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How do I size an image in HTML?

Published in HTML Image Sizing 3 mins read

You can size an image in HTML primarily using the height and width attributes on the <img> tag.

Sizing Images with HTML Attributes

As stated in the provided reference from ImageKit, "One of the simplest ways to resize an image in the HTML is using the height and width attributes on the img tag." These attributes are added directly within the <img> tag and allow you to specify the desired dimensions for the image element.

The values you assign to these attributes "specify the height and width of the image element." By default, "The values are set in px i.e. CSS pixels." This means if you set width="300", the image will render at 300 pixels wide.

How to Use width and height

To resize an image using these attributes, simply add them to your <img> tag like this:

<img src="your-image.jpg" alt="Description of your image" width="500" height="300">

In this example:

  • src="your-image.jpg": Specifies the path to your image file.
  • alt="Description of your image": Provides alternative text for accessibility and SEO.
  • width="500": Sets the image's width to 500 pixels.
  • height="300": Sets the image's height to 300 pixels.

Attribute Values

Attribute Description Value Type Example
width Sets the image's width Pixels (px) width="400"
height Sets the image's height Pixels (px) height="250"

Note: While these attributes default to pixels, CSS allows for other units like percentages or ems. However, the basic HTML attributes are typically understood as pixels.

Maintaining Aspect Ratio

When using both width and height attributes, be mindful of the image's original aspect ratio. If you set dimensions that don't match the original ratio, the image might appear stretched or squished. To avoid this distortion, you can:

  • Set only one dimension (width or height) and let the browser automatically calculate the other dimension to maintain the aspect ratio.
  • Calculate the correct corresponding dimension yourself based on the original image's aspect ratio before setting both values.

For instance, if your original image is 1000px wide and 600px tall (an aspect ratio of 5:3), and you want its width to be 500px, setting just width="500" will automatically scale the height to 300px, preserving the 5:3 ratio.

Using the width and height attributes is a fundamental way to control the display size of images directly within your HTML code.

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