Resizing Images

So.

I run a roleplay group and am now required to resize SO MANY FUCKING PICTURES to fit into an html layout (for like members and stuff). Now. It's a pain in my ASS to resize images and have it A) not take forever and B) not have them look stretched and fucked up.

Help. Me. I can't be wasting so many hours just trying to resize images. There has to be a better way.

And I don't know where to put this thread. :/
 
So.

I run a roleplay group and am now required to resize SO MANY FUCKING PICTURES to fit into an html layout (for like members and stuff). Now. It's a pain in my ASS to resize images and have it A) not take forever and B) not have them look stretched and fucked up.

Help. Me. I can't be wasting so many hours just trying to resize images. There has to be a better way.

And I don't know where to put this thread. :/
Needing to enlarge that dick pic so you can actually see it? :p
 
Are you resizing so they’ll fit, or to reduce bandwidth?

Because if it’s just to make them fit you might want to simply tell the browser what size to display them at.

What are you using to write your webpages?

If you really do need to resize them I recommend the paint.net program for windows. Resizing is pretty quick an easy in there.
 
I second steinman's recommendation of paint.net for Windows (assuming you're using Windows) - I pretty much just keep it around to resize images and convert them from .jpg to .png, and it's still in the top 5 most used apps on my computer.
 
Are you resizing so they’ll fit, or to reduce bandwidth?

Because if it’s just to make them fit you might want to simply tell the browser what size to display them at.

What are you using to write your webpages?

If you really do need to resize them I recommend the paint.net program for windows. Resizing is pretty quick an easy in there.
I'm resizing so they'll fit.

And it's the 180 x 248 that's killing me. Resizing images for that damn size takes me forever - even in paint.
 
I'm not sure about Paint.net, but FastStone Image Viewer (can download for free) lets you batch crop (can crop according to aspect ratio) and batch resize images.

1. Select images
2. Hit F3
3. Make sure "Use Advanced Options" is checked and click Advanced Options button
4. ???
5. Profit!
 
I guess the real question I have for all of this is will it resize the images nicely?

Cause I should rephrase my statement, resizing images is easy-peasey, but getting them to resize NICELY is the problem. I can easily pop in the pixels I want, but when I do that it warps the images/stretches/squishes it and that's my problem. I have to spend soooo much time cropping and fiddling with the image before I try and resize it that it's tedious. :/
 
On most resizing functions, you can tell it to lock the aspect ratio, and that'll keep it from squishing/stretching.
You might not end up with the exact dimensions you want, based on the original ratio, but you should get something that'll fit.

What are you currently using?
 
Yes, the feature you are looking for is some way to lock the ratio/constrain the proportions. Sometimes it's a checkbox, sometimes it's just a little picture of a chain or lock you have to click to enable.

--Patrick
 
On most resizing functions, you can tell it to lock the aspect ratio, and that'll keep it from squishing/stretching.
You might not end up with the exact dimensions you want, based on the original ratio, but you should get something that'll fit.

What are you currently using?
Again, it's the 180 x 248 that makes me cry because I need those exact dimensions or the image boxes will not line up or will look off. I tried to be lackadaisical before - letting the dimensions be off by a few pixels and it messes them lining up - if that makes sense.

Currently, I use paint and this: http://www.simpleimageresizer.com/

If I can get close enough in paint, I can upload it to the image resizer and put in the exact specifications I need.[DOUBLEPOST=1506523431,1506523385][/DOUBLEPOST]
Yes, the feature you are looking for is some way to lock the ratio/constrain the proportions. Sometimes it's a checkbox, sometimes it's just a little picture of a chain or lock you have to click to enable.

--Patrick
Awesome. Is that in paint somewhere or...where would I find this thing?
 

Attachments

Awesome. Is that in paint somewhere or...where would I find this thing?
The website doesn't seem to have that option, you'd have to do the calculations by hand and then use the % option to come closest.
Paint does have the option, it's a box marked "maintain aspect ratio" when you select the option to resize an image...
BUT
...you are going to run into issues because the part nobody tells you is that in order to get an image to end up at exactly 180x248 when you are done resizing, you have to start with an image that is exactly 360x496 or 90x124 or 1800x2480 or 270x372...basically your starting image MUST always be one where the height (whatever it might be) is exactly 38% (ratio of 1.377777...) larger than the width. And if it isn't, it's going to be up to you to crop the original image to fit that ratio (or pad the sides/top&bottom with some sort of letterboxing/pillarboxing filler) before you resize it.

--Patrick
 
The website doesn't seem to have that option, you'd have to do the calculations by hand and then use the % option to come closest.
Paint does have the option, it's a box marked "maintain aspect ratio" when you select the option to resize an image...
BUT
...you are going to run into issues because the part nobody tells you is that in order to get an image to end up at exactly 180x248 when you are done resizing, you have to start with an image that is exactly 360x496 or 90x124 or 1800x2480 or 270x372...basically your starting image MUST always be one where the height (whatever it might be) is exactly 38% (ratio of 1.377777...) larger than the width. And if it isn't, it's going to be up to you to crop the original image to fit that ratio (or pad the sides/top&bottom with some sort of letterboxing/pillarboxing filler) before you resize it.

