Make a selection around the content you want to protect, and select Save Selection As Channel in the Channels panel.
- What's new
-
Get started
- Technical requirements and installation
- Learn the basics
- Set up toolbars and panels
- Settings and preferences
- Generative AI in Photoshop
- Create, open, and import images
-
Create and manage layers
- Get started with layers
- Transform and manipulate layers
- Color adjustment and fill layers
-
Apply layer effects
- Add layer styles
- Work with preset styles
- Layer style effects and options overview
- Manage preset styles
- Display or hide layer styles
- Copy and paste layer styles
- Import preset style libraries
- Manage contours
- Set a global lighting angle for all layers
- Scale layer effects
- Remove layer effects
- Convert layer styles to image layers
-
Smart objects
- Smart Objects - overview and benefits
- Create embedded Smart Objects
- Create linked Smart Objects
- Update Linked Smart Objects
- View Linked Smart Object properties
- Embed Linked Smart Objects
- Package and locate linked Smart Objects
- Convert embedded Smart Objects to linked
- Filter the Layers panel by Smart Objects
- Duplicate an embedded Smart Object
- Edit the contents of a Smart Object
- Replace the contents of a Smart Object
- Convert Smart Objects to layers
- Rasterize Smart Objects
- Export the contents of an embedded Smart Object
- Reset Smart Object transforms
- Create layer compositions
- Layout and design tools
-
Crop, resize, and transform
-
Resize and adjust resolution
- Printed image resolution
- Set image size and resolution
- Resample option in the Image Size dialog
- Monitor resolution and image display size
- File size
- Printer resolution
- Resolution specs for printing images
- Preserve visual content when scaling images
- Specify content to protect when scaling
- Resize images
- Resampling options in Photoshop
- Change the pixel dimensions of images
- Change print dimensions and resolution
- Manage image file size
- Resizing parameters in Photoshop
- Crop and straighten
- Transform, manipulate, and reshape
-
Resize and adjust resolution
-
Make selections
- Get started with selections
- Automatic and color-based selections
- Freehand selections
-
Refine and modify selections
- Move a selection or selection border
- Refine your selection and mask
- Create multiple copies of a selection within an image
- Delete or cut selected pixels
- Inverse selection
- Adjust a selection manually
- Select only an area intersected by other selections
- Create a selection around a selection border
- Expand or contract a selection
- Clean up stray pixels in a color-based selection
- Fringe pixels around a selection
- Create masks
-
Repair and retouch
- Remove objects and fill space
- Heal and clone
- Adjust light and tone
- Clean and restore images
-
Adjust color
- Color profiles
- Choose colors
- Color modes
- Color corrections
- Selective color adjustments
- Color effects and techniques
-
Apply painting techniques
- Fill objects, selections, and layers
- Create and fill with patterns
-
Brushes and presets
- Get started with brush presets
- Display the Brush Settings panel and brush options
- Create a brush tip from an image
- Create a brush and set painting options
- Select a preset brush
- Create a new preset brush
- Create preset brush groups
- Rename preset brushes
- Delete preset brushes
- Import brushes and brush packs
-
Draw shapes and paths
- Create shapes
- Draw lines and curves
- Text and typography
-
Effects and filters
- Get started with filters
- Smart filters
- Blur and sharpen filters
-
Artistic and stylize filters
- Reshape and distort images with Transform Warp
- Warp a Layer with Cylindrical Transform
- Get precise distortions with Split Warp
- Distort specific image areas with Puppet Warp
- Overview of Liquify filter
- Overview of distortion tools
- Use Liquify to distort an image
- Freeze or thaw areas
- Work with meshes
- Work with backdrops
- Reconstruct distortions
- Replace the sky in images
- Select and manage sky presets
- Enhance images with generative AI filters
- Neural filters
- Use grids and measurement guides
- Add video and animation
-
Automate tasks
- Create and record actions
- Process a batch of files
-
Save and export
- Save files
- Export files to different formats
- Metadata, CSS, and content credentials
-
Share and collaborate
- Collaborate and edit
- App integrations
- Troubleshoot
Specify content to protect when scaling
Last updated on
2 December 2025
Learn how to use an alpha channel to protect selected content when scaling an image with Content-Aware Scale in Photoshop.
Choose Select > All if you’re scaling a background layer.
Choose Edit > Content-Aware Scale.
Select the channel you created from the Protect drop-down list in the Options bar.
Drag a handle on the bounding border to scale the image.
.