Resize A Layer, Part 1
Here’s another skill you’ll use a lot when creating projects—resizing layers so they fit your design. I’ll start by showing you two different ways to use Show Bounding Box to resize a layer.
Video 02-06: Resize A Layer, Part 1 (6:19)
In this lesson we'll learn how to resize a layer using the Move tool. I will be using the practice files from Part 2 lesson 6, which I've opened in the tab view. If you want to follow along open the PSD frame document, and the photo called highchair.jpg.
We'll start with the frame document. Get the Move tool and look to see which layer of the frame is selected in the Layers panel. When you move the photo onto the frame document and you use the moving method of dragging from one tab to another, the new layer will land above the currently selected layer. In this case, you'll want it to be above the dark brown paper layer and below the oval frame layer. So make sure the dark brown paper layer is selected.
Activate the highchair photo layer by clicking on its tab on the photo document, click and drag to the tab of the frame document and down into the document itself. Press Shift as you let go of the mouse to center the photo on your page. As you can see, it's too large for the frame. To resize it will open Tool Options for the Move tool and check Show Bounding Box. And then I'll close Tool Options. This puts a bounding box around the photo with resizing handles on all four corners and sides. If I click on a different tool in the Toolbar, the bounding box disappears. So this particular bounding box is only available when the Move tool is selected.
Sometimes the layer is so large that part or all of the bounding box is out of view. For this photo I can't even see the top and bottom of the outline. If you use the viewing shortcut I taught you earlier to fit the available desktop space, Ctrl zero in Windows or Command zero on a Mac, Photoshop Elements will change the viewing size so you can see all four sides of the bounding box. I can make the viewing size even smaller by pressing Ctrl Minus in Windows or Command Minus on a Mac one more time. You may still have a hard time seeing the bounding box on the video because it kind of blends in with the gray background. But let's go ahead and resize this photo.
For most layers, it will be very important to resize proportionally. But this is especially true of photos. If I click and drag from a corner handle Photoshop Elements will maintain the proportions of the photo. But if I click and drag from a side handle, the photo will look bad. So never ever do that to make a photo fit. Once I've messed up the proportion by dragging from a side handle, even the corner handle doesn't stay in proportion. So I'll click on the cancel icon to undo that.
Now let's look at two ways to resize a layer and keep the proportions. They both involve using a corner handle but one resizes only three corners of the photo as you click and drag from a corner handle and the other resizes from the center out, moving all four corners at the same time. Let me demonstrate the difference.
To help you see this more clearly I'll turn on the rulers by choosing View, Rulers. And now I can click and drag out horizontal guides from the top ruler and vertical guides from the side ruler, which I will place on all four sides of my photo. Part of my photo is hanging outside the edge of my documents so that's why the guides are outside the document.
Now let's resize this photo. For both ways of resizing you must use a corner handle if you want to maintain proportions. The first method moves three corners at a time. Click on a corner handle and click and drag inward or outward to resize your photo. Notice how the opposite corner from the corner I'm dragging doesn't move. So in this case, the opposite corner from the corner you're dragging is the point of stability that doesn't move, it doesn't matter which corner you drag from. If I drag from this bottom corner, I can drag up or out and now the opposite corner isn't moving, but all the other three are. So the opposite corner is always the center of stability when you move a corner. To move the position of a photo click and drag inside the bounding box or use the arrow keys.
You can also move your mouse just outside the bounding box, and when you see a double curved arrow, click and drag to rotate the photo.
Now let's look at the second method. I'll click on the Cancel icon to revert back to my original photo size so I can start over. This time I'll resize from the center. As before, I must use a corner handle to maintain proportions. But I'll also press the Alt key in Windows or the Option key on a Mac, which tells Photoshop Elements to resize from the center. Notice how all four corners move at once, but the center of the layer doesn't move. So in this case, the center is the point of stability. I'll bring the size down until the photo fits behind the frame.
Both ways of resizing get the job done, so it all depends on the circumstances as to which method will best meet your needs. And sometimes I start with one method and then switch to the other.
When you're satisfied with the size, click on the checkmark to commit the change, or press the Enter key on your keyboard, or double click inside the outline.
So that's how to quickly resize a layer and maintain the original proportions. One last thing if you want to get rid of the guides. In the menu bar, choose View, Clear Guides. And I'll also choose View, Rulers to hide the rulers. To hide the bounding box open Tool Options and uncheck Show Bounding Box. And there is my finished photo in the frame.