Often times when we enlarge a photo in photo editing software, the quality is blown out and it looks fuzzy. There are many different ways to enlarge photos without compromising their quality and this article will go over the basics of how to do so.
Table of Contents
Best Options For Enlarging Your Photos
There are a few different ways to enlarge your photos without compromising their quality. The first is by using the scaling tool in your photo editing software. This will enlarge your photo while keeping its original resolution intact.
Another way to enlarge your photos without compromising quality is by using the resize tool in your photo editor. This will make your photo smaller, but will not enlarge it at the same time. This is a good option if you want to enlarge your photo slightly, but don’t want to affect the quality too much.
The last way that you can enlarge photos without compromising their resolution and quality is by upsampling them in your photo editor. Just like scaling, this tool enlarges your image while keeping its original dimensions as well as detail. Upsampling should be used as an absolute last resort though because of how easy it can be for things to go wrong with it. The other options listed here are generally better choices if possible since they have less potential risks associated with them when done improperly or excessively.
Between these options, there are a few different methods you can employ for enlarging your photos while maintain quality:
Photo Editing Software
There are several different photo editing software you can use, but two popular options include Photoshop and Skylum Luminar.
Photo Resizing Sites
There are several different photo resizing websites you can utilize if you don’t have access to software licensing, such as:
Lastly, there are plugins available such as ON1 Resize that will automatically clean up your photos by applying fractal interpolation to create new pixels, which will help you to increase the image size and resample them.
Checking The Image Quality Of Your Initial Photo
Before you enlarge your images, consider the following things:
High Quality Resolution
The text size should be set to have the same aspect ratio as the image. When adjusting the width and height, keep in mind that this resolution may drop, resulting in a low-quality picture. Starting image resolution influences how big you can make your graphic. Enlarged pixels indicate an images poor quality and give it a blurry look.
Preserving Intricate Details
When you downsize a photo, the intricate details of the picture are lost. After you’ve modified the photo size, you’ll have to edit it in software before printing to avoid blurred letters. The format (raw or jpeg) will also have an impact on how far you can stretch the picture without losing information. Photos taken with a mobile phone that produce low-quality photographs in jpeg format differ significantly from high-end camera shots shot in raw image file format that you may scale as large as needed.
Is It Possible to Enlarge Old Photos?
It is possible to make better prints from old photographs by increasing their size. For larger prints, you’ll need to scan them at the highest resolution possible (600 ppi-1200 ppi). However, don’t enlarge them more than double in size—aim for 10%. Going overboard with the biggest size will result in blurry photos.
The first is to use the Image Size dialog box. To do this, go to Image > Image Size. You’ll then see the following window appear:
This window allows you to change the size of your image as well as its resolution. The Resolution field will tell you how many pixels your photo consists of and when it’s enlarged, the number of pixels will stay the same. If you want to enlarge your photo without losing any quality, enter 300 into this field (or whatever resolution your photo originally was). This will enlarge your photo while keeping its original dimensions and detail intact.
The second way to enlarge a photo in Photoshop is to use the Crop tool. After you have opened your photo in Photoshop, go to Image > Image Rotation > Arbitrary so that it’s rotating correctly. Next, select the Crop tool from the Tools panel and drag out a cropping border around your photo. Make sure not to enlarge your image by dragging—only enlarge it vertically or horizontally.
The third method of enlarging photos is similar to using the second method but doesn’t involve any cropping at all:
After opening up an image file in Adobe Photoshop, navigate over to File > Automate > Fit Image where you can choose how much you want your picture enlarged (up to 400%) after clicking on OK with certain options available for what type of scaling should be done.
Photoshop also has a Resample Image command, which is found under the Image menu. If you enlarge your photo by selecting this option, Photoshop will enlarge it by creating new pixels and won’t use any of the original pixels in the process. This can be useful if you want to enlarge your photo but keep its original dimensions—for example, if you only want to increase its size by 50%. You can also select other interpolation methods from here that will give you better results than the default method (Bicubic).
Enlarging Your Photos With Resizing Websites
There are a number of online resizing websites that you can use to enlarge your photos without having to download any software. These websites usually have an easy-to-use interface and allow you to enlarge your photo by percentage or in pixels.
However, most of these websites will reduce the quality of your image when it’s enlarged, so it’s best to use them for small enlargements only (up to 200%). You can also try out different websites until you find one that gives you the best results.
When enlarging your photos, always keep their original resolution in mind so that you don’t compromise their quality. Photoshop’s Image Size dialog box is a great way to enlarge your photos without losing any detail, but you can also use the Crop tool or the Fit Image command if you want to keep your photo’s original dimensions. Alternatively, you can try out one of the many online resizing websites that are available. Just make sure to only enlarge your photos up to 200% and that the website doesn’t reduce their quality when enlarging them.
Using A Photo Resizing Plugin With Adobe Photoshop
If you’re looking for a more efficient way to enlarge your photos, then you might want to try using a photo resizing plugin with Adobe Photoshop. There are quite a few plugins available and they all work in different ways.
The best way to find out which plugin is right for you is to experiment with different ones until you find one that gives you the results that you’re happy with. Most of these plugins can be downloaded for free and some even have trial versions so that you can test them out before deciding whether or not to buy them.
When enlarging your photos, always keep their original resolution in mind so that you don’t compromise their quality.
Recap
There are a number of ways that you can enlarge your photos without compromising their quality. Photoshop has a number of commands and tools that allow you to enlarge your photo while keeping all of its original detail, or you can try using one of the many online resizing websites that are available. If you’re looking for a more efficient way to enlarge your photos, then you might want to try using a photo resizing plugin with Adobe Photoshop. Just make sure to keep the original resolution in mind when enlarging your photos so that their quality is not compromised.
