Image re-sizing in PhotoShop - big problem here.
why does my image shrink when re-sizing the canvas ?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 by AceMatrix | Discussion: Personal Computing
Sometimes I need to use PhotoShop to skew or add perspective to an image. The problem is that sometimes it causes the image to be too large for the canvas, thus the image gets cut off. So my natural inclination would be to enlarge the canvas so as to accomodate the new dimensions of the image. But herin lies the problem, when I do that, then save the image (usually as a PNG ) it is much smaller than the original, and no matter how much I go back in and try to change the image size, it still saves it as a smaller image. It's driving me crazy !!!! Can somebody please explain this to me and solve my dilema, as I'm quickly running out of antacids. Thank-you. -- Ace --
Reply #2 Tuesday, January 3, 2012 11:10 PM
Exactly correct. Take note of the "%" in the title bar above the graphic. The percentage shrinks (but the displayed size remains as before). You can verify size in the image menu.
Reply #3 Tuesday, January 3, 2012 11:36 PM
Suppose once you have increased the canvas size and have your image as you want it, you control click the image in the layers palette to select all, than invert the selection and hit delete. You will than have only the image and none of the transparency surrounding it. 
Reply #4 Tuesday, January 3, 2012 11:52 PM
IT WORKED !!! YIPEE !!!!!! thank you WebGizmos and Doc and Frankief !!! you all are FREEKIN geniuses !!! Now that I know the mechanics of how all that works I'm freekin off to the races wooohoooo!!! I just finished creating a folder icon from scratch so I could test out your instructions and it worked like a charm ! Thank-you all sooooo very much. I'm so happy now. That made my day !!! 
--- Ace ---
Reply #5 Tuesday, January 3, 2012 11:53 PM
Or maybe just crop it and then do a slight resize if needed.
Reply #7 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 1:54 AM
You've got the right idea Sinperium, but I learned from the information above that I don't need to mess with the canvas size. All I need to do is increase the size of the image to bigger than what I need and the canvas will stretch with it. Then using the "Transform" options like "scale" , "skew" , or "perspective", I can manually decrease the size of the image so it all fits on the canvas. Then when I save it, although it is still bigger than what I need, that's a good thing , because in my icon software, I can manually decrease the size even further by dragging the borders to the exact dimensions I need. My problem in the past was that the image was starting out too small and you can't increase the size in my software, you can only decrease it. So now, all is good and I'm a very happy camper. I'm so thankful for all the wonderful help I get here at WC. It's a free education everyday, and who can complain about that ? 
-- Ace ---
Reply #8 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 2:37 AM
Ah--got you. Do it long enough and you start figuring ways to be driven less crazy by it. Good luck.
Reply #9 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 6:27 AM
I do it and look at me. My insanity quotient has increased by one order of magnitude. Go figure.
Reply #10 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 6:45 AM
Also, although you probably do this, do a Cntrl-J and only work on the duplicate lyer. Leave the original as it was. When saving, use .png or other "no loss" file type... if not finished save as .psd.
When using the "Transform" options, after grabbing the corner of the image (after choosing which "Transform you wish to use), press shift, left click and move in or out, and your proportions will be preserved.
If you wish to move from one transform type to another, just right-click on the image and all the 'transform' options will appear without having to 'apply' and reopen the menu (a real time saver).
You might also consider registering at makeuseof.com in order to get the Ps keyboard shortcuts 'cheat sheet', here:
Reply #11 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:08 AM
ahh....very nice Doc ! Thank-you so much for that awsome info. You're the best !! 
Reply #12 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 10:44 AM
"Never edit an original...never delete an original...always copy a layer before editing and save before you do."
Reply #13 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 11:11 AM
Best advice yet. I always have at least one copy of the work I'm doing. My problem stems from not remembering where I put them. lol
Reply #14 Friday, May 24, 2013 5:18 AM
have a slightly c# image re-sizing would be ok, not too much . then you can save the image to make a high quality resolution image.
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Reply #1 Tuesday, January 3, 2012 11:05 PM
Because your increasing the size around it which although transparent still takes up space. So when you use it your image will be reduced. Try just resizing the image a bit...not so much as to make it blur. Or when making the canvas bigger don't make it so big.