How to Resize Image on Mac

If you use social media, you’ll be exposed to more than 3.2 billion images shared daily. Another scenario is when your professional life or career is closely related to media content, then it’ll be far more—here, existing statistics can hardly even estimate the real figures. Whatever your situation, this article should be very useful, as it explains how to avoid getting stuck with images that can’t be shared or uploaded due to their size.

Believe us, we know the pain you’ve experienced with this issue: you need to change the image's size on Mac for an email, website, or project, but can’t decide which tool to use on your Mac. Below, you’ll find the answers and some essential tips on how to avoid these issues, so read our piece for more.

Before we start:

When resizing images, your MacBook can become full of similar files. Duplicates that are of no use, but they quickly clutter up a Mac’s storage. In turn, a lack of system space affects all programs and applications, preventing your laptop from running smoothly.

Good news: this problem can be easily prevented by MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder, which is an excellent solution to organize and filter your photos and images by removing any duplicate copies.

Follow our guidelines to use MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder:

1. Download MacKeeper from the official site and install it on your Mac.
2. Launch the app.
3. Select the Duplicates Finder tool on the left sidebar.
4. Click the Start Scan option to find the duplicates on your device.
5. Choose the particular categories or Check All found copies.
6. Click the Remove Selected button to delete unnecessary copies.

How to change image size on Mac

You can reduce an image’s file size on Mac like this:

1. Locate the required image on your computer.
2. Right-click on it, then select Open With ➙ Preview.
3. Select the Tools ➙ choose Adjust Size  ➙ fill in the desired parameters by giving preference to smaller options in the Resolution field  ➙ click Resample Image > OK.

Now, you’ll see the new image’s size at the bottom.

Want to try this the other way around? Here are the most effective and clear ways to resize images on your Apple laptop:

1. Resize the image using Preview
2. Change the image size in Photos on Mac
3. Change the dimensions of photos using Pages
4. Try third-party apps

1. Resize the image using Preview

Resizing images includes different modifications, not only cropping images on Mac, as some users might think. You also need to know how to change the dimensions of photos on Mac. In our opinion, one of the simplest ways to change the picture size on a Mac is with the Preview app.

But before you try it, consider the advantages of resizing images via Preview:

• Accessibility: Preview is the default macOS application, so you don’t need to look for additional tools to accomplish your tasks. All you need to do is simply open a pic you want to change in Preview with a double click.
• Easy interface: The menu items are clear, straightforward, and grouped logically, so you should be able to understand how to use them with little effort.
• Speed: Clear options in the app’s menu don’t require additional steps or the use of third-party tools to achieve the desired result.
• Format conversion: It’s an additional function of Preview that lets you save resized files in various formats if you need a specific one.
• Flexibility: Preview allows adjusting image size when exporting it after any changes.

Impressed? To resize an image using Preview, find our instructions above in the “How to change image size on Mac” section.

2. Change the image size in Photos on Mac

You can also resize an image on Mac through the Photos app. To us, this method is simple but slightly indirect, like the principles of using Paint on Mac. Before changing the image size in Photos, you need to export it first, so the original file will remain unaltered.

Follow these steps to resize images in Photos on your Apple laptop:

1. In the Photos app, choose the image you want to resize.
2. Choose File in the menu bar ➙ click Export ➙ Export 1 photo (or more if you need).
3. Set the options in the Export window.
4. Choose the destination for a resized file ➙ click Export.

An extra tip from us: 

Need a quick answer on how to convert PNG to JPG on Mac? Open our attached article to dig deeper into the most frequent image format change.

3. Change the dimensions of photos using Pages

Pages is a desktop publishing software that helps create documents, reports, and posters, combining texts and visuals. This app is perfect for editing images directly in a document to make it fit a particular project perfectly: presentations, newsletters, books, or blogs. Plus, due to its user-friendly interface, we consider Apple Pages accessible on the first try even for beginners—see for yourself below.

Important: If you don’t need profound changes, you can simply drag the corners of a picture to quickly adjust its dimensions. Besides, Pages suggests setting width and height for more specific modifications.

Here are the instructions on how to resize photos using Pages on macOS manually:

1. Open Pages in Applications.
2. Open the document ➙go to Insert ➙ Choose and click the image you want to add.
3. Grab a corner handle, then drag it to change the image’s size.
4. Move the image to an appropriate position in the document by grabbing it.

Do the following to change the image size using Pages on Mac:

1. Launch Pages in Applications.
2. Within the app, open a document you want to edit or create a new one.
3. Add an image to the document by dragging it manually or select the Insert option ➙ Choose an image in the Menu Bar. You may also edit the existing image here.
4. Open Format from the right sidebar ➙ click the Arrange function.
5. Launch Size option ➙ choose Width and Height field ➙ enter your desired proportions and see the images instantly.
6. Confirm to Save your progress before quitting the app.

A useful note from us: To make your document look more attractive, adjust the picture’s position in a document after resizing. You can use the functions under the Arrange option in the Format menu. Check how your document looks with various Text Wrap alternatives, such as Inline, Above and Below, and Around.

4. Try third-party apps

It’s always a great idea to try a third-party app for editing images, as they usually offer a wider variety of features compared to in-built tools. Based on our research, the best third-party picture editors for macOS are Photoshop, GIMP, and Fotor. Their working principles are similar, so let’s just look at one example.

GIMP is a free open-source program alternative to Photoshop, which has advanced editing functions. Take the following steps to edit images via GIMP:

1. Open GIMP from the Applications folder.
2. Go to the File section ➙ choose the picture for editing.
3. Select the function you’re interested in (cropping, resizing, brightness and contrast, color balance and saturation, and others) ➙ follow the instructions to use it.
4. Go to File ➙ choose Save As to save a GIMP file.
5. Go to File ➙ select Export As ➙ choose a format ➙ click Export ➙ save the image.

A hint from our experts: 

We highly recommend you keep your image files in order, especially if you deal with them daily. Don’t forget to delete data that clutters your device while editing images. Use MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder to remove any unwanted copies and save space for something more essential.

Here’s an explanation of how to do this :

1. Launch the MacKeeper app after it has been downloaded & installed on your Mac.
2. Find and select the Duplicates Finder from the left sidebar.
3. Choose the Start Scan option to find duplicates on your Apple laptop.
4. See the results ➙ click Remove Selected to delete unnecessary copies ➙ confirm the action.

How to resize image on Mac without losing quality

Learn how to resize a picture on Mac without losing its quality:

1. Open the pic you want to resize via Preview.
2. Choose Tools in the menu ➙ select Adjust Size.
3. In the pop-down menu, enter your desired Width or Height for the image under changes.
4. Make the Resample Image unticked to save image quality.

A few extra recommendations from our team: 

While resizing images, the main problem you may encounter is a loss of quality that can impact how they look. This is more relevant for image enlargement, which often makes pictures blurry, as this process needs additional pixels.

Get equipped with our tips on how to save the highest-quality images while resizing:

• Use pro tools, like Photoshop or GIMP, which offer advanced editing options.
• Reduce the file size, not expand.
• Resize step by step, not at once, to save the quality.
• Learn how to edit photos on Mac, in addition to this posting.  

How to resize multiple images on Mac

If you want to resize multiple images on your MacBook simultaneously, that’s possible with the Preview app, too. Open them in the same window, then choose Tools > Adjust Size.

Conclusion

Now you know that resizing images on Mac isn’t a complicated task. You can use some in-built apps or more sophisticated third-party tools, depending on your needs and preferences. Follow our instructions and don’t forget to delete duplicate files with the help of MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder to make the process of image resizing a smooth part of your daily workflow.