Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hiya Cooper.    He is a beautiful little man Tami.    You sure you've not been airbrushing those dark hairs.      

Hugs, Jane.     

It's a question of aspect ratio.  (The ratio of width to height.)

Your original image, as posted in the picture thread, is 473 pixels wide and 700 pixels tall.  The aspect ratio is 1:1.48.

No matter what size, if you want to keep the picture from looking "stretched out," you have to obey the 1:1.48 aspect ratio.  If you want the image to be 170 pixels tall, it will have to be 115 pixels wide.  (170÷1.48=114.8 then round up to 115.)  If you want the image to be 170 pixels wide it will have to be 252 pixels tall. (170x1.48=251.6 then round up to 252.)

If the picture must be 170 pixels tall and 170 pixels wide, you are going to have to crop the picture instead of resize it.

Using Photoshop, get your crop tool.  (It looks like a picture frame.)
In the Option Bar at the top of the screen, a few boxes will appear.  (Width, Height & Resolution.)
Type in:  Width=170.  Height=170.  Resolution=72.
Now, drag over the picture with your crop tool.  A square will appear.
Drag the edges of that square so that it frames the picture the way you want it then hit [Return].
The picture will be cropped and simultaneously resized to 170 pixels tall and 170 pixels wide and it won't be "streched" or "squashed."

If you don't put any numbers into the option bar, the cropping tool can be any size you want, based on how you drag it.
If you put numbers into the option bar, the cropping tool will hold you to the aspect ratio you enter.  Photoshop does the math for you and makes the cropping box obey the aspect ratio.  All you have to do is frame the picture the way you like.

There is a "clear" button on the option bar if you don't like the settings in the entry boxes.

The little "double arrow" button between the boxes is a "flip aspect ratio" button which exchanges the height and width numbers with just one click.  (In other words, it will turn a "tall, skinny" rectangle into a "short, wide" one or vice versa.)

It's as easy as that!  :)

http://www.teddy-talk.com/upload/2010/C … 70x170.jpg
(Cooper @ 170x170)