Using the crop tool in PS7

[CJR]

Well, I always thought the crop tool was pretty straightforward - get rid of extraneous rubbish, achieve a satisfying composition and size considering the rule of thirds etc, and away you go. I've never been bothered with the exact dimensions of the final image - but should I be?

Should I be considering the ratio/size of the cropped image, eg setting the tool to crop to 7 x 5? What other crop tool default settings could/should I use?

Thanks for any advice.

Cathy

 

[CT]

There's no really hard or fast rules on this Cathy.

Couple of things to consider though....

Cropping to very odd formats can make it really really difficult to get a frame to fit, which is why a lot of people like to try to stick to around the 3:2 aspect ratio when they crop, also it maintains the apect ratio of the original and also doesn't make it so obvious that you have cropped.

Those are practical consideration, but it's really personal choice.

 

[Chappers]

CT's right. Odd crops can make life difficult when it come to printing and frames. But it is a very personal thing

Some points to consider. Does the crop you need to make improve the photograph. Probably the answer is yes. This may lead to a "non standard size image. I was told many years ago by a very wise and skilled photographer not to be locked into standard formats. If the picture looks good with a 3:1 crop then that's the crop you need to use. You can always resize the canvas so that it drops into a 5 x7 or 11 x 14 print size, simply leave a white border around it, or a coloured one if thats better

 

[CJR]

Thanks very much CT and Chappers. Sounds as tho I don't need to worry over much then, just keep using the crop tool to make each individual image look it's best, and only worry if I've got a specific frame in mind for a pic to fit into (I don't print my own).

Cathy