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How To Resize Images In WordPress

wordpress image resize

WordPress powers nearly 43% of the internet, making it an extremely popular option for most businesses. And with it being such a popular option, keeping your website optimized is critical. While WordPress offers some optimization options, you can still do some things to improve your performance.

One of the best ways to do this is by resizing your images. High-quality images undoubtedly enhance the visual appeal of a website, but large image files can negatively impact page load times and user experience. In fact, a one-second delay in page load time can lead to a 7% reduction in conversions. In this article, we’ll show you how impactful resizing images can be and how easy it can be.

In this article:

Why Should I Resize Images in WordPress?

Resizing images has far more benefits than simply speeding up your website. While it may be a simple solution, it can have a ripple effect across your entire website, with changes such as:

  • Faster page load times. Large image files can slow down your website’s loading speed, negatively impacting user experience and search engine rankings.
  • Improved SEO. Search engines, like Google, consider page load times a ranking factor, so optimizing images can boost your website’s visibility in search results.
  • Enhanced user experience. Resizing images ensures your site’s content is displayed correctly and efficiently across various devices and screen resolutions.
  • Reduced server storage and bandwidth usage. Smaller image files consume less server space and bandwidth, helping you save on hosting costs and prevent server overloads.

How Can You Edit Images in WordPress?

WordPress provides several built-in tools and features that allow you to edit images directly within the platform. Whether you want to resize, crop, rotate, or flip images, WordPress offers user-friendly options to help you achieve the desired results. Let’s explore how it’s done!

Resizing Images in WordPress

Resizing images in WordPress is a simple process that can be accomplished using the built-in media library. Start by logging into your WordPress website and heading to the Media Library section. Next, click Library to access your existing media files or upload a new image. Now select the image you want to edit.

Media and library

Now simply click on the Edit Image button.

Edit image

Within Scale Image, you can input custom dimensions for your image. If you specify only the width, the height will be automatically adjusted according to the image’s aspect ratio and vice versa.

Simply enter the desired width of your content area in the designated box. In this instance, we used 900 pixels. Once you have made the necessary adjustments, click the “Scale” button to start.

Scale image

You can check out your resized image by returning to the details page and checking the image dimensions. You can also use the new image by copying the image URL, as shown below.

Dimensions and final URL

And that’s it! WordPress has made it a fairly simple process, although entirely manual.

Cropping Images in WordPress

Cropping an image involves the same process as resizing. Start by heading over to Media Library > Library and click on the image you want to edit. Next, click on Edit.

Now drag your cursor on the image to start the cropping process.

Image highlighted

To refine or reposition the cropped area within the image, you can simply click and drag the boxes to set your crop. Move the area around the image until you are satisfied with the composition. Once you have achieved the desired area, click Crop, which will also enable the save button. Finally, click Save.

Crop and save

Rotating Images in WordPress

WordPress enables you to rotate images to the desired orientation without needing external software. To get started, head over to Media Library > Library, click on the image you want to edit, and then click Edit. Next, click on the “Rotate Left” or “Rotate Right” button to rotate it.

Image flipped

Once you’re satisfied, you can click Save and you’re all set.

Flipping Images in WordPress

Flipping images, both horizontally and vertically, can create interesting visual effects or correct image inconsistencies. WordPress offers a simple method for flipping images.

First, head over to Media Library > Library from your WordPress Dashboard, select your image, and then click the “Edit Image” button. Next, flip your images vertically or horizontally using the buttons above your preview.

Flip vertically and horizontally

Finally, click on save when you’re done.

Speeding Up Image Resizing with Cloudinary

Cloudinary offers an indispensable tool for optimizing and managing your website’s media assets with its WordPress Plugin. Plus, it gets rid of all these manual steps when it comes to resizing images within WordPress. Here’s what Cloudinary can do for you:

  • Enhanced Site Performance. By optimizing your site’s performance and improving page load times, it can improve your user experience and helps boost your Google page rankings, Core Web Vitals, and Lighthouse scores.
  • Automated Features: Cloudinary’s plugin offers a range of automated features, such as advanced auto-responsive delivery, customizable lazy loading, and fast CDN delivery of assets. You can deliver engaging visual experiences while optimizing image and video quality, resizing and cropping using AI, and applying transformations and effects.
  • Seamless Integration. With Cloudinary, you can enjoy seamless integration within your WordPress environment. It offers compatibility with popular page builders and provides end-to-end support for WooCommerce, making it suitable for various use cases, whether personal or business-related.
  • Plug-and-Play Solution. Getting started with the Cloudinary plugin is a breeze. Its intuitive onboarding wizard lets you quickly set up and automate your image, video, and visual media workflows. The true plug-and-play nature of the solution ensures that you can start delivering optimized and responsive media immediately.
  • Insights and Metrics. Cloudinary’s dashboard provides valuable insights into optimization metrics and data usage, empowering you with the information you need to make informed decisions. Say goodbye to surprises and have full visibility into your media optimization efforts.

