How to resize your photos for scrapbook layouts

If you’d like to learn how to resize your photos so you have just what you need for your scrapbook layouts, then read on.

As a scrapbooker, I work with many different size photos. In ‘the olden days’ all my photos were printed as 6×4’s, which I would then crop with my trimmer. This is a pretty fast way to do it, but it does mean that you can end up with some pretty small images within the frames you’ve cut.

These days, there are much more sophisticated ways to do this, which means that you can enhance the size of your image, within a smaller frame.

And today I’m going to share how YOU can easily resize your photos for your scrapbook layouts, using the free Canva software.

What photos do you need to re-size?

This layout I have here is a prime example of how my scrapbooking process has changed over the years. I’ve created this layout with my photos in mind, but I used photo placeholders as I ‘played’ getting the layout to look how I wanted it. I only had 4 photos from this event, but I knew I wanted to use them all, and on just a single page. So it was all about making it work.

It may seem like a back to front method of scrapbooking, but it is perfect if you haven’t yet printed your photos (and I bet you have a ton that you haven’t, I mean, that phone right ….. ?!!). Once I’ve got my layout planned, I then format my photos to fit perfectly.

And in using the method I’m going to show you, you’ll be able to quickly and easily re-size your photos, and enhance the image within your frame. You’ll then print (using whatever method you prefer), and when you have your photos back, you’ll just trim to size, and pop straight onto your page.

Your step by step process to re-size your photos

Here’s a video that will take you step by step through the process of formatting your images into 3×4, 3×3 and 2×2 photos. You’ll be able to modify the image within that frame to choose the part/s of it you really want to highlight.

Can you see how easy it is?

After that one set up, all you need to do is open your file, upload the photos you want to format, drag and drop, and voila!

This is what my photos looked like when I got them back from the print shop.

So all I needed to do was trim them, and pop them straight onto my layout = One complete layout! Yippee!!!

Here is the finished layout.

But wait, there’s more ….

Create journal ‘boxes’ as well – bonus!

You’ll see the super cute tag that I created for my journalling, inside the tag holder. Using the same principal of creating the photos to size, I did the same thing with the tag.

Here’s a wee bonus video for you, if you’d like to know how to do that.

AND, if you love these elements, here’s how I created them.

The super cute little pocket is part of the Buildable Tags Thin Cut set from Close to my Heart.

It’s the piece with the heart (which in my example I’ve covered with the cups sticker).

I’ve then used the large tag shape to cut my journalling tag (after I printed it). My tag is not as wide as the die cut, but that doesn’t matter, as long as it’s centred at the top when I make the cut.

You’ll see exactly what I mean here. This is the tag, on top of my printed journalling, before I run it through my cutting machine.

What I love about this tag set, is that it also has a cutter for the surround of the hole. (There’s probably a real name for this, but I have no idea what it is 🤣.) It really just finishes it off. How clever.

So – now you know just how easy it is to re-size your images, into the photo sizes you actually need. I hope this makes life that little bit easier for you. More time to scrapbook now right?!

If this was helpful, please indulge me by leaving a comment below.