Resize an Image Without Stretching It in Photoshop (Content-Aware Scale)
When you need to fit a wide photo into a tall crop without stretching important subjects, Content-Aware Scale is the tool for the job. You’ll protect key areas with a saved selection, crop to 9:16 non-destructively, and scale the rest. Finish by patching any small distortions from the background.
Step-by-step instructions
Work non-destructively
Duplicate the image layer (Ctrl+J on Windows / Command+J on Mac).
Disable or hide the original Background layer.
Select important subjects to protect
Use the Lasso Tool (L) to draw around the main subject (e.g., the woman in red).
Hold Shift and add to the selection for other key elements (e.g., the Eiffel Tower and essential foreground).
Save the selection
Go to Select → Save Selection…
Name it (e.g., “Woman and Tower”) and click OK.
Select → Deselect.
Crop to 9:16 without deleting pixels
Select the Crop Tool (C).
Set aspect to 16:9, then click the double-arrow icon to swap to 9:16 (portrait).
Uncheck Delete Cropped Pixels and commit the crop.
Apply Content-Aware Scale with protection
Edit → Content-Aware Scale.
In the Options bar, set Protect → your saved selection.
Drag side handles to fit the portrait aspect; protected subjects won’t distort.
Press Enter/Return to commit.
Patch minor distortions from the original
Enable the original image layer to reference intact areas.
With the Polygonal Lasso Tool, select a clean area of ground or background.
Press Ctrl+J (Windows) / Command+J (Mac) to copy to a new layer and move it (V) into position to cover issues.
