Crop Tool – Fixed Aspect Ratio?

RP
Posted By
Russell_Proulx
Jul 25, 2004
Views
1009
Replies
11
Status
Closed
Is it possible to have the crop tool use a fixed aspect ratio (5×7 for example) in the same way as I can do with the Rectangular Marquee Tool?

I sometimes wish to crop to a shape to a fixed aspect ratio but not change its size value nor resolution. The only option I see is to enter a size value which crops to that size at whatever the corresponding ppi is. I just want to crop..not change the dimension info.

I’m often forced to use the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool’ to crop because I can’t see where to set ‘fixed aspect ratio’ in the crop tool.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Russell
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MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 25, 2004
I sometimes wish to crop to a shape to a fixed aspect ratio but not change its size value nor resolution.

That’s impossible, using orginal pixels, with either tool. Cropping, with any method, removes pixels.

Hence, you can’t have the same dimensions with same ppi after a crop (unless you upsample/interpolate at the same time). In which case you can just set the crop tool to the dimensions you want and the ppi for those dimensions, and let it add the pixels necessary to get to the rez you want (I’m sure you know that YMMV greatly with this method).

Mac
RP
Russell_Proulx
Jul 25, 2004
Perhaps I didn’t explain the feature I’m looking for..

If I have a 6×6" @300ppi image and want crop it to a 4×5 aspect ratio shape I can enter this into the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool’ and then I can click and drag a 4×5 shape over the image, move it around and when I see the chop (or crop) that I want I select Image -> Crop.

The result is not resampled and the size is whatever it it ends up being @300ppi. What I lack with this method is the ability to resize the cropping square after I’ve let go of the mouse button.

The ‘Crop’ tool does offer me the ability to adjust the shape until I’m happy with the crop. BUT it insists on changing the ppi to suit the size of the crop. I would prefer to see ‘Percentage’ option in the Crop tool that would do what the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool -> Crop’ does. YES I know the image size is smaller because I’ve cropped it. But I want to keep the original PPI.

Example: I just did a crop of the 6×6" example @300ppi using the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool’ and the result is 1.953"x2.44" @300ppi.

What I’m trying to do is **NOT** impossible. I do it all the time using the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool ->Crop’ method. I just wish the ‘Crop’ tool would crop like this as well.

I was hoping there was some simple trick I was missing.

Russell 🙂
N
norm
Jul 25, 2004
Russell, use Selection from the menu bar and then transform selection.

wrote in message
Perhaps I didn’t explain the feature I’m looking for..

If I have a 6×6" @300ppi image and want crop it to a 4×5 aspect ratio
shape I can enter this into the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool’ and then I can click and drag a 4×5 shape over the image, move it around and when I see the chop (or crop) that I want I select Image -> Crop.
The result is not resampled and the size is whatever it it ends up being
@300ppi. What I lack with this method is the ability to resize the cropping square after I’ve let go of the mouse button.
The ‘Crop’ tool does offer me the ability to adjust the shape until I’m
happy with the crop. BUT it insists on changing the ppi to suit the size of the crop. I would prefer to see ‘Percentage’ option in the Crop tool that would do what the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool -> Crop’ does. YES I know the image size is smaller because I’ve cropped it. But I want to keep the original PPI.
Example: I just did a crop of the 6×6" example @300ppi using the
‘Rectangular Marquee Tool’ and the result is 1.953"x2.44" @300ppi.
What I’m trying to do is **NOT** impossible. I do it all the time using
the ‘Rectangular Marquee Tool ->Crop’ method. I just wish the ‘Crop’ tool would crop like this as well.
I was hoping there was some simple trick I was missing.

Russell 🙂
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 25, 2004
Seems that your only real request if for way to adjust the crop after initial drawing it with marquee tool?
Select/Transform selection will do it.
Right click in marquee area on image will bring it up.
Hold down Shift when you grab a corner to maintain original aspect ration you selected.

Mac
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 25, 2004
Select/Transform selection will do it.

or crtl-T for us keyboard shortcut freaks! 🙂
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 26, 2004
Actually, Dave, normal transform (Ctrl+T) behaves much different than Transform Selection (which has no keyboard shortcut, in PS7 anyway).

M
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 26, 2004
yup. my bad. sorry. 🙁
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 26, 2004
I made a couple of mistakes back in 2001 or so.

Yeah, right.

M
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 26, 2004
what I meant to say is that transform selection should have a shortcut key LIKE crtl-T…

XD

(is anyone buying that? <g>)
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 26, 2004
Sure, I’ll bite.

Of course, I can still hear the turnip truck in the distance.

M
RP
Russell_Proulx
Jul 26, 2004
Seems that your only real request if for way to adjust the crop after initial drawing it with marquee tool?

My ‘real’ request is to do it with the crop tool. I appreciate the shading and perspective correction features that the crop tool offers.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

It’s no big deal and usually doesn’t matter that the size and/or ppi values are changed, as long as the image isn’t resampled (pixels are pixels). But I have run into occasional Action problems where they get messed up when they hit an image that no longer has the same PPI value as the others in the batch. So the 1st command has to be -> "reset PPI value to ‘whatever’ if necessary".

Guess I’ll be heading to the ‘Features Request’ forum to suggest an ‘Aspect Ratio’ option be added to the Crop tool options.

At least I can stop looking for a feature that’s not there (yet).

Russell 🙂

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