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Cropping and Resizing with IrfanView

Cropping and Resizing with IrfanViewIrfanView is a free program used for image viewing and simple image manipulation tasks (you can download IrfanView here). Two common tasks IrfanView is good for are cropping and resizing. You crop an image when you want to isolate one part of it. You resize an image when you want to make it smaller.
(Hint: If you need to both crop and resize an image, it is usually better to crop first. This way, you can see how small your cropped image is before making it even smaller.)

Cropping an Image with IrfanView


You can use IrfanView's crop feature to isolate a particular piece of an image. For example, if you had a product image with too muich space around it, you could get rid of this space by cropping.

To crop an image:

1. Open IrfanView.

2. Open the image you want to crop:
    a. Select File > Open. You should now see the Open window.
    b. Find the image you would like to open.
    c. To open the image, click the image filename and then click the Open button. You can also double-click the filename to open the image.
3. Click on and hold a corner point of the area you want to crop. Then, drag your pointer to the opposite corner of the area and release the mouse button. The cropped image will now be bounded by the selection outline you created in this step.

4. Select Edit > Crop selection. The image will now be cropped.

5. Now that you have cropped your image, you will want to save it. You can either save over your original image or create a new image.
(Hint: If you are making several modifications to your image, save often to avoid losing your work.)
    a. To save over your original image: Select File > Save.

    b. To save as a new image: Select File > Save as. In the Save Picture As window that pops up, navigate to the folder where you want to save the image. Enter the name of the new image and click the Save button.
If your image is very large, you may want to resize it (see below).

Resizing an Image with IrfanView


You can use IrfanView's resize/resample feature to make an image smaller.

To resize an image:

1. Open IrfanView.

2. Open the image you want to resize:
    a. Select File > Open. You should now see the Open window.
    b. Find the image you would like to open.
    c. To open the image, click the image filename and then click the Open button. You can also double-click the filename to open the image.
3. Select Image > Resize/Resample. You should now see the Resize/Resample image window.

4. There are two main ways to resize your image:
    a. Set new size: Select the radio button to the left of "Set new size" (selected by default) and enter the new values. Using this method, you can type in the number of pixels/centimeters/inches for the width or height of the image. By default, if you change one dimension, IrfanView will automatically resize the other dimension proportionately. To override this default, uncheck the "Preserve aspect ratio" checkbox at the lower left of the window. Pixels are the standard unit of computer graphics. If the image is a product image and will be displayed on your website, resizing to around 500 x 500 pixels is usually a good guideline.

    b. Set new size as a percentage of original: Select the radio button to the left of "Set new size as a percentage of original" and enter the percentage of the original width or height you want the resized image to be. By default, if you change one dimension, IrfanView will automatically resize the other dimension proportionately. To override this default, uncheck the "Preserve aspect ratio" checkbox at the lower left of the window.
Once you have entered the new values, click the OK button.

5. Now that you have resized your image, you will want to save it. You can either save over your original image or create a new image.
(Hint: If you are making several modifications to your image, save often to avoid losing your work.)
    a. To save over your original image: Select File > Save.

    b. To save as a new image: Select File > Save as. In the Save Picture As window that pops up, navigate to the folder where you want to save the image. Enter the name of the new image and click the Save button.
Your image is now resampled and ready to be loaded onto your website.


Converting Other Graphic Files to .jpg Files

Converting non-pdf graphics files
For converting most graphic files (.bmp, .tif, etc.) to .jpg, you can simply open the file in Irfanview, then File > Save As a .jpg file.

Converting PDF files
To convert pdf files, open the pdf file using your pdf reader (such as Adobe Acrobat Reader) and take a screen shot.

Open Irfanview and click Edit > Paste.

Crop, if necessary, using the instructions above, then save the file as a jpg.
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