The most direct way to resize images using PHP is to use the GD library. 1. Load the original image; 2. Create a new canvas of the specified size; 3. Copy and resample the original image onto the new canvas. If the aspect ratio needs to be maintained, the target size is dynamically adjusted by calculating the aspect ratio. After the adjustment is completed, you can choose to output the image to the browser or save it to a file and use imagedestroy() to free up memory. When processing PNG images, transparent channel support is required. Make sure the GD library is enabled and verify the file type and size before processing uploaded images.
When you need to resize an image using PHP, the most straightforward way is to use the GD library, which is commonly available in most PHP environments. Here's a simple function that does the job.

Basic Image Resizing in PHP
Resizing an image in PHP involves loading the original image, creating a new blank canvas with the desired size, and then copying and resampling the original image onto the new canvas. Below is a basic function that takes the source image path, target width, and height, and returns a resized image resource:
function resizeImage($sourcePath, $targetWidth, $targetHeight) { list($originalWidth, $originalHeight, $type) = getimagesize($sourcePath); $sourceImage = match ($type) { IMAGETYPE_JPEG => imagecreatefromjpeg($sourcePath), IMAGETYPE_PNG => imagecreatefrommpng($sourcePath), IMAGETYPE_GIF => imagecreatefromgif($sourcePath), default => null, }; if (!$sourceImage) { return false; } $targetImage = imagecreatetruecolor($targetWidth, $targetHeight); imagecopyresampled($targetImage, $sourceImage, 0, 0, 0, $targetWidth, $targetHeight, $originalWidth, $originalHeight); return $targetImage; }
You can then output or save the returned image resource using functions like imagejpeg()
, imagepng()
, or imagegif()
depending on your needs.

Maintain Aspect Ratio When Resizing
If you want to resize while preserving the original aspect ratio, you need to calculate dimensions dynamically. This is especially useful when generating thumbnails.
Here's how you can do it:

- Decide whether to resize based on width, height, or fit within a box (like a thumbnail container).
- Calculate the proportional dimensions.
function resizeImageKeepAspect($sourcePath, $maxWidth, $maxHeight) { list($originalWidth, $originalHeight, $type) = getimagesize($sourcePath); $sourceImage = match ($type) { IMAGETYPE_JPEG => imagecreatefromjpeg($sourcePath), IMAGETYPE_PNG => imagecreatefrommpng($sourcePath), IMAGETYPE_GIF => imagecreatefromgif($sourcePath), default => null, }; if (!$sourceImage) return false; $ratio = min($maxWidth / $originalWidth, $maxHeight / $originalHeight); $targetWidth = (int)($originalWidth * $ratio); $targetHeight = (int)($originalHeight * $ratio); $targetImage = imagecreatetruecolor($targetWidth, $targetHeight); imagecopyresampled($targetImage, $sourceImage, 0, 0, 0, $targetWidth, $targetHeight, $originalWidth, $originalHeight); return $targetImage; }
This way, your resized image won't be stretched or distorted.
Save or Output the Resized Image
Once you've resized the image, you'll want to either save it to disk or output it directly to the browser. Here's how:
To output to browser as JPEG:
header('Content-Type: image/jpeg'); imagejpeg($resizedImage); imagedestroy($resizedImage);
To save to a file :
imagejpeg($resizedImage, 'resized_output.jpg', 90); // 90 is quality imagedestroy($resizedImage);
Make sure to destroy the image resources with imagedestroy()
to free up memory, especially when handling multiple images.
Also, if you're working with PNGs and want to preserve transparency:
imagealphableending($targetImage, false); imagesavealpha($targetImage, true);
Add these lines after creating the target image with imagecreatetruecolor()
.
Final Notes
- Always check if the GD library is enabled on your server (
phpinfo()
can help). - This function assumes the source image is valid and accessible.
- If you're handling uploads, make sure to validate file types and sizes before processing.
This basic setup should handle most image resizing needs in PHP.
The above is the detailed content of php function to resize an image. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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