Photoshop Elements 2022 For Dummies. Barbara Obermeier

in a couple of different ways. One method is cropping images. You can use the Crop tool with or without resampling images. For more information on using the Crop tool, see Chapter 10. Another method is to use the Image Size dialog box, which you use in many of your editing sessions in Elements.

      To resample an image with the Image Size dialog box, follow these steps:

      1 Choose Image ⇒ Resize ⇒ Image Size.Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+Alt+I (⌘ +Option+I on the Mac). The Image Size dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 2-2.The Pixel Dimensions area in the Image Size dialog box shows the file size (in this example, 12.1M). This number is the amount of space the image takes up on your hard drive. The width and height values are fixed with the default Resample Image check box at the bottom of the dialog box enabled.

      2 In the Document Size area, redefine dimensions and resolution.The options areWidth: Type a value in the text box to resize the image’s width. Then press Tab to move out of the field and implement the change. From the drop-down list to the right of the text box, you can choose a unit of measure: percent, inches, centimeters, millimeters, points, picas, or columns.Height: The Height options are the same as the Width. If you keep the sizing proportional, you typically edit either the Width or Height text box, but not both. When you alter either width or height, the resolution changes respectively.Resolution: Type a value in the text box to change resolution and then press Tab to commit the change. After you edit the resolution, the Width and Height values are changed inversely (if the Constrain Proportions check box is selected).

      3 (Optional) If you’re okay with resampling your image to get the desired size, select the Resample Image check box.With this check box selected, you can change dimensions and pixels at the same time, which results in either reducing or increasing the number of pixels. When the check box is deselected, the values for dimensions are linked; changing one value automatically changes the other values.

      4 (Optional) If you select the Resample Image check box, choose a resampling method from the drop-down list below it or select the other resample options above it (or do both).From the drop-down list, you see three options for Bicubic plus Nearest Neighbor and Bilinear. Adjacent to the method name, Elements provides a description to help you know when to choose one over the other.In the drop-down list, you find different choices for resampling. See Table 2-2 for details on each method.When you select the Resample Image check box, the two check boxes above it become active. Here’s what they do:Scale Styles: Elements has a Styles panel from which you can add a variety of different style effects to images. (See Chapter 12 for details.) When you apply a style, such as a frame border, the border appears at a defined width. When you select the Scale Styles check box and then resize the image, the Styles effect is also resized. Leaving the check box deselected keeps the style at the same size while the image is resized.Constrain Proportions: By default, this check box is selected, and you should leave it that way unless you want to intentionally distort an image.

      5 When you’re done selecting your options, click OK to resize your image.

      FIGURE 2-2: The Image Size dialog box.

TABLE 2-2 Resolutions and Printing

Output Device	Optimum	Acceptable Resolution
Desktop laser printers	300 ppi	200 ppi
Desktop color inkjet printers	300 ppi	180 ppi
Large-format inkjet printers	150 ppi	120 ppi (some printers require much less)
Professional photo lab printers	300 ppi	200 ppi
Desktop laser printers (black and white)	170 ppi	100 ppi
Magazine quality — offset press	300 ppi	225 ppi
Screen images (web, slideshows, and video)	72 ppi	72 ppi
Tablet devices and smartphones	150+ ppi	150 ppi

Choosing a Resolution for Print or Onscreen

      Resolution in your Elements work is paramount in printing files. Good ol’ 72-ppi images can be forgiving, and you can get many of your large files scrunched down to 72 ppi for websites and slideshows. For a nice-looking print, however, you need a much higher resolution. Many different printing output devices exist, and their resolution requirements vary.

      For your own desktop printer, plan to print a variety of test images at different resolutions and on different papers. You can quickly determine the best file attributes by running tests. When you send files to service centers, ask the technicians what file attributes work best with their equipment.

      

White does not print as a color. When you use white, it appears transparent on your prints, and the color appears the same as the paper color you’re using.

      For a starting point, refer to Table 2-2 for the recommended resolutions for various output devices.

      

If you find choosing a resolution for printing to be confusing, just leave it all up to the printer driver to take care of the sampling.

Working with File Formats

Elements provides you with a long list of file formats, many of which are outdated. Although many different file formats are available, use only a few. Figure 2-3 shows the open Format drop-down list that you see in the Save or Save As dialog box.

      In the following sections, we explain the formats you typically work with most often.

      FIGURE 2-3: The drop-down list of file formats that Elements supports.

      JPEG (*.jpg, *.jpeg, *.jpe)

      JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is perhaps the most common file format now in use. That’s in large part because of smaller file sizes that make web viewing and exchanging files much easier. You can use JPEG files for prints or share them online via a web page or email attachment. Creative professionals wouldn’t dream of using the JPEG format in design layouts, but everyone else uses the format for all kinds of documents.