- Strategy for retouching
- Resolution and image size
- Getting started
- Straightening and cropping an image
- Adjusting the tonal range
- Removing a color cast
- Replacing colors in an image
- Adjusting lightness with the dodge tool
- Adjusting saturation with the sponge tool
- Applying the Unsharp Mask filter
- Saving the image for four-color printing
- Review questions
- Review answers
Straightening and cropping an image
You’ll use the crop tool to trim and scale the photograph for this lesson so that it fits the space designed for it. You can use either the crop tool or the Crop command to crop an image.
You can decide whether to delete or discard the area outside of a rectangular selection, or whether to hide the area outside of the selection. In ImageReady, the Hide option is useful when creating animations with elements that move from off-screen into the live image area.
- In the toolbox, select the crop tool (). Then, in the tool options bar (at the top of the work area), enter the dimensions (in inches) of the finished image: For Width, type 2 and for Height type 3.
- Draw a marquee around the image. Don’t worry about whether or not the entire image is included, because you’ll adjust the marquee
size later.
As you drag, the marquee retains the same proportion as the dimensions you specified for the target size (2 x 3).
When you release the mouse button, a cropping shield covers the area outside the cropping selection, and the tool options bar now displays choices about the cropping shield.
- In the tool options bar, make sure that the Perspective check box is not selected.
- In the image window, move the pointer outside the crop marquee, so that it appears as a curved double arrow (). Drag clockwise to rotate the marquee until it is parallel with the edges of the pictured window frame.
- Place the pointer inside the crop marquee, and drag the marquee until it contains all the parts of the picture you want shown to produce an artistically pleasing result. If you also want to adjust the size of the marquee, drag one of the corner handles.
- Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). The image is now cropped, and the cropped image now fills the image window, straightened, sized, and cropped according to your specifications.
- Choose File > Save to save your work.