Resize and Enlarge Images without Loss in Quality
Trying to resize any image to make it large results in a loss in the quality of picture and this makes the picture look blurred and unprofessional. Many of us may have a doubt that if it is possible to resize an image into a larger one without disturbing the image quality. And yes, Of course, it is surely possible to resize an image and enlarge it without losing its quality and this article is all about that.
Why Do Images Lose Quality When Enlarged?
At the outset, let us know the actual reason why images tend to lose their quality when they are enlarged. On the web, The most frequently used image format is Bitmap. All the PNG and JPEG files are bitmap image files. A bitmap consists of thousands of pixels. Those pixels can be clearly observed as squares when you zoom in an image. Each and every pixel is mapped to a constant location on the image, so it is called Bitmap.
Most of the image editing software turn out to enlarge or shrink these pixels while resizing an image. This is the reason why there is no particularly visible loss in quality when and an image is resized to a smaller size since the pixels become even less visible.
On the other hand, these pixels become more visible when you resize an image to make it larger and as a result, the image looks blurry and pixelated. The enlarged image which makes the pixels clearly visible is shown below:
What is The Solution for this?
The only thing that can be done to get rid of this problem is to compensate for each enlarged pixel, so as to match the properties of its nearest pixel. This method is called Fractal Interpolation or simply Fractals. It produces a much better result when an image is enlarged using this technique.
Method 1 : Using Perfect Resize with Adobe Photoshop
Perfect Resize is a software that allows you to resize the images in a smart way. It is available as both a standalone software and a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop.
The cost of the regular version and the premium version are $50 and $150 respectively and the premium version contains plugin for Adobe Photoshop. Both the versions are available in free for a 30 days trial. If you resize the images on a usual basis, then we suggest you go for Perfect Resize which is the best way to enlarge images but it is expensive.
After you install the software, open the image file which you want to resize in Photoshop. Then go to File » Automate and select Perfect Resize.
Perfect Size application appears with the image in it. Now you can select a preset from the left-hand menu or customize the image to your own size in the document.
After entering the size of the document, go to File » Apply to save the changes and apply them to the file in Photoshop.
Now you can export this file by saving it as a web image. And the resized image is obtained which looks much better than an image which is normally resized.
Method 2 : Using Free Software Gimp
Gimp is a free alternative software to Adobe Photoshop. This Gimp can be used to resize the images to make it larger with a minimum loss in its quality. But, the produced result might not be as good as Perfect Resize.
Below is how to make small images larger without losing quality using Gimp.
Select an image that you want to resize in Gimp and open it. Then go to Image » Scale Image. Enter your desired dimensions for the image. Select Sinc (Lanczos3) as Interpolation method under the Quality section and click on “Scale Image” button.
And now you can export this image for the web. An example image for you to compare. The image on the left-hand side is resized using “bicubic resampling” in Photoshop and the image on the right-hand side is resized using Sinc (Lanczos3) as interpolation method. Now you can see that there is a very little difference in both the images.
Method 3 : Enlarge Images Using Irfanview
Irfanview is a compact program for editing photo. It can only be available for Operating systems based on Windows. Irfanview produces a smart way of resizing images and make them larger.
Open your image that you wish to resize or enlarge in Irfanview and simply go to Image » Resize/Resample.
Then an image resizes popup window appears in which you have to enter the desired size of the image in the “Set Image Size”. Then you should select resample under the Size method. From the filter drop down menu choose Lanczos (slowest). Finally, check the box next to ‘Apply Sharpen After Resample’.
Now, Irfanview will produce a resized image as a result, which can be saved to your computer.
You can notice by this that free software tools won’t produce a very good result when resizing an image to make it larger. However, we can resize and enlarge an image with a minimum loss in its quality by adjusting the image contrast and its sharpness in the process.
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