Often pixel art needs resizing to fit into specific images like thumbnails or posters. If you cannot find a way to do this in Photoshop, let us help you out. 

To resize pixel art in Photoshop manually while preserving the quality, select your object, hit Ctrl + T, and in the top panel in front of Interpolation, choose “Nearest Neighbor.” Now manually drag the corners of the image to adjust to your liking. 

We discuss two other ways to do this in this article. Continue here if you are interested. 

Resize Pixel Art Manually In Photoshop

The method we are about to dive into is one of the easiest and most hassle-free. It is so easy that any beginner could manage to pull it off. However, it has some cons, which we shall discuss further in the article. This method works best when you are just starting, but it is not recommended for professional work. Moreover, quality issues often need to be met when resizing involves reducing the size of the art. 

To resize pixel art manually in Photoshop:

1. Click on the image.
2. A square would appear around the image showing handles on all four corners.
3. Press and hold the Shift key while dragging one of the handles from the corner. Depending on whether you wish to increase or decrease the image size, you can drag this inwards or outwards. 
4. Keep dragging, and when you are satisfied, release your cursor. 
5. The image will be resized. 

Resize Pixel Art To Preserve The Quality In Photoshop

The method we showed you above may be easy to perform, but it could be better for pixel art. We will look into methods that help us preserve the art’s quality. 

Why Is Preserving The Quality Of Pixel Art Important In Photoshop?

A medium such as a pixel art requires the preservation of quality. It is essential for creating artwork that looks sharp and professional. Pixel art is digital art created using pixels, the individual points that make up an image. 

It is often used to create video game sprites and digital art. When the quality of a pixel art image is preserved, it ensures that the image looks crisp and clear, making it look more professional. Quality preservation also helps to ensure that the details of the image are retained.

Resize Pixel Art Manually To Preserve Quality

Let us first correct the method mentioned above to keep the resolution crisp. You will still be able to resize the image manually as per your preference, but if the size is increased, the quality will stay the same. 

1. Select the art. 
2. Now hit Control + T or Command + T.
3. In the panel on top, click the tab next to Interpolation.
4. In the dropdown menu, choose “Nearest Neighbor.”
5. Now drag one of the handles at the corner of the selection and click enter when you are done. 
6. The image will resize, and the quality will be preserved. 

For a tutorial, watch this video: 

Resizing Pixel Art With Specific Dimensions To Preserve The Quality

For accuracy, you can resize the image according to a specific dimension that you have been provided. To do so:

1. Open up your pixel art in a separate layer.
2. Please select it and go to Image in the panel on top. 
3. Here click, Image Size. 
4. For a keyboard shortcut, press the Alt + Control + I keys together in Windows. On a Mac, press the Option + Command + I keys together. 
5. A window will open, showing you the image’s dimensions, including width and height. 
6. Go to the first section labeled Pixel Dimensions. 
7. In front of the width columns, ensure the Pixels option is selected as the unit of measurement. 
8. Now input the number in the tabs next to Width and Height. 
9. At the bottom of this window, look for a tab that shows a dropdown menu. 
10. Choose “Nearest Neighbor (preserve hard edges)” in the menu.
11. Click OK. 
12. Save the image as you like. 

How To Resize A Document In Photoshop

Along with the option of resizing the art comes the option of resizing the document. We will touch upon this. 

To resize the document:

1. Open up the document that you wish to resize.
2. Go to the top panel and select Image. 
3. In the dropdown menu that opens, choose Image Size.
4. A window will pop open. Go to the Document Size section of the window. 
5. Here you will see options for width, height, and resolution. 
6. In the width and height options, you can change the unit of measurement as you like. If you do not understand pixels, you could go with inches, millimeters, or centimeters. 
7. You can adjust the resolution according to your demands in the resolution option. 

Conclusion

If you are starting with pixel art, we recommend sticking to the first method and slowly moving toward the next two methods. The slow progression will make things easier without making the experience difficult.