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

Hi folks:

Since I learned to take photos in class with my Pentax SLR, I have been using the lens to crop what I wanted to capture in the photo. However, this has been an issue with the Digital SLR since the prints I make (11x14) need to be cropped to fit the canvas.

A workaround has been for me to make an 11x14 inch crop LARGER than the photo itself, so there is white space around the photo. This way, I can print the entire photo onto the paper. My question is, is there a simple (read: no eyeballing sizes using the ruler involved) method within Photoshop to ensure that the crop of the photo itself centers itself around the white portion of the photo? I am suspecting that this is not possible as the white border around the photo is ACTUALLY now part of the photo. Is this correct? And does anybody else have any feedback on the best method for this?

Thanks...Nate

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Originally Posted by natefromri

Hi folks:

Since I learned to take photos in class with my Pentax SLR, I have been using the lens to crop what I wanted to capture in the photo. However, this has been an issue with the Digital SLR since the prints I make (11x14) need to be cropped to fit the canvas.

A workaround has been for me to make an 11x14 inch crop LARGER than the photo itself, so there is white space around the photo. This way, I can print the entire photo onto the paper. My question is, is there a simple (read: no eyeballing sizes using the ruler involved) method within Photoshop to ensure that the crop of the photo itself centers itself around the white portion of the photo? I am suspecting that this is not possible as the white border around the photo is ACTUALLY now part of the photo. Is this correct? And does anybody else have any feedback on the best method for this?

Thanks...Nate

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I'm not sure what you are asking. If you size your image to the paper you are printing on, the image will use whatever space it needs. You crop the print, not the image. For example, if you want an 10x12 final print size, load 11x14 paper and just size the PS image as 10x12. It will work fine. Do you mean something else?

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

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!!!!