Resizing images and other elements

You can visually resize elements such as images, plugins, Shockwave or Flash movies, applets, and ActiveX controls in Dreamweaver's Document window. Visual resizing helps you determine how an element affects the layout at different dimensions.

Resizing resets the WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes of the element. The W and H fields in the Property inspector display the current width and height of the element as you resize it. The element's file size does not change.

Flash movies and other vector-based elements are fully scalable and do not lose quality as you resize them.

Bitmap elements such as GIF, JPEG, and PNG images may become pixelated or distorted if you reset their WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes. To maintain the same aspect ratio, hold down the Shift key while you resize a bitmap. However, it is recommended that you visually resize these elements in Dreamweaver only to determine the layout. Once you have determined the ideal size for your image, edit the file in an image-editing application. Editing the image may also reduce its file size and thus reduce download time.

To resize an element:

1	Select the element (for example, an image or Shockwave movie) in the Document window.
	Resize handles appear at the bottom and right sides of the element and in the bottom right corner. If resize handles don't appear, either click away from the element you want to resize, and then re-select it or click <img> in the tag selector to select the element.
2	Resize the element, by doing one of the following:
	To adjust the width of the element, drag the selection handle on the right side.
	To adjust the height of the element, drag the bottom selection handle.
	To adjust the width and the height of the element at the same time, drag the corner selection handle.
	To preserve the element's aspect ratio (its width-to-height ratio) as you adjust its dimensions, Shift-drag the corner selection handle.

Elements can be visually resized to a minimum of 6 by 6 pixels. To adjust the width and height of an element to a smaller size (for example, 1 by 1 pixel), use the Property inspector to enter a numeric value.

To return a resized element to its original dimensions, click the W and H labels in the Property inspector.