How to Resize an Image without Losing Quality

There’s nothing more frustrating than losing photo resolution with resizing. We’ve all been there. Now that everyone’s posting flawless pictures with their smartphones and top-of-the-line cameras, grainy images just don’t seem to cut it.

It’s simple enough to make large images with a lot of pixels smaller. However, resizing a small image to a large image is where you’ll run into some trouble.

Believe it or not, it actually is possible to successfully take a low-resolution image and enlarge it to a higher resolution. So, don’t go anywhere because we’re about to fill you in on how to resize an image without losing quality.

Option 1: Perfect Resize

Perfect Resize is a software that allows users to transform images with resolution optimization. The software ranges between $50 and $150 depending on your package, but there’s a good chance you’ll be sold after the 30-day free trial. Once you’ve downloaded the application or the Photoshop plugin, then it’s smooth sailing through the rest of the process.

Simply open the image you wish to resize (if you’re using the Photoshop plugin, just click “File” then Automate”), then populate the dimensions of your desired document size. Click “apply” to save your changes, and voila, you’re clean, crisp image is ready to go!

Compatibility:
Mac
Windows
Photoshop Integration

Option 2: Gimp

We’ve previously mentioned the desktop application called Gimp in our post about 5 Free Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop, but what we didn’t mention, is that Gimp can be used to enlarge images without the loss of quality too. Now, Gimp’s resolution capabilities aren’t as advanced as Perfect Resize’s but there will still be a noticeable difference between your starting image and the finished product.

Start by opening your desired image in Gimp. Next, go to “image” then “scale image” and enter the size you wish the enlarged image to be. Finally, select “Sinc Lanczos3” as your interpolation selection. Finish by clicking “scale” and watch the magic happen!

Compatibility:
Mac
Windows

 Option 3: AKVIS Magnifier

AKVIS Magnifier is another wonderful software that allows image resizing with minimal to no quality loss. Its unique algorithm takes low-resolution images and transforms them into intricate, quality photos with just a few simple clicks.

Like Perfect Resize, the AKVIS Magnifier tool can be used as a standalone software or it can be found under “File” then “Automate” in Photoshop after downloading. Simply open your low-resolution image, set the height, width and resolution to your desired size and click “save”! AKVIS Magnifier offers many additional settings and parameters for resizing purposes, but for basic use, the standard setting will be perfect. Because this program is intricate and used by many professional photographers, it’s $89 cost is understandable. However, there is a free trial, so you can test drive this software before making any permanent decisions.

Compatibility:
Mac
Windows
Photoshop Integration

So, now that you know the secret to resizing images, give any of the mentioned applications a try and see the transformation first-hand. It’s hard to deny the amazing results.