Cropping images

Cropping is the process of removing portions of an image to create focus or strengthen the composition. You can crop an image using the crop tool and the Crop command. You can also trim pixels using the Trim command.

The crop tool provides the most options for cropping images.

To crop an image using the crop tool:

1. Select the crop tool .
2. Set the mode of the crop tool:
• (Photoshop) To crop the image without resampling (default), make sure that all the text boxes in the options bar are empty. You can click the Clear button to quickly clear all text boxes.
• (Photoshop) To resample the image during cropping, enter a height, width, and/or resolution in the options bar.
• (ImageReady) To crop the image without resampling, make sure that Fixed Size is deselected in the options bar.
• (ImageReady) To resample the image during cropping, select Fixed Size, and enter a height and width in the options bar.
• To resample an image based on the dimensions and resolution of another image, open the other image, select the crop tool, and click Front Image in the options bar. (In ImageReady, you must select the Fixed Size option to access the Front Image button.) Then make the image you want to crop active.

Resampling during cropping combines the function of the Image > Image Size command with that of the crop tool. (See About resampling.)

3. Define the cropping marquee by dragging over the part of the image you want to keep. The marquee doesn't have to be precise--you can adjust it later.
4. Do the following in the options bar:
• Specify whether you want to hide or delete the cropped area. Select Hide to preserve the cropped area in the image file. You can make the hidden area visible by moving the image with the move tool. Select Delete to discard the cropped area.

Note: In Photoshop, the Hide option is not available for images that contain only a background layer. If you want to crop a background by hiding, convert the background to a regular layer first. (See About the background layer.) In ImageReady, cropping a background by hiding automatically converts the background to a regular layer.

• Specify whether you want to use a cropping shield to shade the area of the image that will be deleted or hidden. When Shield is selected, you can specify a color and opacity for the cropping shield. When Shield is deselected, the area outside the cropping marquee is revealed.
5. If necessary, adjust the cropping marquee:
• To move the marquee to another position, place the pointer inside the bounding box and drag.
• To scale the marquee, drag a handle. To constrain the proportions, hold down Shift as you drag a corner handle.
• To rotate the marquee, position the pointer outside the bounding box (the pointer turns into a curved arrow), and drag. To move the center point around which the marquee rotates, drag the circle at the center of the bounding box.

Note: In Photoshop, you can't rotate the marquee for an image in Bitmap mode.

6. Do one of the following:
• Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS); click the Commit button in the options bar; or double-click inside the cropping marquee.
• To cancel the cropping operation, press Esc or click the Cancel button in the options bar.

To crop an image using the Crop command:

1. Select the part of the image you want to keep. (See Using the marquee tools.)
2. Choose Image > Crop.

To crop an image using the Trim command:

1. Choose Image > Trim.
2. In the Trim dialog box, select an option:
• Transparent Pixels to trim away transparency at the edges of the image, leaving the smallest image containing non-transparent pixels.
• Top Left Pixel Color to remove an area the color of the upper left pixel from the image.
• Bottom Right Pixel Color to remove an area the color of the lower right pixel from the image.
3. Select one or more areas of the image to trim away: Top, Bottom, Left, or Right.