Easy Photo Resizing and Cropping with FREE Software

[Keltin]

Here’s an easy way to resize your photos using free software, and minimal skills.

You’ll need Irfanview, a free photo viewer and editor, and Paintbrush which is installed in all installations of windows.

http://www.irfanview.com/ (http://www.irfanview.com/)

This works best with downsizing larger pictures, but can also be used to make them bigger. But, making them bigger will often result in a lose of quality (pixilation due to not enough detail for a zoom in). It just depends on your source.



First, open your picture with Irfanview.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_1-55.jpg




Now we want to size this one down, so Zoom Out 4 or more times. You can actually zoom so far out as to make your own Avatars. Next, hit Alt+PrtScr (Print Screen) to grab a snapshot of this window.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_2-54.jpg




Next, open Paintbrush. The easiest way is to open the Run box and type in “pbrush” which will start the program.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_6-30.jpg




Paste the screenshot of Irfanview.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_3-47.jpg




Once it is there, use the cropping tool to select the part of the photo you want to use. Once selected, hit Ctrl+C to copy this selection.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_4-42.jpg




Now start a new file with Pbrush, and paste what you cropped. Save it off, and you now have a resized and cropped photo. When you save, make sure to save it as a JPEG. PaintBrush defaults to BMP, and BMP files are huge. So make sure to change it to JPEG.


http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_5-35.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Step_7-23.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Final.jpg

[Fisher's Mom]

OMG!!! This is wonderful, Keltin! Just wonderful! :applause::applause::applause:

This man needs karma for this, folks!

[Adillo303]

Hi Keltin. Thank you. I do this a lot when I make instructions for users. I grap screen shots (PrtScrn) then use paint to chop out what I want to give them. They love it.

If you have done it, in your last pic, there is a bit of one of the other pens. How do you get rid of that and replace the background color?

[Keltin]

Hi Keltin. Thank you. I do this a lot when I make instructions for users. I grap screen shots (PrtScrn) then use paint to chop out what I want to give them. They love it.

If you have done it, in your last pic, there is a bit of one of the other pens. How do you get rid of that and replace the background color?

That’s tricky, but it can be done. It’s easiest when the background near the item you want to remove is uniform. Do you see the “eye dropper” icon in Paintbrush? Select that and then click it on the background near the item you want to remove. This will select the color of the background there.

Now you can cut out that part and use the fill icon to fill the cut area with the color you selected with the eyedropper. If the background is uniform and of one color, then it is a perfect removal. But when shadows and varying colors are present, you’ll have to pay with it more to slowly blend it out. Using the pencil tool in that case is best (select a color, use pencil, select a color, pencil again, and so on). Zooming in with the magnifying glass helps the process.

The background in this pen shot was too complex for an easy fill and blend, so I left it. You can also free hand crop to remove it, but that produces a jagged photo edge.

This method of resizing and cropping isn’t perfect, but it’s easy and uses free software.

[Keltin]

Here’s a case where it works well. Notice in the first shot the spring roll has a brownish spot in the dough. Using the eyedropper, I select the color of the roll close to the brown dot, then use the pencil tool to recolor that dot with the surrounding color. Presto. Gone. So, when the background near the item for removal is uniform, this method is pretty easy.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Remove_1.jpg

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/Remove_2.jpg

[Cooksie]

Free software, minimal skills.........this has my name all over it! Thanks, I will definitely give it a shot. And, thanks for the how-to pictorial. That always helps me.

[FryBoy]

Or you might be interested in trying Graphic Workshop Professional, which is a stand-alone application that doesn't require the use of Paintbrush. There's a free evaluation copy, and although I believe there's a nag screen, I think you can use it as long as you wish without buying it. It's from this site:

http://www.mindworkshop.com/alchemy/alchemy.html

This is a direct link to the download:

ftp://ftp.alchemymindworks.com/pub/alchemy/GraphicWorkshop3.exe

[Adillo303]

Thank you Keltin. I had not thought of usint the eyedropper in reverse (select the color) I use it a lot to fill. Nice trick.

