How to Resize Multiple Images at Once in Windows 10

Resizing images is an essential skill for anyone working with digital images. Whether you need to prepare photos for printing, emailing, web publishing or just need to save on storage space, knowing how to efficiently resize multiple images at once can save you a lot of time and effort.

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the entire process of batch resizing images on Windows 10, from gathering your photos to exporting resized versions. We will also provide tips to maintain image quality and resize non-destructively whenever possible.

Step 1: Gather and Select Your Photos

First, gather all the photos you want to resize into one folder on your Windows 10 computer. You can select existing photos from various locations or import new ones directly from your camera or smartphone.

Once you have all the photos in one place, select the images you want to resize:

• To select a few random photos, hold down the Ctrl key and left-click each image you want to resize.
• To select a sequence of images, click the first photo, hold down Shift, and click the last photo in the sequence. This will select the first and last photos plus all photos in between.
• To select all photos in the folder, press Ctrl + A.

Step 2: Launch the Photos App and Access Resize

The Photos app in Windows 10 contains a batch resize tool that makes it easy to resize multiple selected images at once.

To access it:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. In the top right, click “Select all” to select all photos or manually select the ones you want to resize.
3. Click the “…” icon to open a drop down menu. Select “Resize”.

Photos App Resize

This will open the resize tool where you can choose a preset size or enter custom dimensions.

Step 3: Choose a Preset Size

The Windows Photos app provides preset resize options to resize your images to common sizes needed for print and web publishing.

The preset sizes are:

• Small (1024 x 768 pixels)
• Medium (2048 x 1536 pixels)
• Large (3072 x 2304 pixels)

Simply choose one of these presets to batch resize your selected images to that size.

For example, to create web-friendly versions at a typical 1024×768 size, choose “Small”. All selected photos will resize non-destructively to that size.

Step 4: Enter Custom Dimensions

If you need a very specific size that doesn’t match one of the presets, you can enter custom dimensions in pixels:

1. Select “Custom” under resize options.
2. Enter your desired width in pixels.
3. Enter your desired height in pixels.
4. Check that the aspect ratio lock is toggled on (it maintains proportional width and height).
5. Click “Resize” to commit changes.

For example, to resize photos to 1920×1080, just type those dimensions.

Tip: Avoid extreme upsizing like making a small photo very large. This will reduce image quality.

Step 5: Export Resized Versions

By default, the Photos app does non-destructive resizing. This means your originals do not get altered; only resized copies get created.

To export and save the resized versions:

1. Open the resized image.
2. Click the “…” icon.
3. Choose “Save a copy” to export it.

Repeat this for each resized image you want to export from the Photos app as a separate file.

Tip: To select all resized versions, sort photos by “Date modified” then you can easily access all the recently resized ones.

Alternative Method: Use Image Resizer PowerToy

The Photos app method works great but is manual. For even faster batch resizing, you can use Microsoft’s free Image Resizer PowerToy.

To use it:

1. Install Image Resizer from the Microsoft Store.
2. Right-click your photo selections, choose “Resize pictures”.
3. Pick a size preset or enter custom dimensions.
4. Click resize. Done!

This will batch resize on the fly and save the resized copies in the same folder for instant access.

Maintaining Image Quality When Resizing

When resizing photos, you often have to balance quality vs file size. Here are some quick tips to maintain quality:

Avoid extreme upsizing

Don’t take a very small photo (like 320×240) and enlarge it to 1920×1080. Extreme enlarging will look pixelated and blurry. It’s best to resize to around the same size or smaller.

Resize in increments

If you need to enlarge a photo considerably, do it in increments, like 25-50% at a time. Going from 500px to 2000px width at once can really reduce quality.

Save resized versions as JPG

JPG compression removes detail that is less noticeable when photos are small. This helps keep file sizes manageable with minimal quality loss.

**Use “Save As” not “Save” **

When resizing in editing applications, use “Save As” to create a copy, not “Save” which overwrites originals.

Edit then resize

If you need to edit photos (like cropping or color correction), do that before final resizing to avoid quality loss.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can resize batches of photos quickly while maintaining the best possible image quality!

Common Image Sizes for Resizing

Here are some of the most common sizes you may want to resize photos to for publishing online and in print:

Social Media Images

• Facebook Cover Photo: 820 x 312 pixels
• Facebook Share Image: 1200 x 630 pixels
• Instagram Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Instagram Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels
• Twitter Header: 1500 x 500 pixels
• Pinterest Pin: 1000 x 1500 pixels

Web Images

• Hero Image: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Blog Post Image: 1280 x 720 pixels
• Thumbnail Image: 320 x 320 pixels

Print Products

• 4×6 inches: 1200 x 1800 pixels
• 5×7 inches: 1500 x 2100 pixels
• 8×10 inches: 2400 x 3000 pixels
• 11×14 inches: 3300 x 4200 pixels

Now that you know how to efficiently resize in bulk, you can whip up perfectly sized images for any project in minutes!

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions about resizing images on Windows 10:

How do I resize just one image?

To resize only one photo, double click it to open the photo viewer. Click the “…” icon > Resize > choose preset size or enter custom dimensions.

What image format should I use?

JPG is the best format for most photos, especially web images. It compresses files to save space while maintaining good quality. For transparent images, use PNG instead.

How do I resize non-destructively?

To avoid overwriting your originals when resizing, use the Photos App method. It automatically resizes non-destructively by creating a separate copy that’s resized.

What’s the maximum size I can resize to?

There is no strict maximum size for resizing. However, enlarging a photo extremely large can reduce quality. For best results, only size up a little bigger than the original dimensions.

How do I resize images on a Mac?

On Mac, you can use Preview’s export tool to resize batches of images by percentage or dimensions. Open images in Preview, go to File > Export, adjust size, export.

What software alternatives are there?

Some free alternatives for advanced batch image resizing include FastStone Photo Resizer, XnConvert, GIMP, Paint.NET and IrfanView.

Conclusion

Resizing photos doesn’t need to be a slow, tedious process. With the built-in Windows 10 batch tools, you can resize entire photo selections in just a few clicks.

The key things to remember are:

• Use the Photos App or PowerToys for easy batch resizing
• Stick to preset sizes or enter custom dimensions in pixels
• Be careful of extreme enlargements that can reduce quality
• Export resized versions from the Photos app to save copies
• Maintain quality by resizing in increments and saving lossy JPGs

With this knowledge and efficient workflow, you’ll be an image resizing expert in no time