Long edge (resizing)
Resizing by the long edge sets the length of an image's longer side in pixels — such as 2,048 px — and scales the shorter side to keep the proportions.
Photos come in different shapes: landscape, portrait, square, 3:2, 4:3. Specifying a size by width alone would make portrait images huge or landscape images tiny. Resizing by the long edge solves it: whichever side is longer is set to the chosen size, and the other follows, so every image in a set comes out at a consistent scale.
It's the standard way galleries, social platforms and delivery tools describe image sizes.
How it works
For a 6,000 × 4,000 px landscape frame resized to a 2,048 px long edge, the result is 2,048 × 1,365 px. A portrait frame of the same camera becomes 1,365 × 2,048 px. Downsizing discards pixels, so it's done from the original, and good resizing sharpens slightly afterwards. Upsizing adds no real detail. Combined with JPEG quality, the long edge decides file size.
An example: one shoot, three sizes
A corporate photographer delivers 1,080 px images to the social team, 2,048 px to the intranet gallery and full size to the archive. Every frame keeps its shape in all three, because each is sized by its long edge.
Long edge in CloudTether
CloudTether's Delivery resolution measures sizes on the long edge: Large (4,096 px), Web (2,048 px) and Small (1,024 px), or Custom from 800 to 8,000 px with a JPEG quality from 60 to 100. Per destination, presets include 2,048 px “JPEGs for clients” and 1,080 px “Small previews”. Only JPEGs are resized, after the phone's single upload; RAW is always full size. See resized delivery and the JPEG-only and resized delivery guide.
Choosing a size
2,048 px looks sharp on phones and most laptop screens. Go larger for big displays and print previews; smaller for messaging.
Tips and common mistakes
- Resize from originals, not from already-resized copies.
- Check a platform's recommended size before choosing one.
- Keep full-size originals in your archive.
See also
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.