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How To Resize and Scale Images in Snapseed Photo Editing App

Snapseed is a popular free photo editing app developed by Google. It provides powerful tools to enhance and transform your images. While Snapseed has many advanced features, it lacks a direct image resizing function.

However, there are a couple of workarounds that allow you to resize your photos in Snapseed before exporting them. In this guide, we’ll cover the following topics:

Checking Snapseed Image Size Limits

Snapseed saves images at the same resolution as the original, up to the maximum image size the device can handle ([2]):

  • Android: Up to 20 megapixels
  • iPhone 5 and above: Up to 20 megapixels
  • Older iPhones and iPads: Up to 10 megapixels

So if your original image exceeds those limits, Snapseed will automatically downsize it.

Keep this in mind when editing images in Snapseed – the exported resolution depends on the device’s capabilities.

Resizing Images in Snapseed Before Exporting

While Snapseed doesn’t allow resizing photos directly, you can set a specific image size to export to ([1]):

  1. Edit your photo as desired in Snapseed
  2. Tap the Export icon (bottom right)
  3. Select Image Sizing
  4. Choose a size between 800 px and 4000 px width

This will resize your photo when exporting while retaining the edits.

Some key sizes for resizing in Snapseed:

  • 1920 px width: Optimized for Instagram
  • 2000 px width: Good for online use
  • 4000 px width: Highest size Snapseed supports

Cropping Images to Resize in Snapseed

Another approach to resizing in Snapseed is using the Crop tool ([6]):

  1. Tap Tools > Crop
  2. Select an aspect ratio like 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 etc.
  3. Adjust the crop area edges to get desired size
  4. Tap check icon to apply

This will physically crop and resize your image to the cropped size. You can also freely adjust crop area without locked aspect ratios.

Using Expand Tool to Add Canvas Space

The Expand tool in Snapseed allows you to increase canvas space around the photo ([18]):

  1. Tap Tools > Expand
  2. Pinch to scale image smaller and add space around
  3. Drag image to reposition on canvas
  4. Tap check icon to apply

This gives the effect of resizing the photo smaller without cropping or losing image quality.

Best Practices for Resizing in Snapseed

  • Resize or crop before applying filters for faster processing
  • Avoid extreme expansions as it may reduce image quality
  • Match export size to target use (web, print etc.)
  • Resize to higher sizes if planning to crop later

So in summary, while Snapseed doesn’t offer a direct resize function, you can use the export image sizing setting or cropping tool to change image dimensions if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I resize images beyond 4000 px in Snapseed?

No, 4000 px is the maximum width and height Snapseed allows ([17]). For larger sizes, you would need to resize in another app before importing into Snapseed.

Does resizing in Snapseed reduce image quality?

Resizing on export and cropping in Snapseed doesn’t reduce quality. But expanding canvas does scale images smaller, so quality loss is possible if expanded too much.

What image size should I use for Instagram in Snapseed?

1920 px width is the optimal size for Instagram feed posts in Snapseed. This matches Instagram’s upload requirements.

How do I resize multiple images quickly in Snapseed?

Unfortunately, Snapseed doesn’t allow batch image processing. You have to resize or crop each image individually before exporting.

So in summary, while a bit limited, Snapseed provides a few handy tools for resizing and scaling your images before export. With some creative use of cropping and expanding canvas, you can achieve a variety of resize effects.

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