Using Photoshop Crop Tool: Beyond the cropping

The Photoshop Crop Tool (C) works very similar to the Rectangular Marquee tool , you can also use Rectangular Marquee tool to select rectangle area and using Crop command (Image » Crop) to crop your image. Generally cropping is process to removing portions of an image to create focus or strengthen the composition. But with Photoshop Crop tool, its provide much more option to crop and more flexible.

By using the Crop tool, it’s provide much more options than general Crop command can do. You can crop with rotate, perspective or crop with re-sample the image to target resolution in one single command. The crop with re-sample image combines the function of the Image Size command (Image » Image Size) with Crop tool. The Crop tool also provide ability to hide the area outside crop instead of permanently delete it. The Crop tool also have Shield option that will mask the area out-side selected area, let you visualize and compose the crop area in your image easier.

You can Drag to draw rectangular area to select part of image you want to include. Moreover Crop tool include bounding box around selected area that allow you to modify the cropping area easily. You can resize, move, rotate or perspective the select area similar Free Transform Command.

Tip: While you’re perform cropping using Crop tool you can also use following short-cut to perform certain operation, just like in Free Transform Command.

• Hold-Down Shift key: To constrain proportion while Scaling the selected area or constrain movement direction by 45° increment while moving or constrain rotation angle by 15° increment while rotate. If you holding-down Shift key before do cropping it will fix the selected area proportion to be square.
• Hold-Down Alt(Option) Key: Before making crop to start selection from center.
• Move Reference Point Locator : To define center of cropping areas transformation.

You can also drag the crop bounding box out-side your image canvas to expanded your image area.

The Crop Tool Options:

Width, Height and Resolution (A):

If you want to resample the image during cropping, enter the image proportion in this width and height and also target resolution in the text boxes . You can enter number and follow by different unit, such as px (pixel), in (inches) or cm(centimeters), if you didn’t enter anything after number the px(pixel) will be use.

After enter the image proportion the cropping area will constrain by proportion you enter. The Crop tool won’t resample the image unless the width and/or height, and resolution are provided. And when width and height are filled the middle locator of Crop bounding box automatically will be disable.

Note: You can change resample method that Crop tool use for resize image in Photoshop General Preference. Open photoshop general preference by choose menu Edit » Preference » General or Ctrl + K (Windows) and Photoshop » Preference » General or Command + K. In the Image Interpolation drop-down box choose new interpolation method you want (Default is Bicubic).

This default interpolation method also use while you perform Free Transform Command and also set as default image interpolation in Image Size windows as well. For more information for each Image Interpolation Method see also Photoshop Image Size.

Front Image Button (B):

Press Front Image button to automatically fill image width and height and resolution tex boxes with selected image resolution. This is very useful when you need to crop some part of your image and resize cropped area to original size or if you want to crop and resample an image based on the dimensions and resolution of another image.

To crop and resample to original size:

1. Select Crop Tool and click Front Image button. The image width, height and resolution will automatically fill with current image resolution.
2. Drag Crop Tool to select area you want to include. If needed, you may move, resize or rotate the cropping area by using bounding box but you can not change the proportion of cropped area that are constrain by width and height at option bar.
3. After you satisfy press Enter(Return) or click Accept Button

To Crop image base on other image resolution:

1. Open the other image.
2. Select Crop Tool and click Front Image button.The image width, height and resolution will automatically fill with current image resolution.
3. Select image you want to crop. And perform the cropping with the width, height and resolution of the other image.

Clear Button (C)

Click this button to clear width, height and resolution text boxes. To crop the image without resampling (default), make sure that the resolution text box in the options bar is empty. You can click this button to quickly clear all text boxes.

The option while cropping:

After you select the area to crop before you hit Enter(Return) or click Accept Button . The crop tool option bar will change(as shown below) and will allow you set the additional options.

Delete or Hide (A): By default when you crop image using Crop tool or Crop command (Image » Crop) the pixels in the area outside the selected area will be permanently discard. Select Hide to preserve the cropped area in the image file. So the the crop will only canvas the image area but not delete the pixels. You can make the hidden area visible by moving the image with the Move tool . Select Delete to discard the cropped area.

Note: 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 also About Background Layer)

Shield, Shield Color and Shield Opacity (B): Specify whether you want to use a cropping shield to mask or 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.

Perspective (C): Checked perspective check box to enable ability to change the perspective of the cropping area and will result in the distortion after apply the cropping.

When perspective option is enable and you move cursor over the corner bounding box locator, you locator will change to, instead of when perspective option is disable. You can also hold-down Shift key to constrain the movement of the conner bounding box locator with 90° increment.

Accept Button and Cancel Button : You can press Enter(Return) or click Accept Button to apply the crop operation. To cancel the current crop operation you can press ESC on the keyboard or click Cancel button .

Relate Article:

• Photoshop CS3 Toolbox: Quick Reference
• Photoshop Free Transform Command
• Merge, Merge Visible and Flatten Image Command
• Photoshop Marquee Tool
• Photoshop Move tool

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