Step 1
Open an image into Photoshop. Select Image > Image Size.
Step 2
As we are saving for web we’ll be using pixel sizes. With ‘Constrain Proportions’ selected under ‘Pixel Dimensions’ enter a value for either the Width or Height.
Please note: It is not recommended to scale up the original pixel size of an image. While a small amount is acceptable a large amount will cause the image to become distorted and pixelated.
Step 3
Click Ok. Your image has now been resized.
Step 1
Select the crop tool from the tools panel.
Step 2
You can now do one of the following:
Crop unconstrained – To freely crop an area of the image select ‘Unconstrained’ from the top toolbar. Next click and drag a selection around your image. You can then refine your selection by dragging out the selection from the corner or edges.
Custom size crop – If you already know the final image size enter in a pixel value for height and width followed by ‘px’ (e.g. – 1000px x 1000px). Next click and drag a selection around your image. The selection will be locked to the ratio you set. You can then refine your selection by dragging out the selection from the corner or edges.
Handy tip: Holding Shift while dragging a selection will maintain the ratio.
Step 3
To commit your selection, either hit Return, Double Click within the selection, or select from the top toolbar.
Step 1
To save your resized image, select File > Save for Web
Step 2
From the options select JPEG. To optimize the compression of your image adjust the Quality. The value you enter will depend on your image, the key is to lower the number as much as possible without compromising the quality of the image. Keep an eye on the output file size In the bottom left corner.
Step 3
When you are satisfied. Click Save.
To achieve that perfect score on Google PageSpeed Insights you will need to compress your images further. We recommend the following image optimising websites: optimizilla.com and tinyjpg.com.
The before image started at 183KB, the after image is now 122KB – that’s a 33% reduction without greatly affecting the quality. Well worth doing!
We hope this guide has been helpful. If you have any queries leave a comment below