Preserve the aspect ratio
An image's aspect ratio is the relationship between its width and height. If a 2400 × 1600 image is reduced to 1200 pixels wide, its height should become 800 pixels. Both dimensions are scaled by 0.5, so the image keeps its 3:2 shape.
Use the image resize calculator to work out the matching side before exporting.
Resize or crop?
Resizing preserves the whole image and its shape. Cropping removes content to create a different shape. If a site requires a square image and your original is landscape, decide which part should remain visible and crop it rather than entering unrelated width and height values.
Check the original dimensions with the image aspect ratio checker, or use the crop calculator to understand how a target frame affects the visible area.
Will enlarging an image improve quality?
Increasing pixel dimensions does not recreate detail missing from the source. Upscaling can be useful for layout compatibility, but it may soften edges or reveal artifacts. Start with a high-resolution original when possible and avoid repeatedly saving in a lossy format.
Practical resizing steps
- Check the original width and height.
- Choose the destination width or height.
- Calculate the other dimension using the same scale factor.
- Export in an appropriate format and quality setting.
- Inspect the result at the size it will actually be displayed.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my image look stretched?
Usually the width and height were changed by different scale factors. Recalculate one dimension from the other to preserve the aspect ratio.
Are pixels the same as file size?
No. Pixel dimensions describe the image's width and height. File size also depends on format, compression, image detail, and metadata.
What is the difference between resizing and resampling?
In everyday use the terms often overlap. Resampling changes the pixel grid by adding, removing, or estimating pixels as dimensions change.
Get proportional dimensions in seconds.
Open image resize calculator