In Focus Vol. 4 No. 6

Q: What’s the scoop on CS4's newest feature for scaling images?

A: Photoshop's latest transforming tool, called Content Aware Scaling (CAS), is pretty awesome when used on the right type of image.

By Kim Herrera

Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop CS

CS4’s Content Aware Scaling (CAS), is one of the fastest and smartest tools I've seen yet. You can literally transform an image from a horizontal to a vertical without cropping into it.

This scaling function actually takes into account what may be considered important content and works around those pixels, adding background. The subject matter remains almost completely undistorted!

It’s also very handy for adding extra pixels to create more backdrop when making images wider or taller. No cloning necessary.

It works best when used on an image where the subject matter pixels are distinctively different than the surrounding background. When the tone, luminosity, and color of the image are too similar, the results can be unexpectedly bad. For you experienced users out there, you still have the option of masking protection over areas before trying the CAS.

For a sample I will use this 5x7 horizontal stock image of some buildings on a shoreline...

I will change it to a 4.5 x 7 vertical image just to show the amount of scaling possible. To use the CAS feature, I will first convert the background into a regular layer by double-clicking on the Background layer in the Layers Palette.

Next, I will increase the height of the canvas: Image>Canvas Size.

I added canvas to the top of this image to make it 7 inches tall. Next, I will load the layer as a selection.

In CS4's Edit>Content-Aware Scale I will pull the image from the left side only and scale it horizontally toward the right.

Now I will grab the center transformation node in the top center and scale the image upward an additional 3 inches.

In order to show you the difference between this new feature and the past versions of Adobe CS, I have taken the same two-step scaling process using the Edit>Transform command.

Here are the before and after side-by-side views. One uses the Transform function in CS and one uses the new CAS feature in CS4. A huge difference, wouldn't you agree?

Kim Herrera, Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop, is the color management expert for Logan Photography at Studio Exchange, Santa Ana, Calif., and runs KCH Digital, a digital artistry, education, and consultancy firm. Kim and award-winning photographer Ben Bernous will present a Cover Shoot and Photoshop Workshop at Studio Exchange on June 20.