Thank you Doug. I will look at that program.

[lifesaver91958]

Thank you Keltin and Karma to you :)

[lilbopeep]

sorry my mind was OVER doing it again i thought you just took ONLY the image (free hand draw around the image) and then pasted it to a new file. i do this kind (the kind you described) of crop all the time. and the clone and scratch remover, resize to pixel or inches and optimize to small file size. good job at tutorial kel :respect:

[Adillo303]

How do you mean free hand draw? May I please have some more detail?

Thank You

Andy

[Keltin]

How do you mean free hand draw? May I please have some more detail?

Thank You

Andy

I think she means using the freehand crop tool (the Star shaped icon for cropping). Using that, you free-hand draw the line around what you want to crop.

[lilbopeep]

I think she means using the freehand crop tool (the Star shaped icon for cropping). Using that, you free-hand draw the line around what you want to crop.
yup!! and i don't have the patience or the steady hand to do that very often!! LOL

[Fisher's Mom]

I have an Intuos graphics tablet that is awesome for that. But even one of the little $50 pen tablets work exceedingly well if you have to clean up a lot of graphics.

[Adillo303]

Well, more knowledge into my thick head. Thank you both. I have never done anything with that tool, because I did not understand it. Thank You both.

BTW - Off topic - I saw you mention an AMP Champ tool Keltin. That was the first tool that I bought when I started my business. I still have it and it has bailed me out several times.

OK back on topic.

[lilbopeep]

I have an Intuos graphics tablet that is awesome for that. But even one of the little $50 pen tablets work exceedingly well if you have to clean up a lot of graphics.
my laptop is a tablet hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i never tried to use it to crop!!

[joec]

If you have PSP 8 or later they have the background erase tool that will cut out a background completely if you like. Also with PSP you have a smart select tool that will figure the difference in what you are not selecting and go straight for the edge you do want automatically. PSP really is a complete package in one software that does damned near every thing that can be done in Photoshop for about 1/5 the price.

[Fisher's Mom]

my laptop is a tablet hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i never tried to use it to crop!!I think you need to schedule a little play time with your computer! Once you play around with it a little, you'll be amazed at what you can do!

[lilbopeep]

I think you need to schedule a little play time with your computer! Once you play around with it a little, you'll be amazed at what you can do!
nahhhhhhhhhhhhhh i will just get myself into trouble!! LOL

[Keltin]

There is a way to do all of this in Irfanview without using Paintbrush. It can be a bit tricky, and require a few more steps which is why I suggested Paintbrush as that is such a simple program. But, to do it all in Irfanview.


Open your pic.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/S_1.jpg



Zoom out to resize. Then drag a Crop box over the area of the picture you desire. Now hit Ctrl+C to copy it.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/S_2.jpg




Next, click off the cropped area to remove the crop box. If you click into the crop box, you will zoom to that area in the crop. Once you click off and the box is gone, hit Ctrl+V to paste what you copied from the Crop box.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/S_3.jpg



Once you have pasted it, it will paste from the ORIGINAL image meaning it is full size, so you must now again zoom out if you want it smaller.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/S_4.jpg



Now go to File > Save As to save it. You’ll have many options here.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/S_5.jpg



If you want to add items like text, go to Edit > Show Paint dialog.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/S_6.jpg



Now add text, arrows, boxes, or whatever. When done, save again.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss154/keltin/S_7.jpg



It’s a bit more complicated this way, but it can be done. Paintbrush is far easier, but Irfanview can do it all if you take the time to learn all that this powerful package can do. You can add effects, adjust color, gamma, contrast, invert, go to 3D, etc, etc, etc. But, for a simple and fast resize, the first method I suggested stands to be nearly foolproof.

[Keltin]

Oh, and if you install Irfanview, be careful about how many files you let it associate with. I let Irfanview become my default viewer for over 50 types of image files. That’s cool.

But Irfanview can also play movies and audio files (although in some additional plugins may be required for certain file types), and I’d rather use other players for that. So keep that in mind.