I have a photo that is 1920 x 650 pixels and I need to resize canvas so it is a square 1920 x 1920 pixels - can anyone give me guidance please?
Thank you.
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
I know this is an old post, but I found myself looking for this feature from time to time. So I'll post a simple way to do this using only the Preview app:
1. make a copy of your photo and open it in Preview. (or a copy of any photo will do)
2. resize it to desired size, 1920x1920 in this case, no worry about the distortion, we'll just use it as a larger canvas
3. draw a non-transparent white rectangle to cover the whole photo (or any other color you want for the background)
4. open the original photo with Preview and Cmd+A to select all then Cmd+C to copy it to clipboard
5. switch back and Cmd+V to paste the photo to the white background and use mouse to drag it to desired position.
That's it. No need for Photoshop or GIMP.
There are many ways to do this. Maybe the easiest is in iPhoto. Open the image in iPhoto/Click Edit. You should see Crop button. Select Crop/Click Constrain/from the dropdown menu selet Square
Should have read you post a little better. I don't think that will work. Changing the resolution like that is going to make the picture distorted. You can still try it in iPhoto just to see what IPhoto will do with it.
Message was edited by: Joe Gramm
Hi empic. I assume that since you posted this in the Aperture forum you are asking "How do I do this in Aperture?"
"Canvas" isn't a term that has any meaning in Aperture.
You create an Image in your Aperture Library when you import an image-format file. The pixel dimensions of your image-format file are carried directly into Aperture. If you import a file 1920 px by 650 px you will have an Image in Aperture that is 1920 x 650. In Aperture, you can crop any part of your image, with a precision of one pixel. All cropping is done with the Crop tool. There are many ways to activate the Crop tool, but the simplest is to press "c": your mouse cursor changes to a little crop symbol, and the Crop HUD appears. At the top of the Crop HUD is a drop-down menu which allows you to constrain your crop aspect ratio. There are many to choose from, including "Square". Press "{Enter}" (or "a") to close the Crop tool after you have made your selection.
There is no tool in Aperture that allows you to stretch or distort your Images (or their parts). That inludes adding pixels to an Image. For that you will need a compositing program (known generally as graphics programs), such as Gimp, Pixelmator, Photoshop, etc.
Message was edited by: Kirby Krieger -- added link.
Let's make sure I am being clear - the required final canvas/file needs to be 1920 x 1920 (for an online submission) but the photo is a rectangle 1920 x 650, so what I need to do is add two identical black rectangles - one above and one below the image so it ends up 1920 in height as well. The photo itself will not change or be cropped, just the height with the added canvas.
Yes, I have Aperture.
Gotta say, I am amazed by this generous advice - thank you so much.
Kirby,
I am also wondering if you can also suggest which version of Photoshop I should consider buying. I had CS2 on my Dell and never used the layers feature and did fine with it. I am wondering about Elements or should I get the standard? I am an artist and rely on it for getting high quality images for online submissions, website, exhibit catalogs, etc. Most exhibit submissions are quite particular about size and format.
BTW - your work is beautiful. Clearly know your stuff!
Grazie,
Em
If you will not need layers, and want the ability to do things like convert to CMYK, as well as this task, consider buying the latest version of Graphic Converter from the App Store -- cost is only $38.99. I have been playing with it as the External Editor in my Lion boot volume where I have yet to install Design Premium CS5. Works fine, and my testing allowed me to recommend to a friend who needed something to convert to CMYK, which PS Elements cannot do.
Also, its developer, Thorsten Lemeke is a genius, and responsive to communication beyond belief.
As I can tell you realize, there is no compositing or layering to expand the Canvas as you desire.
Ernie
Opps, sorry about the iPhoto instructions. I didn't view the post starting in the Aperture Forum.
As for making that image square, is an App like Photoshop able to make that photo square without losing part of the image from a crop. Or not have the image distorted because all the re-arranging of the pixels.
Joe Gramm wrote:
As for making that image square, is an App like Photoshop able to make that photo square without losing part of the image from a crop. Or not have the image distorted because all the re-arranging of the pixels.
Yes. GIMP, Pixelmator, Photoshop all will do what you want.
E.g. in PS you would create a square canvas of the pixel dimensions you desire, fill it with black then just paste your image on top of it.
Or you could create a transparent canvas, which might work better for the online submission. I would test.
HTH
-Allen
Aperture can't do this. You will need to look at the solutions Kitby mentioned at the bottom of his post.
Is there a way to resize the canvas size of a photo so it is square?
