If you’re reading this tutorial, you’re probably already working on a project and have a layer to resize. If not, go ahead and open the project you want to edit in Photoshop.

Select the layer with the text or object you want to resize from the Layer menu in the bottom right. In my example, I selected her drink and made a copy of it in a new layer—this is the object I will resize.

You can select multiple layers and this process will still work. Use shift to choose sequential layers or CTRL/Command to select specific ones.

There are a couple of tools that will accomplish what we want. The two I use the most are Free Transform and Move Tool. These both create a box around the selected item with corners that can be clicked and dragged for resizing.

Free Transform

This tool can be accessed through one of two ways:

• Windows users press Ctrl + T on your keyboard. Mac users press Command + T.
• Open the Edit menu in the upper left and go to Free Transform

Move Tool

This tool is intended to move objects but can be used to resize them as well. You can access it with one of two methods:

• Press V on your keyboard
• Select the Move Tool from the tool tray on the left. It’s usually the top option.

Pick a corner—any corner—to click and drag. This will resize the object in the layer you have selected.

Layer proportions will retain by default. If not, hold the Shift key while dragging the corner.

When the layer has been resized, press Enter or Return. From here, you can continue working or save the project under the File menu.

Start a new project in Photoshop. You can import an existing image or create a blank canvas by clicking Create new… on the left of the main menu.

If you haven’t already, create the text you want to outline using the Text Tool from the tool tray on the left. The icon looks like a capital T.

The outline effect is applied from the Layers window.

1. Select the text layer you want to add an outline to.
2. Open the effects menu in the bottom of the Layers tab – it looks like fx.
3. Choose Outer Glow.
4. Adjust the color, spread, and opacity of the outline using the sliders in the popup.

Experiment with this menu until you create the desired outline.

If you rasterize the outline effect, it will become an inseparable part of the layer. This is useful if you want to apply the same effect again.

If you decide to permanently apply the effect, you can rasterize the layer by right-clicking it and choose Rasterize Layer Style.

Once the effect has been applied, you can continue working on your project or save the changes using the File menu in the upper left.

You may also be interested in our guide on how to add a transparent background to your project.