How to Change Canvas Size in Photoshop?

In today’s tutorial, you will understand what Canvas Size is and how to Change Canvas Size in Photoshop. By using the Canvas Size option in Photoshop, we can expand or crop an image and add color or transparency around the image.

You can change both the Canvas Size and Image Size in Photoshop. They may sound similar but, you should not get confused between the image size and canvas size. Further in this tutorial, we will see in detail Canvas Size in Photoshop.

What is Canvas Size?

The Canvas Size is the actual workspace which is the visible area of the image. It defines the size which will get printed. You can modify the Canvas Size in Photoshop with the help of the Canvas Size option.

By modifying the Canvas Size, you can increase or decrease the image work area. By increasing the Canvas Size, you can add space around all four sides of the image. The image size will remain constant. On the other hand, on decreasing the Canvas Size, the image will get cropped.

But, when you modify the Image size, the image becomes pixelated on increasing the size and shrink on scaling down the size. But, the image does not get cropped while reducing the image size.

How to Change the Canvas Size in Photoshop?

Launch Adobe Photoshop and open an image as new document. Now follow the below mentioned step-by-step process:

Step 1

Go to Image in the Menu Bar and select Canvas Size.

Step 2

After selecting Canvas Size, a dialogue box will appear in the document area. In that dialogue box, you will see the current size of the canvas.

Now you enter the new Height and Width of the Canvas under New Size. Also, you can change the measurement unit by clicking on the drop-down arrow.

If you want a relative height and width value for the New Canvas Size then put a checkmark on Relative. Otherwise, you can enter different values for both height and width.

NOTE: To reduce the size of the Canvas in Photoshop, enter a negative value for the Height and Width of the New Canvas Size.

Step 3

The Anchor in the Canvas Size dialogue box indicates the corners of the canvas where the new size will affect. If all the arrows are visible in the Anchor, then the Height and Width will increase/decrease from all four corners and sides of the image.

If you want to increase/decrease the Canvas Size from the top-right corner, then click on the bottom-left corner of the Anchor. (See the image below)

Similarly, you can select other corners and sides in the Anchor, if you wish to change the Canvas Size from a particular corner or side.

Step 4

In the Canvas Size dialogue box, you can also select the color for the New Canvas Size. Click on the Canvas Extension Color, and then you can select the available color options from the drop-down list.

You can also pick a color from the Color Picker by either selecting Other or clicking on the color square.

Step 5

In the above steps, you have learned to set the height and width of the New Canvas Size. Also, you have learned to select the sides and color for the Canvas. After making the required changes, click OK to Change the Canvas Size in Photoshop.

This is how you can Change Canvas Size in Photoshop.

Share your views about this Photoshop Tutorial in the comment section and also, share this tutorial with others.