When it comes to resizing and rotating layers in Adobe Photoshop, you have more than one option of doing so. There are a few different ways you can scale or rotate layers in Adobe Photoshop CC. After you have learned the different methods, you can easily choose the option that works best for you in completing different projects.
So now let’s start with the different options that is open to you.
Transform Options
If you are using the Transform options:
- From the Edit menu choose the Free Transform option in resizing and rotating a layer.
- Alternatively, you can click on Transform to choose either Scale or Rotate.
Using the Move Tool – How to Resize and Rotate Layers in Adobe Photoshop
The Move tool is another option that is open to you. To use this tool:
- Select the Move Tool in the Toolbox.
- Click on the Show Transform Controls option which is in the Toolbox.
- While this option is selected, you can rotate or scale the image just as if you had clicked Free Transform under the Edit menu.
Rotating a Layer
When you are rotating a selected unlocked layer, or a selected object in a layer:
- You are to hover the cursor on the outside of any corner.
- Immediately the cursor changes into a curved double-sided arrow, just drag the cursor to rotate the object.
- To restrict the rotation to 15-degree increments, hold down the Shift key.
- Alternatively, type the rotation angle in the Rotate menu in the Options bar. Positive values will rotate the object to the right, while negative values will rotate the object to the left.
How to Resize a Layer
To resize a layer:
- Start by dragging any handle in the bounding box around the object’s layer.
- Alternatively you can type a percentage value in the Horizontal Scale and Vertical Scale menus in the Options bar.
- In order to lock the aspect ratio so the image is not distorted, hold the Shift key while dragging any corner Anchor.
Tips – How to Resize and Rotate Layers in Adobe Photoshop
Here are some tips that will help you as you learn how to resize and rotate layers in Adobe Photoshop:
- Ctrl-click multiple layers in the Layers panel will help you to rotate and resize them at once.
- You can instantly create a duplicate copy of a transformed layer by holding down the Option Key when you click the Edit menu and select a transform option.
- Scaling down a layer will lose definition if you later want to increase it again. Except it’s a text layer, a Smart Object layer, or a vector layer like that which is created with the Pen Tools.
- When you are scaling an object, you have to vary the amount of scaling on each side by dragging the Reference Point from the center of the object to an edge or even off of the choosen object. If the reference point happens to be on the left and you increase the horizontal scale, the object will scale more on the right and less on the left.