MS Paint Resize and Skew
Pictures rarely arrive in the exact size you need. A photo may be too large for an email, or a logo may be too small for a poster. Resize changes the size of the picture, and Skew slants it sideways or up and down. Both commands live in one small window.
Open the Resize and Skew Window
Click the Resize button in the Image section of the toolbar, or press Ctrl and W. A window opens with two parts: Resize on top and Skew below.
The commands act on the whole picture when you select nothing. Select an area first when you want to change only that part.
Resize by Percentage
- Choose Percentage in the Resize part of the window.
- Type a number in the Horizontal box. Type 50 to halve the width.
- Keep Maintain aspect ratio ticked. The Vertical box then updates by itself.
- Confirm with OK.
A value of 200 doubles the size, while 25 shrinks the picture to a quarter of its original width and height.
Resize by Pixels
Choose Pixels when you need an exact size, such as 800 pixels wide for a web page. Type the width, and let the height follow with the aspect ratio option on. The result matches the target without distortion.
The Aspect Ratio
The aspect ratio describes the relationship between width and height. A square has a ratio of 1 to 1, and a wide screen picture has a ratio of 16 to 9. Keeping the ratio protects faces and shapes from stretching. Untick the option only when you want a deliberately squashed or stretched effect.
Shrink Versus Enlarge
Shrinking removes pixels, and the picture stays sharp. Enlarging adds pixels that Paint must guess, so the result looks soft or blocky. Start from the largest original and shrink to your needs. Avoid enlarging small pictures by more than a small amount.
Skew the Picture
Skew slants the picture without changing its size. Type an angle in the Horizontal box to lean the picture left or right. Enter an angle in the Vertical box to tilt the picture up or down. Small angles between 10 and 30 degrees give a natural look.
Uses for Skew
- Create a simple shadow that leans away from an object.
- Make text look like it sits on a wall.
- Turn a rectangle into a parallelogram for a design.
- Build a basic 3D box from three skewed faces.
Resize a Selection
Select part of the picture and open the window. Paint applies the new size to the selection only. You can also drag the handles on the selection box for a quick manual resize.
Check the Result
Open Image properties with Ctrl and E to confirm the new width and height. Zoom in to see whether edges look clean. Press Ctrl and Z to undo and try another value.
Common Problems
The Picture Looks Stretched
The aspect ratio box was off, or you typed different horizontal and vertical values. Undo and enter one value with the ratio locked.
The Picture Looks Blurry
Enlarging caused the softness. Start again from a larger original.
The Skew Cuts Off Edges
A skew widens the picture. Enlarge the canvas first so the slanted shape fits.
Practice Exercise
Open any photo. Shrink it to 50 percent and save it as a new file. Compare the file sizes in File Explorer. Draw a rectangle, select it, and skew it by 20 degrees horizontally. Combine two skewed rectangles and one straight rectangle to form a simple 3D cube. The exercise shows how both commands change a picture.