Photoshop Elements >

Cropping >

Square & Rectangular - Crop Tool

Let's crop this photograph with the Crop tool.

Be sure to check off as you go along.

Preparation

1) Preserve your original file.

If you haven't already done so, go to Preserve Your Original File.

2) Create a Background copy layer.

If you haven't already done so, go to Create a Background Copy Layer.

Note

The tutorial below assumes that you're using the Background copy, as described above, for cropping.

Background copy

Background

Rule of Thirds & Grid Lines

Consider using the Rule of Thirds grid lines when cropping.

No Restriction

1) Select No Restriction in the Aspect Ratio box in the options bar.

2) Click, hold, and drag to create the crop marquee.

The area outside the marquee darkens.

This is called the shield.

Press / to return the shield area to the normal density (exposure).

You can change the color and density of the shield, and can turn the feature on or off.

To change the shield, do the following.

Windows

Edit > Preferences > Display & Cursor.

Or, press Ctrl + k and select the Display & Cursor preferences window.

Mac

Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Display & Cursor.

You can change the color and density of the shield, and can turn the feature on or off.

Can't Make the Marquee

The Way You Want

Photoshop Elements places an invisible grid on your photograph.

As you draw the crop marquee, it may appear to jump away from the position that you have selected.

This is a feature called snap to grid.

To see the grid, go to View > Grid.

To turn off the feature, go to View > Snap To > Grid.

To change the grid values, do the following.

Windows

Edit > Preferences > Grid.

Or, press Ctrl + k and select the Grid preferences window.

Mac

Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Grid.

Make a Square

To make a square instead of a rectangle, press and hold Shift, then click, hold, and drag the marquee.

From the Center

Press and hold Alt, to draw the marquee from the center, where you place the cursor, outward.

You can combine Alt with Shift to draw a square from the center.

Move the Marquee

You can move the marquee back-and-forth, and up-and-down, by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Or, click inside the marquee, hold, and drag it.

Change the Size of the Marquee

There are two ways you can change the size of the marquee:

1) Click, hold, and drag the handles on the corners and sides of the marquee.

If you press Shift, and click, hold, and drag one of the corner handles, the aspect ratio of the marquee is maintained.

2) Enter dimensions in the Width and Height boxes in the options bar.

Check the Dimensions

Open the Info panel (Info palette) to see the exact dimensions of the marquee.

The dimensions (look for W and H), here, are set to show pixels.

To change to inches from pixels, or vice versa, go to Preferences.

Rotate the Marquee

The marquee can be rotated by placing the cursor in the area outside of the image.

The cursor will change to a curved two-sided arrow.

Click, hold, and drag.

The angle of the rotation is shown in the Info panel (Info palette).

Commit or Cancel

Click the green check mark, or press Enter, to commit the cropping.

To cancel, click the slashed circle, or press Esc.

Other Choices

In the options bar, you have several other choices in the Aspect Ratio box, besides No Restriction.

Here's a description of each choice in the Aspect Ratio box.

Photo Ratio

If you select Photo Ratio, the marquee will have the aspect ratio of the pixel dimensions of your photograph.

This ratio is, typically, 1 to 1.5.

For example, the above photograph has pixel dimensions of 2,000 x 3,000.

So, the aspect ratio is 1 to 1.5.

If the photograph is cropped, and Photo Ratio is selected, the marquee will have the same aspect ratio, 1 to 1.5.

Preset Sizes

The choices are for the dimensions of the cropped photograph.

For example, if you choose 8 x 10, the cropped photograph will have the dimensions of 8 inches x 10 inches.

Custom

Enter values into the Width and Height boxes in the options bar.

The values are for the dimensions of the cropped photograph.

Example of Custom Cropping

When you select Custom, the cropped photograph will be the size of the values that you enter into the Width and Height boxes in the options bar.

For example, let's crop this photograph of lichen on a rock.

200 px is entered into both the Width and Height boxes in the options bar.

Here's the original photograph.

Original

Here, a small area was selected to crop.

The cropped photograph, to the far right, has the dimensions that were entered: 200 px x 200 px.

Small Area Selected

Cropped Size Is 200 px x 200 px

Then, a larger area to crop was selected.

The cropped photograph, below, has the dimensions that were entered: 200 px x 200 px.

Larger Area Selected

Cropped Size Is 200 px x 200 px

Resampling

The crop tool may resample your photograph.

For example, if you select the preset size of 8 x 10, the program will add pixels.

The original photograph of the ice is 1.33 MB.

When it was cropped using the preset size of 8 x 10, Photoshop Elements added pixels.

The file size for the cropped version, 1.76 MB, is larger than that of the original, which is 1.33 MB.

Original - 1.33 MB

Cropped - 1.76 MB

If you don't want resampling, use the Elliptical Marquee tool instead of the Crop tool.

Saving the Photograph

If you haven't already done so, go to Saving Files.

Other Shapes

Go to Cropping - Circles & Ovals