- Using the palettes
- Hiding and showing palettes
- Changing screen modes
- Tools on the Tools palette
- Changing the image size
- Choosing a file format
- Choosing a bits/channel mode
- Cropping an image
- Rotating an image
- Quick Summary: Choosing Colors
- Quick Summary: Using the Swatches palette
- Using the Layers palette
- Quick Summary: Using the Layers palette
- Using fill and adjustment layers
- Choosing a mode for the History palette
- Making snapshots of history states
- Working with nonlinear histories
- Using presets
- Streamlining your workflow
Cropping an image
You can crop your photos in Camera Raw (see page 39) or by using the Crop tool in Photoshop.
To crop an image using a marquee:
- Choose the Crop tool (C).
- Drag a marquee over the part of the image you want to keep. A
On the Options bar, do the following:
If you’re cropping a layer (not the Background), you can click Cropped Area: Delete to delete the cropped-out areas or click Hide to save those areas with the file (they’ll extend beyond the visible canvas area but can be moved back into view later with the Move tool).
Check Shield to cover the area outside the crop marquee with a dark shield to help you see which part will remain after cropping. You can change the shield color by clicking the Color swatch, or change the shield’s Opacity value.
For the Perspective option, see Photoshop Help. We prefer to use the Lens Correction filter to correct perspective problems (see our Visual QuickStart Guide to Photoshop).
- Do any of these optional steps:
To resize the marquee, drag any handle (double-arrow pointer). Shift-drag a corner handle to preserve the proportions of the marquee; Alt-drag/Option-drag a handle to resize the marquee from its center; hold down Shift and Alt/Option to do both.
To reposition the marquee, drag inside it.
To rotate the marquee, position the cursor just outside it (curved arrow pointer), then drag in a circular direction. This is a quick way to both crop and straighten a photo. To change the axis point around which the marquee rotates, drag the center point away from the center of the marquee before rotating. The image orientation will change after the next step.
Do one of the following:
Press Enter/Return. B
Double-click inside the marquee.
Right-click/Control-click the image and choose Crop.
- To cancel a crop marquee, press Esc.
- To create presets for the Crop tool, see page 91.