Resizing image from 800x800 to 50x50?

Question

I'm making an icon for deviantART, and the specs are 50 x 50 pixels. I find drawing directly into a 50 x 50 box turns out horrible, so I drew my image as large as possible, 800 x 800, and now I'm trying to resize it to 50 x 50.

The problem is that when I smallen it, it loses it's sharpness. The lines aren't as clear as they should be. I've tried boldening them and duplicating the layer with the lines on, but it doesn't really help much.

Is there any way I can smallen the image from 800x800 to 50x50 without losing the quality? Any good image resizing programs? I'm using GIMP by the way. Would it lose less quality if I did it gradually, as in, resize it from 800x800 to 500x500, and so on, until I get to 50x50? Or doesn't that make a difference?

Help!

Answer 1

You can't reduce an image without losing quality in any image editing software. It's just not physically possible. what you are doing is removing pixels, and removing pixels is like removing information from the data, which reduces the detail.



Rember if you do this, to view your image at 100% in GIMP. That is the size it will appear on DeviantArt.

Answer 2

Do this - set up a 50x50 image and use a 1, 2 or 3 pixel brush/tool to draw a really quick version of your icon making sure you have any diagonal lines and areas roughly right.

Now take that image and blow it up to 800x800.

What you see in the 800x800 is how you have to draw the large version to get close to what you did in the small version. Every line that was 1 pixel wide in 50x50 will be 16 pixels wide in the 800x800 and so on. If you try to draw finer, the lines will just break up and "lose sharpness". Gently slanting lines will stairstep/alias

Answer 3

try this - connected a 50x50 image and use a a million, 2 or 3 pixel brush/gadget to entice a quite speedy version of your icon making particular you have gotten any diagonal lines and areas type of proper. Now take that image and blow it as much as 800x800. What you spot interior the 800x800 is the kind you are able to desire to entice the substantial version to get almost what you probable did interior the small version. each and each line that was a million pixel extensive in 50x50 will probable be sixteen pixels extensive interior the 800x800 and many others. in case you attempt to entice finer, the lines will basically ruin up and "lose sharpness". gently slanting lines will stairstep/alias

Answer 4

You're only working with 2500 pixels, so there's no way you'll get much detail. You can't expect to work on a large scale and then retain image quality when reducing its size so much. This is fundamental stuff.

Answer 5

Try to use this picture resizing tool

http://www.softorbits.com/batch_picture_resize/

It works well!