Digital Underwater Photography

Cropping Images

Sometimes you might need to crop your image to strengthen its composition. Try and crop your image as little as possible. You can crop an image by using the Crop tool or by selecting an area and then applying the Crop command. You should also check the Crop Tool Presets for preset image size and resolutions.

To use the Crop tool:

  1. Select the Crop tool Crop Tool icon from the Toolbox palette.
  2. Click and drag to create the crop area. Once you let go, the area outside of the cropping area will be shaded (darkened). You can re-adjust the cropping area by clicking on any of the end points and dragging it to a new position. If you place the mouse near an end point, the cursor will change to indicate you can rotate the cropping area. In order to rotate the cropping area, once your cursor has changed, click and drag till desired angle is achieved.
  3. Press Enter/Return to OK the cropping.

Another way that I usually prefer to use for cropping images is by using the Rectangle Marquee Tool.

  1. Select the Rectangle Marquee Tool from the Toolbox palette.
  2. Ensure the option for ‘Fixed Aspect Ratio’ is selected in the top Options bar and select your aspect ratio. I usually enter a ratio of 2:3 or 3:4. You can either type these values directly into the fields and switch between them using the arrows button.
  3. Click and drag to select the area in the image to crop. If you need to do it again, click anywhere to cancel your last selection and start again.
    Tip: To move your selection, while the marquee tool is still selected, click inside the selection, hold down and move it to where you want it to be. For small adjustments, you can use the arrows keys on your keyboard.
  4. Once you are happy with your selection, select Image menu > Crop command. This will crop the image to your selection.

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