Many people who use Mac OS X have no idea how to resize images and usually resort to buying software for this extremely simple task.  Most users are unaware that there is a way to resize images, it just isn't advertised for some reason.

This guide also applies to users of Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.

1.  Create a folder on your desktop, and place a few images inside it.  Make note of the size of these images.

2.  Click the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of your screen.  Type in "Automator".  Then click "Automator" when it appears below.

3.  Automator will open and ask you what type of file you would like to create. Today, we will be selecting "Application" and then click "Choose".

4. In the left pane, click on "Photos", this will load all the available actions you can do to pictures.  Then in the next pane over, either drag "Scale Images" into the right pane, or double click it.

5.  Automator will then ask you if you would like to add a copy of the image before it resizes it.  This is your choice, usually it is smart to make a copy just in case something goes wrong.  If you choose "Add", Automator will automatically do this for you.

7.  Now you can either resize "To Size (pixels)" or "By Percentage".  For personal use, generally 600-800 pixels does the trick, but you will want to play around with this until you find a size that works perfect for you.

8.  Click the File Menu, select "Save..." or "Save As...".

8.  Now we need to save the Automator Application.  Enter a name (Choose anything you want, we used the name 'Resizer'). Open the folder that contains the pictures you want to resize, then click "Save".

9. Now open the folder that contains your pictures and your newly created Automator Application.  Select all of the pictures that you would like resized, and drag them over the "Resizer" file (or whatever you named yours) and drop them.  You won't get a notification that anything actually gets done, you have to watch the file size magically get smaller.

Notice the tiny file sizes now.  Thats it.  Automator is a great little utility that can do so many things, play around with it and I'm sure it will become one of your favorite programs!

We understand that this type of procedure isn't for everyone, which is why we can recommend a program called ImageBot for those who would rather have an application do everything for you.

 ImageBot | Open Mac App Store