--Patrick
Yep. Which is what I've been doing. So there is no easy fix is what I'm getting. To get the exact ratio I need, I have to keep cropping the images like I have been in order to get it to the right dimensions for resizing.
 
there is no easy fix is what I'm getting. To get the exact ratio I need, I have to keep cropping the images like I have been in order to get it to the right dimensions for resizing.
Right. Sorry. Best you can do is crop 'em all to be some multiple of the right dimensions, drop 'em in a folder, then use the batch plugin to go through all the images in the folder to grow/shrink them to be the exact pixel dimensions.

If you have access to a graphics program that can do layers (like GIMP), you might try making a black layer that has a 180x248 empty hole in it, then putting the picture you want to resize on the layer beneath that, so you can grow/shrink your image until you get it framed exactly the way you want, then crop it to fit the hole? This will probably require you to learn how to use a new program, though. Sorry I don't have any I JUST NEED IT DONE NOW kind of solution.

--Patrick
 
GIMP has a tool option that might be useful for this. You can set the selector box to hold a fixed aspect ratio. So when you are selecting the part of the image to keep, the selection area automatically has valid dimensions to be resized.
 
Right. Sorry. Best you can do is crop 'em all to be some multiple of the right dimensions, drop 'em in a folder, then use the batch plugin to go through all the images in the folder to grow/shrink them to be the exact pixel dimensions.

If you have access to a graphics program that can do layers (like GIMP), you might try making a black layer that has a 180x248 empty hole in it, then putting the picture you want to resize on the layer beneath that, so you can grow/shrink your image until you get it framed exactly the way you want, then crop it to fit the hole? This will probably require you to learn how to use a new program, though. Sorry I don't have any I JUST NEED IT DONE NOW kind of solution.

--Patrick
Nah, it's okay. Thanks anyway. :)

Members change often, so it's just annoying for me to spend so much time cropping/resizing images since there's SO MANY all at once. But, no worries.
 
Yep. Which is what I've been doing. So there is no easy fix is what I'm getting. To get the exact ratio I need, I have to keep cropping the images like I have been in order to get it to the right dimensions for resizing.
This is why I mentioned you can batch crop according to aspect ratio in FastStone. Run the batch crop at 1.8:2.48 aspect ratio, then run the batch resize and you're done. The big problem there is if your subject matter is off-center, the resulting crop might look askew.
 
First, you should put the onus on the people submitting the images. Just say, "Please submit your image as a 180x248 pixel image." If that's not an option, read on.

Ok, so here's the deal using paint.net:

1. Using "Maintain Aspect Ratio" resize the vertical dimension of the image to 248 pixels (ignore the horizontal dimension).
2. Check to make sure image is at least 180 pixels wide. If not, undo the above image resize, and redo it again, but resize the horizontal dimension to 180 this time (ignore the vertical dimension).
3. Use CTRL-A to select the whole image, then CTRL-C to copy the whole image.
4. Use CTRL-N to create a new image workspace and set its dimensions to 180 x 248.
5. In the new workspace, do CTRL-V to paste the image, and do not resize when it complains the image is too large, keep the current workspace size.
6. Now click and hold the image, then move it around to center the interesting portion of the image.
7. CTRL-S will open the save dialog, select JPG as the format, and you can choose a filename or overwrite the old file by clicking on it.

If you like, for step one choose 300 for the vertical dimension, and it'll essentially be like zooming in on the image when you crop it, and give you a little more room to move the image around.

This guarantees that the aspect ratio doesn't get messed up, and once you get into a rhythm and use the keyboard shortcuts it's pretty fast. With what you're doing I don't think a batch operation is going to work so well since cropping the right spot will probably be difficult to automate.
 
Nah, it's okay. Thanks anyway. :)

Members change often, so it's just annoying for me to spend so much time cropping/resizing images since there's SO MANY all at once. But, no worries.
I second (or maybe third) the idea of putting the responsibility on them to resize their images before submitting them to you :)[DOUBLEPOST=1506561930,1506561807][/DOUBLEPOST]I realize that isn't super helpful, but all the advice I would have given has been given :)
 
I second (or maybe third) the idea of putting the responsibility on them to resize their images before submitting them to you :)[DOUBLEPOST=1506561930,1506561807][/DOUBLEPOST]I realize that isn't super helpful, but all the advice I would have given has been given :)
Haha, no no, it's all good. Thank you!

It's actually my responsibility as owner of the group. I source the images and resize them, they don't have any part of that. :) So, haha, it's not really an option, but it's okay. I'll just keep puttering along.
 
Actually! I used free software last year to do collages for my daughter's club. I dragged and dropped all the pictures into the pre-formatted page and it did all the re-sizing for me. There are a bunch of different free layout options and tons of paid ones.

So I had three images per page and I just dragged them into the boxes. So, on that attachment above, if you set up a master template on it, you might be able to just drag all the pictures into it and have the software do all the work for you.
 
I subscribe to it and Photoshop. It's a great deal!

I ❤ my Photoshop and Lightroom :)

Image stacking edits wouldn't be possible without Lightroom :)
 
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