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Short on time? Here’s how to resize a bunch of photos at once using Google Picasa

So you need to re-size a bunch of images, but don’t want to endure the tedium of diddling with each photo’s dimensions one at a time. We hear you. Well not to worry — we’ve got the lowdown on a quick and easy method you can use to get the job done in just a few minutes. You’d think that a function so basic as resizing an image file would be included on most major operating systems, but unfortunately that isn’t the case – at least not entirely. Windows doesn’t come equipped with a native batch file resizing utility, and the options you have on OS X are either too restrictive (Preview), or complex and inconvenient (Automator). For this reason, we’ll show you a method that employs a free, easy-to-use third-party software program that works on any operating system: Google Picasa. It’s fast, free, and you don’t need to be a Photoshop savant to put it to good use.

How to resize multiple images using Google Picasa

Step 1: Download/install Picasa

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Step 2: Open the program and navigate to the folder containing your images. If you just installed the software, it might take a few moments for Picasa to scan your computer and find all your images.

Step 3: Select the pictures you wish to resize. Picasa will display them in the image tray in the lower left corner

Batch resize with Picasa

Step 4: Once you’ve selected your images, click the Export button.

Step 5: After you click Export, a new dialog window will appear. Adjust image sizes using the slider, or by entering in a specific value in the box. *Note: this number corresponds to the WIDTH of the images. The aspect ratio is locked, so the picture’s height will be adjusted proportionally.

Picasa image settings

Step 6: Hit export and the dimensions you set will be applied to all the images you selected initially, and all the re-sized images will be saved in your destination folder. Depending on how many pictures you’re working with, this may take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.

This method should be adequate for most users, but depending on your preferences, you might want a program with more or perhaps less features than Picasa. The good news is there are a multitude of programs out there you can download to get the job done, so here are a few other alternatives if Picasa isn’t the best fit for your photo re-sizing needs.

  • IrfanView (Windows) – an incredibly full-featured batch image processor that can handle basically any bulk editing task.
  • PhotoBulk (Mac) – features a slick, minimalist interface with only the most basic, essential controls you need.
  • Phatch (Win/Mac/Linux) – an open source batch editor that, in addition to resizing, can do stuff like convert the filetype, rename, rotate, and add watermarks.
Drew Prindle
Former Senior Editor, Features
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
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