Resizing a picture to 2:3 ratio with two white margins on the sides

[licnep]

Hello,

On my phone (an iPhone 14), I have photos with a lot of different ratios, resulting from me cropping the original photos.

I would like to print them in 2:3 ratio (10 x 15 cm (I am in France)), but the various online photo ordering sites only crop them, which causes me to lose pixels from the photo.
I would like the site to resize the photo to 2:3 ratio without losing any pixels, that is to say by adding two white margins on the sides.

Among the ten or so photo sites that I explored, only one offers this service (pictoonline.fr).

I would like to know if there is a way to resize photos to 2:3 ratio myself by adding white margins, which would allow me to upload the photos directly to the sites in the right size, and therefore to widen the number of sites on which I can order.

I am on Mac OS Mojave 10.14, so I'm either looking for a solution on Mac (with native software or downloadable software) or an online utility.


Thanks in advance

[Manfred M]

I use Macs on occasion, but only with Photoshop, so I am not familiar with the native software (Apple Photo, for example).

At a high level, what you need to do is to create a 10 x 15 cm blank (white) image with the photo editing tool and drop your iPhone image on top of that, save it as a JPEG and send it off to the photo printer. There should be plenty of YouTube videos that explain how to do that.

Most commercial print makers run at about 120 pixels/ cm, so the new blank image should be sized accordingly. Most commercial printers will crop the image slightly (around 3mm at each edge), so you really need white bars all around if you do not want to lose any pixels. You can trim the white bars later on, as they don't look very nice; this is pretty common in the printing industry.

[billtils]

Open the photo on your phone, use Airdrop to share it to your Mac - it will now be in your Mac's downloads folder. Next, open the Photos app in your Mac and click on Import then Downloads then your photo. It will now be in the Photos App; double click to open it and then click "Edit" at the top right corner of the window that opens. From there click on the "Crop" option and choose 3x2.

[licnep]

Hello Manfred M,

Thank you for your answer.

Now I have a solution with Photoshop !
Maybe I would be also interested if there was also a free solution, because except for this use I don't have the need of Photoshop.

But thank you, because now I know that a solution exists if I can't find a free solution somewhere else, it's comforting !

[licnep]

Hello billtils,

Thank you for answering me !

I tried the steps you have described on the Photos app, but unfortunately when I set the ratio of the photo from "Original" to "3:2", the app crops the photo, instead of adding one white margin on each side.

I tried with a photo that has a smaller widht/height ratio than in the 3/2 ratio.
Instead of adding a white margin on the left and a white margin on the right, which would have widened the width - and which would have pleased me -, the app first widens the photo in all directions until it reaches the good width and then it crops the picture in height.

Maybe there is a way to ask the app to add white margins instead ?

Thank you in advance

[billtils]

I don't think you can add margins in the Apple Photos program.

If this is something that you only want to do a few times then here is a temporary free solution - most photo editing software will let you have a free trial. The editing program that I use - Affinity Photo - does, and you can download it here.

Since you have a Mac there is also a way to do what you want using Keynote.

If you send me a PM (Private Message) I can send you instructions for both.

[licnep]

Hello billtills,

A thousand sorries for answering you so late !
I am very interested by your two methods, could you tell me how to do it ?

Thanks a lot in advance !

[Manfred M]

Hello billtills,

A thousand sorries for answering you so late !
I am very interested by your two methods, could you tell me how to do it ?

Thanks a lot in advance !

This is a site where we try to help photographers. The type of questions that you are asking here suggests that you do not understand the basics of post-processing and we are in no position to help you develop these skills unless you go out there and try to figure this out on your own. There are many books, articles and videos that demonstrate these types of skills. Use your favourite search engine and try to figure this out for yourself.

If you get stuck, we can try to offer advice, but we cannot teach you how to do it. This is something you need to do yourself, after acquiring the appropriate tools (post-processing software) to do so...

[licnep]

Hello Manfred M,

I understand well, and I will do as you advise me.
Thanks for your piece of advise.

Thank you for the answers that I received for my question.

[billtils]

I have tried sending this using PM but it does not seem to work, so here's how:


Go to your photos

Select the image you want to change and CTRL click on it and > Open with > Preview
Now click on “Tools” (Menu bar at top of screen) then “Adjust Size” and set to the height and width you want (the image may not be exactly 15 x 10 so just choose the one of these that you prefer) then “OK” then File > Export and type the name of the destination folder

You now have you photo the size that you want in a folder on your Mac.

Open Keynote > “New Document” at the bottom left; the Keynote menu will open but before you go to it, click on the word “Keynote” in the menu bar at the top left of the screen, then on “Settings” and change ruler units to centimetres; now close the “Settings window

Now go back to the “Choose a Theme” window and Double click on “My Presentation “Basic Black”
Click on the text frames and delete them

Now go up to the top of the screen and click on “Insert” > “Choose” and go to the folder with your photos and click on the one you want to edit.

Make sure the photo is selected and that “Style” is selected and in the area that opens at the right, and click on ”Border” then “Choose” at the bottom of the screen, then “Picture Frame” from the drop down and drag the “Scale” slider over to the right edge.

Finally go back up to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click File>Export to>Images. Make sure you select JPEG and the Save and type in the destination folder and the image title.

[licnep]

Tank you very much billtils for your detailed answer !
I am not at home for a while to try it, but I am sure it will work.
Thanks again !