# Resize: change the size of your images

URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/resize
Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/resize.md
Section: Pipelines
Summary: Changes the actual pixel size of every image in your batch — smaller (most common) or scale by percentage. Sharp output via Lanczos resampling.

Resize changes the **actual pixel dimensions** of every image in your batch. Make a 5000-pixel image into a 2000-pixel image, or scale everything down to 50% — your choice.

Resize uses **Lanczos resampling**, which is a fancy way of saying *"the image stays sharp when it gets smaller."* You won't see the blocky, pixelated look you get from cheaper resize tools.

## Why this step matters

A few reasons you'd add Resize to a pipeline:

- **Source images are too big.** If your AI generator, scanner, or download produces 8000-pixel files but your end use only needs 3000, resizing first makes the rest of your pipeline run much faster.
- **You need exact dimensions** for an upload spec (less common — usually **Reposition** is better for hitting an exact spec because it sets the canvas size around your subject).
- **You want to scale a whole batch by the same percentage** — like making everything 75% of its original size.

## How to use it

1. Add Resize to your pipeline.
2. Choose how to specify the new size:
   - **Width and Height in pixels** — type the exact numbers
   - **Scale** — drag the slider or click a preset, from 0.1x up to 8x of the original (10%–800%)
3. Leave the lock on **%** (the default) to keep the image's shape, or switch to **Both** to set width and height independently (see below).

## The settings

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Width** (pixels) | Target width for the resized image. |
| **Height** (pixels) | Target height for the resized image. |
| **Scale** (10%–800%) | Alternative to Width/Height — slider plus presets. 50% = half size, 200% = double size, 800% = 8x. The numbers under the slider are the real output size. |
| **Lock** (**%** or **Both**) | **%** (default, locked) keeps the aspect ratio: change the width and the height follows, and vice versa. **Both** (unlocked) uses the width and height you type exactly, which can stretch the image. |
| **Skip if already larger than** (1000–10000 px) | Safety setting — skips this step on any image already bigger than this on its longest side. Default: 4000. |
| **Skip if result would be larger than** (5000–20000 px) | Safety setting — skips this step if the resize would produce an image bigger than this. Prevents accidentally crashing your browser by upscaling huge images. Default: 20000. |

## How Lock mode actually works

This is the setting people get wrong most often:

- **% (locked, the default)** — the image keeps its original shape. Type a width and the height is calculated for you (or type the height and the width follows). The slider scales both sides together.
- **Both (unlocked)** — your width and height are used exactly. If your original image is square but you set 1000 × 500, the image gets squished to half-height. Use this only when you specifically want to stretch.

**The safe default for most jobs: leave it on %, then type the side you care about.** ReadyPixl figures out the other one and keeps the image from squishing.

## Common sizes people use

| Use case | Size |
| --- | --- |
| Etsy listing image | 2000 × 2000 px |
| Web hero image | 2400 × 1200 px |
| Social media square | 2048 × 2048 px |
| Email-friendly thumbnail | 600 × 600 px |
| Web product image | 1200 × 1200 px |

When a site wants an exact canvas size (a 2000 × 2000 square, a print template), use **Reposition** instead of Resize — Reposition sets the canvas size around your subject, which is what these sites actually want.

## Tips

- **Resize early in your pipeline** if you're making images smaller. The slower tools (Color Removal V2, Filters) will then run on the smaller images, which is much faster.
- **Resize late in your pipeline** if you're making images bigger. Most tools work better at higher resolution.
- **Use the Skip settings in bulk.** If your batch mixes small and huge images, **Skip if already larger than** leaves the already-big ones untouched while the small ones get resized. They only matter when you run many images at once.
- **For making images bigger**, use an upscaler: the free **Upscaler** (runs on your computer) or **AI Upscale** (10 credits per image, about 1¢, sign-in required). Resize just stretches the existing pixels, the same way Photoshop or Canva would — fine for small changes, blurry for big jumps.

## Things Resize doesn't do

- **It doesn't add a canvas around your subject.** It just changes the image size. For "put my image on a 2000×2000 canvas," use **Reposition**.
- **It doesn't crop.** If you want to cut your image down to a specific shape, that's a different tool. Resize keeps everything in the image.
- **It doesn't make small images look like high-resolution images.** Stretching a 500-pixel image to 5000 pixels gives you a blurry 5000-pixel image. Use AI Upscale for that.

## What to read next

- **[AI Upscale](ai-upscale)** — paid AI tool for making images bigger without going blurry
- **[Reposition](reposition)** — for placing your image on a target canvas size (often what you actually want instead of Resize)
- **[Performance tips](../troubleshooting/performance-tips)** — when batches feel slow, resizing earlier in the pipeline helps