How to Crop a Photograph

There are no common rules on how to make a really great shot as each photographer has their own tricks. However, there are dozens of established composition guidelines which can be applied even by amateur photographers to enhance the impact of a scene. If you are still dissatisfied with a picture, you can always crop it to improve the composition or zoom in on the chosen elements. For example, you have taken a brilliant photo but there is too much space around the main subject. Home Photo Studio is an easy photo editor that is equipped with the crop tool and enables you to change the size and proportions of your pictures. With the help of this software, you will be able toget more compelling photos, giving them a natural balance, drawing attention to their essential parts, or guiding the viewer’s eye through the image.

This guide will provide you with some tips on how to crop a photograph to fix its composition, remove unwanted or ruined parts, change default proportions, and add a new dimension to otherwise flat imagery.

Download your Home Photo Studio now!

Cropping to Get a Portrait Photo

Have you ever shot a seemingly great picture, only to find that the final photo lacks impact because the subject blends into a busy background? Before photographing you have probably taken time to think about a perfect angle and looked around for a plain and unobtrusive background, but the result image still needed some editing. That is where a crop tool comes in handy and enables you to compose the shot that does not distract or detract from the subject. Cropping a larger picture you can easily make a fabulous portrait photo with a special stress on the face of a person you shot.

Cropping to Enhance the Photo Depth

It is the composition that makes all the difference between a good landscape photo and a great landscape photo. If you want to preserve the depth of the actual scene, you should carefully consider its perspective before cropping. Each two-dimensional picture can become more immersive with several objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. While looking at such an image, the human eye is naturally drawn along lines. And with the help of a crop tool, you can pull viewers right into the picture, towards the subject, or lead them through the scene. There are plenty lines (curvy, straight, diagonal, zigzag) that can enhance the overall composition.

Cropping to Create a Frame Effect

If you are going to highlight the symmetry and patterns of the objects taken with your camera, you need to know how to crop a photograph introducing a focal point to the scene. You can make eye-catching compositions with the help of perfect natural frames, such as trees, archways and passages. By placing these objects around the edge of the composition you get a more focused image that naturally draws attention to the main point of interest. This type of cropping is perfect for urban landscapes as they are full of straight lines and geometrical forms.

Cropping to Stress Some Photo Element

The right accent of your photograph can leave a lasting impression on its viewers by both emphasizing the subject and removing distractions. Even a smashing panoramic photo can lack impact because the main subject is too small and almost lost among the clutter of its surroundings. By cropping tight around the subject you delete the background noise and highlight the desired area of your photo. That way you can easily turn extended horizontal photos into vertical or square ones.

Cropping with the Golden Mean

The golden ratio is one of the most-used and effective photography tricks. You just need to divide your photo with imaginary lines into nine equal parts. Then you should position the key elements of your scene along these lines, or at the point of their intersection. If you place the main subject off-center, it will make your shot more interesting and better-balanced. While doing so, though, make sure to include another object of lesser importance; otherwise the scene may look rather empty.

Building composition in photography is a creative process, and all the tips on how to crop a photograph mentioned above should be taken with a pinch of salt. There are much more professional secrets of photo editing, like blurring the image background or applying special effects. So feel free to experiment with your photos, you never know whether an idea will actually work until you try it!