Resizing Images
To resize an image in Photoshop, simply open the image, reset the size, and save the image with either the same or a different name.
Open Photoshop; under FILE choose OPEN, and select the image you wish to resize.
Go to the IMAGE menu and choose IMAGE SIZE to open the IMAGE SIZE dialogue box.
In the dialogue box, make sure that the three boxes at the bottom left are checked. The only part of the box you need to adjust is the PIXEL DIMENSIONS box.
Change the value in either WIDTH or HEIGHT and the other dimension will automatically set itself.
Check to make sure the new size fits into the area of the slide you want it to occupy. The newly adjusted size in the example dialogue box is still too big to fit into a 1024 x 768 pixel slide, so we’ve adjusted the height to fit. The width automatically changes to maintain the original proportions.
To save the image, go to the FILE menu and select SAVE AS, which allows you to give your modified image a new name. This is the best practice to use, just in case you later need the bigger image. Choosing SAVE would replace the original larger image with this new smaller image.
It is best to save the file as a JPG if it will be used for a presentation or a document (e.g., PowerPoint, Word). This provides maximum compatibility and optimal file size. A hint for naming the image is to refer to it size, which can help distinguish it from the larger file.
Editing Scans
Crop the image to your liking. If you need to reorient the image, it can be done from Image>Rotate Canvas>(rotation type).
Resize the image based on where and how the image will be used. Refer to RESIZING IMAGES (above) to learn how to easily resize.
“SAVE AS…” onto the desktop (quality 8 will usually do). From the desktop you can save the file onto your choice of storage device, or email the image to yourself.
Photoshop Actions
You can download a set of actions specifically created by the Colgate Visual Resources Library for use with creating PowerPoint (and Keynote) presentations.
Make sure the actions palette is visible by making sure it is checked under the Windows menu.
Start by creating a new set in which to group your new actions. Give the set a meaningful name.
Within the new set, create a new action. Give it a name that reflects what the action will do. As soon as you name the action and click OK, it begins recording tasks exactly how you perform them.
As an example, we’re going to use the FIT IMAGE command found under FILE > AUTOMATE. Set the dimensions within which to constrain an image.
Stop recording when you’re done with tasks. Once you’ve created actions, click PLAY to perform them on a single file.
To execute an action on a batch of images, go to FILE > AUTOMATE > BATCH. Choose which action to perform and which images to run the action on.
For DESTINATION, choose NONE to perform the action and keep all the images open or in the same folder. You can also select a folder in which to save the processed images. This can be different from the folder you’re processing from (if you’re processing images from a folder).
Loading Actions
You can load a set of actions already created by another user or that you use on another computer.
From the action palette, click on the menu in the top right corner and chose LOAD ACTIONS.
Navigate to where the actions are saved on your computer.
Once loaded, your palette should show the new set and actions which will then be ready to use.
You can download a set of actions specifically created by the Colgate Visual Resources Library for use with creating PowerPoint (and Keynote) presentations.
Creating and Using Droplets
Choose FILE > AUTOMATE > CREATE DROPLET
Specify where you want to save the droplet by clicking CHOOSE in the SAVE DROPLET IN section. Name the droplet accordingly.
Select the ACTION SET and designate which action you intend to use. Selecting the action in the ACTIONS palette before you create the droplet will preselect the correct SET and ACTION for you.
Select the destination. You will probably want to create a folder into which all images processed by this droplet will reside. Name the folder accordingly.
The droplet can be set to name each file as you would like. For example, use a suffix appended to each image to help indicate which size the image has been resized to.
Once the droplet is made, an icon will appear wherever you chose to Save.
Drag images onto the droplet icon. They will be processed and available in the chosen destination folder.
(credit: Colgate Visual Resources Library)