Shrinking digital photos in Paint is simple and effective.
Shrinking pictures is a common task, especially if you have images from a digital camera that are too large for your intended use. Paint is a photo editing and drawing program included on the Windows operating system. Using Paint, shrinking a picture is a quick and easy process, requiring only a few simple steps. The different versions of Paint vary only slightly, so the process is very similar for whichever version you have.
Instructions
1. Copy your picture to a separate file or folder before you begin as a precaution. This may seem overly cautious, but if you make a mistake or something goes wrong with the process and you overwrite the original image, you may not be able to get it back again. To copy your picture file, select it and press "Ctrl+C." Browse to a different folder or your desktop and use "Ctrl+V" to paste the file.
2. Open your picture file in Paint. You can do this by opening Paint, then choosing "File," "Open" and browsing to the location of your file. Alternatively you can browse to the file and open it by right-clicking on it, choosing "Open With" and selecting Paint. Once you have the file open in Paint, you should be able to see some or all of it depending on its size, and also the various controls and menus available.
3. Choose menu options to shrink your picture. For older versions of Paint, choose the Image menu from the Toolbar running across the top of the window, and select "Stretch/Skew." For newer versions choose "Re-size" from the Image section in the Home tab. Once you have made a selection, a separate dialog box will open for you to choose how you want the picture altered.
4. Choose options for resizing your picture. In the "Stretch/Skew" box, enter percentage values in both the "Horizontal" and "Vertical fields." Choose values lower than 100 to shrink the image, and choose the same value for both axes so that your image does not become distorted. For the "Re-size and Skew" box, choose "Percentage," and then enter your chosen percentage values in the "Horizontal" and "Vertical" fields. Click "OK" and you should see your picture re-sized to the dimensions you chose.
5. Check to see if your image has been re-sized to the dimensions you need. If you decide the size is not correct, choose "Edit" then "Undo" before attempting to re-size again, as this will result in better quality. Save your picture by choosing "Save" from the File menu, or the Paint button menu for newer versions. Choose "Save As" if you wish to save the file under a different name. Your image file should now be saved in your chosen location with its new dimensions.
