Don’t worry, I’m not telling you to take scissors to your prints! What I’m referring to is “cropping,” an editing term in photography which means to trim or re-shape or size an image. Photographers have always done this to make pictures look their best but it involved serious work in a darkroom! You can help your pictures look their best just by cropping. Take a look at the photos below. Which shows the subject in eye-grabbing detail? This is the same image - no editing other than cropping has happened!
Here is a quick Q&A:
Q: Why would we want to crop a picture?
A: So we see what you want just to see!
To get closer to or focus on a particular part of a picture. Example: I really want to focus on that rose with the bumble bee on it.
To eliminate distractions or unnecessary parts of an image. Example: The kids look so cute together but we really don’t need to see the cracker crumbs all over the couch.
To fit an image into a certain space, frame or orientation. Example: You took a great selfie you want to frame for your boyfriend as a 5x7 but your phone has it cropped to be a 4x6.
Q: But I don’t have Photoshop! I don’t know how. What will it do to my picture?
A: Relax - it is easier than you think with digital images!
Many smart phones already have admitting software in them allowing you to crop and do far more editing right on the phone itself. Not sure? Ask the folks at the phone store.
When you go to a place that allows you to print out pictures - for example, local drug stores or some camera stores - you will have to load your image into their computer first. It will give you the option to crop or adjust images to fit certain image sizes - usually 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10. Try different crops until you get one you like before printing. Staff at these places are usually happy to assist you in getting the image you want.
There are many free basic photo editing programs for computers, and many computers already have software on them to do basic photo editing. Check with your computer store or tech support.
Q: How could this impact the quality of my image?
A: These days most images can easily survive being lightly cropped without much of any noticeable change in image quality. That said, ultimately the more you crop down the size to “zoom in” you are spreading out the pixels so it can eventually make the image a little less sharp. If you want to blow up your picture to a large size or use it in a form of digital art like a poster or custom blanket, keep cropping to a minimum.