Sizing An Image

As we discussed in the introduction there is always a quality loss when the size of an image is changed. This is due to the absence of the information (in case you enlarge the image) or the loss through loss of pixels. The process of changing the pixel values accordingly is called resampling.

Image size

When you open a bitmap file in Fireworks it will take up the entire canvas. You could select the object itself and try to change the size to the desired dimensions. The canvas however would not change in size.

When you change the size of the canvas the bitmap object will behave just like all other objects. You will only see the part of the object which resides over the canvas. Neither of the just mentioned methods is a good way to size an image.

To change the size of a bitmap Image choose Modify > Image size from the menu. You will see the image size dialog box as it is shown here:

Changing pixel dimensions

You can manually change the dimensions of the image by entering pixel values in the dimension boxes. The lock sign on the right hand side of the dimension boxes indicates if the overall dimensions are constrained to change proportionally.

The lock indicated in this state that when you change one of the two values the remaining value will be calculated according to the original proportions of the image. This makes sure that you don't skew the image by mistake. You can disable this feature by unchecking the Constrain Proportions checkbox in this dialog. When the proportions are unconstrained there is no lock icon next to the dimension fields.

The print size reflects the relationship between the resolution and the pixel dimensions. Usually there is no need to make any adjustments to these settings.

You can change the resolution of the image by entering a different value. Please be aware that a change in the resolution will create different pixel dimensions as a result.

Resampling algorithm settings

You can choose between four options of resamling algorithms:

• Bicubic
• Bilinear
• Soft
• Nearest Neighbor

These resampling choices do in general not produce significantly different results. If you are unsatisfied with the result of the image sizing and resampling try one of the other resamling options listed.