PS Question: Resizing a Photo larger than canvas...

[natefromri]

Sorry for not being clearer. My images are 3008x2000 pixels default (or, 41.778 inches x 27.778 inches) from the Nikon D70. If I crop to 11x14 inches (the size I prefer for matting/framing), I will obviously lose quite a bit of image itself if I JUST crop the image, so instead of cropping within the image itself, I extend the crop-line PAST the image and then I crop, which causes (in photoshop) a white space to appear around the photo. The end result in Photoshop is that it appears that I have the ENTIRE original photo (albeit smaller) and a white border around the photo cropped at 11x14. So far so good.

My question is...is there any way to easily (read: no using the ruler) have the final result be that the image will be dead-on centered on this white space?

Thanks...Nate

[mikishots]

Yes.

If you select the image and press Ctrl+C, it will be copied to the clipboard. Then duplicate the background layer (so it can be unlocked and edited) and turf the original background layer - you don't need it.

Select the image in the background layer and fill with the same tone as the canvas - now you have your blank canvas. Size it to your needs.

Now when you Ctrl+P the image back in, by default it is dead center.

Funny this came up today - I was looking for a way to do this to fit 8.5 x 11 paper, without cropping the original 2:3 image. I used the rulers, I used the grids - I even held a tape measure up to the screen...ssshhhh don't tell anyone...then I figured out this method. The trick was finding out that when you paste an image back into another, it always puts it in the center. Of course!!!!