Closing the Book

Mastering the art of resizing images in WordPress opens up possibilities for enhancing your website’s visual appeal and performance. With the seamless integration of Cloudinary’s plugin, you can effortlessly resize, crop, rotate, flip, and optimize your images, ensuring they look stunning on every device and load lightning-fast. Don’t settle for subpar visuals or slow-loading pages.

Sign up for Cloudinary today and witness the transformative impact of perfectly resized images in WordPress.

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QUICK TIPS
Colby Fayock
Cloudinary Logo Colby Fayock

In my experience, here are tips that can help you better optimize and manage image resizing in WordPress:

  1. Set optimal image dimensions site-wide using the WordPress Customizer
    To maintain consistency, set standard image dimensions for common areas like headers, blog post thumbnails, and featured images. Navigate to the WordPress Customizer (Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS) and specify default dimensions. This ensures new images are automatically scaled correctly and prevents bloated image files that slow down the site.
  2. Create custom image sizes in WordPress for different use cases
    Define additional image sizes in your WordPress theme using functions.php. Use add_image_size() to automatically generate various sizes for images, like for thumbnails, blog posts, or e-commerce product galleries. Then, modify your templates to call these sizes using the_post_thumbnail('custom-size'). This way, you avoid serving oversized images and ensure each image fits the exact container it’s displayed in.
  3. Enable lazy loading for off-screen images
    WordPress natively supports lazy loading (loading="lazy" attribute), but you can optimize it further using plugins like Lazy Load by WP Rocket or a3 Lazy Load. For complex sites, consider a plugin with scroll-based or interaction-based triggers to ensure images load only when necessary, improving page load speed.
  4. Batch resize existing images for consistency
    Use plugins like Regenerate Thumbnails to update existing images when you change the image size settings or add new custom image dimensions. This ensures older uploads conform to the same sizing rules as new uploads, maintaining uniformity across your entire media library.
  5. Use WebP or AVIF formats for modern, lightweight images
    After resizing, convert images to more efficient formats like WebP or AVIF. They offer superior compression with minimal quality loss compared to JPEG or PNG. Use Cloudinary’s transformation capabilities to automatically convert and deliver these formats based on browser support, or employ plugins like Imagify or Smush for automatic format switching.
  6. Leverage responsive image markup for fluid layouts
    Implement srcset and sizes attributes to serve responsive images. For example, WordPress automatically includes srcset in the HTML of images, but review and fine-tune this for high-density screens and custom breakpoints. Use tools like the Responsive Images in WP plugin to set responsive breakpoints manually, ensuring the correct image loads based on screen size.
  7. Consider image focal point for intelligent cropping
    If you have dynamic layouts with varied aspect ratios, use intelligent cropping to maintain focus on key image elements. Cloudinary’s gravity parameter (gravity: auto) is ideal for this, or use plugins like Focal Point Crop to set manual focal points. This avoids awkward crops that cut off key subjects like faces or product details.
  8. Optimize image metadata for SEO and accessibility
    Ensure each image includes relevant alt attributes, title tags, and descriptive captions. Use the SEO Friendly Images plugin to automate alt tag generation based on filenames or post titles, improving image SEO. Additionally, include schema.org markup for crucial images, enhancing discoverability and providing context to search engines.
  9. Use Cloudinary’s automatic breakpoints for responsive delivery
    Cloudinary’s auto-breakpoints feature analyzes an image and calculates optimal sizes based on the target container and screen sizes. It delivers tailored image versions to each device, eliminating guesswork with manual breakpoints. Implement this for high-traffic or media-rich sites where responsive performance is critical.
  10. Regularly audit and optimize your media library
    Over time, unused or oversized images can accumulate, bloating your media library. Use the Media Cleaner plugin to identify and remove unattached or unused images. Pair this with a scheduled resizing workflow (via plugins like WP CLI Image Regenerate) to maintain an optimized library that’s always ready for fast delivery.

These tips will help you implement effective image resizing strategies in WordPress, ensuring optimized visuals that are consistent, responsive, and SEO-friendly. With a solid resizing workflow, you’ll boost both performance and user engagement, setting a high standard for your site’s visual appeal and usability.

Last updated: Oct 3, 2024