it and place it in the appropriate folder or on a suitable flash drive

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