How to Use the Content Aware Scale in Photoshop
Photoshop Tools
In the latest Photoshop versions the Content Aware Scale was included to simplify our work when we need to scale an objetc inside a photo or make some changes to it. It is a tool that not many users are aware of but that will speed up our work. To see how easy is to use it and how powerful and easy to use this tool is let's compare the normal Transform tool and the Content Aware Scale using the same images, which you can download for free in Pixabay to follow along this tutorial.
Picture Frame - Download
Poster Presentation - Download
The Basics
First, let´s work with a very simple PNG image to have a better idea what this tool can do and how easy to use it is. Let´s say that we want to make this frame much more wider (or taller) to match the ratio of a picture that we have.
The Normal Transformation Method:
Step 1
Open the Picture Frame image in Photoshop.
Step 2
Go to Edit > transform > Scale (or press "Ctrl + T" on your keyboard).
Step 3
Hold the Alt + Shift keys on your keyboard and click and drag on the top left handle of the bounding box as shown.
As you may notice, all the frame widths has been totally distorted and are not on the initial scale.
The Content Aware Scale Method:
Step 1
Open the Picture Frame image in Photoshop.
Step 2
Go to Edit > Content Aware Scale (or press "Alt + Ctrl + Shift + C" on your keyboard).
Step 3
Hold the Alt + Shift keys on your keyboard and click and drag on the top left handle of the bounding box as shown.
As you can see, all the widths of the frame keeps the original aspect, but now we have a much more wider frame.
A Step Further
The Content Aware Scale also works for images with a background on it, and can be used to scale specific areas of our image while keeping the original content scale intact. To show you how powerful it is let´s see another example of a frame, but this time over a background. In this case, we want to make only the left part of the frame wider so we keep the lamp intact.
The Normal Transformation Method:
Step 1
Open the Poster Presentation image in Photoshop.
Step 2
Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and draw a selection around the frame as shown.
Step 3
Go to Edit > transform > Scale (or press "Ctrl + T" on your keyboard).
Step 4
Now simply click and drag the center left handle oF the bounding box to the left.
As you may notice, the left frame width has been totally distorted and is not in the original scale.
The Content Aware Scale Method:
Step 1
Open the Poster Presentation image in Photoshop.
Step 2
Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and draw a selection around the frame as shown.
Step 3
Go to Edit > Content Aware Scale (or press "Alt + Ctrl + Shift + C" on your keyboard).
Step 4
Now simply click and drag the center left handle oF the bounding box to the left.
As you may notice, the left part of the frame keeps the original thickness with no effort and with a very good result.
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