How to Edit Artboard Size in Photoshop

The Short Answer

To change an artboard's size in Photoshop, select the artboard with the Artboard Tool. Then either type new Width (W) and Height (H) values in the Properties panel or drag the handles on the artboard's edges. An artboard is a named, self-contained canvas area inside a Photoshop document. One file can hold several artboards, for example a square avatar version and a wide header version of the same logo, and each can be sized and exported separately.

Resizing an artboard changes how much of the canvas is visible and exported. It does not scale or resample the artwork on it. Resampling means Photoshop recalculates pixels to make an image larger or smaller, which can soften edges. Your logo stays the same size while the frame around it grows or shrinks. To make the logo itself bigger or smaller, use Free Transform on its layers, or Image Size for the whole file. Those are separate operations.

If your document has no artboards, there is nothing to resize in this sense. In that case you expand the canvas with Image > Canvas Size, covered further down.

Before You Start

• Check whether the file uses artboards. Artboards appear in the Layers panel as top-level groups with an artboard icon, and their names are shown above each artboard on the canvas.
• Know the target dimensions and unit for your delivery, such as pixels for screen use. These come from your project or platform requirements; this guide does not supply them.
• Check which logo layers are vector-based. Shape layers, type layers and vector smart objects keep editable outlines inside Photoshop. Pixel layers do not. A PSD extension alone does not tell you which kind of content the file holds, or whether you have permission to reuse the logo.
• Save a copy of the file before making layout changes.

Version note: the menu paths and panel layouts below are the ones commonly used in recent Photoshop releases. No specific version was confirmed for this guide, so check the names against your installed copy if something looks different.

Resize an Artboard Using Exact Values

• 1. Choose the Artboard Tool. It shares a toolbar slot with the Move Tool; press and hold that slot to reveal it.
• 2. Click the artboard's name on the canvas, or select the artboard group in the Layers panel.
• 3. Open the Properties panel (Window > Properties) if it is not already visible.
• 4. Enter the new values in the W and H fields. The X and Y fields set the artboard's position on the canvas.
• 5. Alternatively, pick a size from the preset list in the Properties panel if one matches your target.
• 6. Press Enter or Return to apply the change.

Resize an Artboard by Dragging

With the Artboard Tool active and the artboard selected, drag any edge or corner handle. Content on the artboard keeps its position on the canvas, so dragging an edge outward adds empty space on that side, and dragging it inward hides artwork on that side. Use this for quick visual adjustments. For exact delivery sizes, finish by entering exact values in the Properties panel.

Expand the Canvas in a Document Without Artboards

• 1. Choose Image > Canvas Size.
• 2. Enter the new Width and Height. Alternatively, tick Relative and enter only the amount to add.
• 3. Click a square in the Anchor grid to set where the existing artwork sits. The center square adds space evenly on all sides.
• 4. Choose a Canvas extension color. On a layered file with a transparent bottom layer, the new area stays transparent.
• 5. Click OK.

To switch the file to an artboard workflow instead, select the relevant layers and use Layer > New > Artboard from Layers. Photoshop creates an artboard around the selected content, which you can then resize as described above.

Keep the Logo Artwork Correct While Resizing

• Positioning: after the artboard changes size, recenter or realign the logo with the Move Tool and the alignment options. The artwork does not reposition itself automatically.
• Clear space: leave enough empty margin around the mark so it is not cramped against the edge. Use the clear-space rule in the brand guidelines if one exists. That rule is a design requirement of the brand, not a Photoshop setting.
• Typography: keep wordmarks as live type layers until the layout is final. If the file will be passed to someone who may not have the font, convert the type to a shape (right-click the type layer and choose Convert to Shape) in a copy of the file, so the lettering still renders correctly.
• Vector content: placed Illustrator artwork should stay a smart object, so scaling it does not degrade its edges. Scaling flattened pixel layers repeatedly will soften them.
• Background: in the Properties panel, set the artboard background to Transparent if the logo needs a transparent PNG. A white artboard background will export as solid white.

Export and Confirm the Result

• 1. With the artboard selected, check that its W and H values in the Properties panel match your target.
• 2. Export with File > Export > Export As, which can output each artboard as its own image. Alternatively, use File > Export > Artboards to Files for batch output.
• 3. In the export dialog, confirm the format (PNG for transparency), the scale (1x keeps the artboard's dimensions) and that the size shown matches the artboard.
• 4. Open the exported file and check its pixel dimensions.
• 5. Inspect the edges. Strokes, descenders or effects near the border must not be clipped, because anything outside the artboard bounds is left out of the export.
• 6. If you need transparency, place the exported file on a dark and a light background to confirm there is no unintended fill.

Exports from Export As are raster images. If the logo must stay scalable for print or signage, also deliver the original vector source, such as the Illustrator file, an SVG or a PDF built from vector paths. A resized Photoshop artboard does not replace that file.