Magic,
Are you are using the rectangular marquee tool? Look above your workspace for the box next to Style. Change the setting to ‘Normal’.
Juergen
Thanks Juergen. I was using the Crop Tool. But after reading your reply, I tried the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the area; then the Crop command from the Image tool bar and that worked as I wanted. I guess I still have some research to do to figure out what the Crop Tool does. Perhaps it is just for when you know beforehand the height and width of the image result you want?
M.I.A.,
If you have values entered in the Width and Height boxes on the Crop tools Options bar, then Elements will only draw the crop boundaries in that proportion. Clear the boxes to free-hand the crop.
HTH,
Byron
Thanks Byron. I had wondered about that and tried clearing the Width and Height boxes, but the Crop Tool still has a fixed aspect ratio. I tried Shift, Alt, and Ctrl as suggested in the tip bar for other options, but none of these let the aspect ratio vary.
Perhaps it is just for when you know beforehand the height and width of
the image result you want?
Magic,
Right, and I don’t know where it takes its measurements from if you leave the Width and Height boxes blank. Anyway, the Marquee Tool is best for your purpose.
Juergen
In the Option Bar for both the Crop tool and the Rectangular Marquee tool, don’t you have a "Style" area, where you can choose "Normal", "Fixed Size", or "Fixed Aspect Ratio"? It sounds like that should be checked to make sure it’s set to Normal. It sounds more like "Fixed Aspect Ratio" has been selected.
Both tools can be used to do pretty much the same thing. The biggest difference is that the Crop tool also allows you to set a resolution. If you want the resolution to remain the same as in the current image you’re working on, either choose Rectangular Marquee (so resolution isn’t effected) or make sure the correct resolution is entered in the Option Bar for the Crop tool.
M.I.A.,
You have the Width and Height fields clear, yet the Crop tool persists in maintaining a single aspect ratio when used? Something is hinky…
With the Crop tool selected, on the Options bar at the far left, click the Crop icon and choose "Reset Tool" to see if that helps. I am hopeful that you won’t have to reset the master preferences file to kick Crop out of its rut.
Also, if you have View > Snap to Grid selected with a fairly large grid size, I suppose that could seem like the tool has a "stuck" aspect ratio.
Byron
Byron,
I had the same problem after I cleared the width and height boxes, the Crop Toll would remain at the previous aspect. It turns out that I needed to click on the Clear box, rather than clearing the individual boxes. I guess Magic had tried what I did.
Juergen
Juergen,
Interesting!! It works the same way, here… merely deleting the contents of the W-H fields has no affect on the performance of the Crop tool. Either Clear or Reset Tool is required to restore free-hand operation.
Byron
I got the Crop Tool working without an aspect ratio now. The problem was that I was clearing the Width and Height fields by deleting the contents of both boxes, but apparently that still left the fields set. What I had to do was click on the Crop symbol to the left of the width box and click "Reset Tool". Then it let the Crop Tool go to any aspect ratio. The advantage I see to using the Crop Tool is that it’s just a bit easier to make the crop take effect by clicking another tool or double-clicking inside the cropped area, rather than with the Rectangular Marquee Tool having to go to the menu bar, select Image, the Crop to make the crop happen. But I guess the Rectangular Marquee Tool is safer to avoid accidentally changing resolution.
Thanks to all for your help in getting me straightened out on this.
Byron,
There is always something new. 🙂 I only use the Crop Tool for cropping to a specific size, e.g. 5×7. Otherwise I use the Marquee Tool.
Juergen
Oops – I guess I’m not as understanding as I thought was. When I use the apparently preferred Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the area for cropping, I can’t find a way to adjust a side if I don’t manage to select my area perfectly the first time. I can see how to drag the whole selected area, or to expand or contract the selected area adjusting both the height and width simultaneously, but I can’t find how to move just one side of the rectangle.
If I use the Crop Tool, I get drag handles on the sides of the rectangle that I can move independently, but I don’t see anything like that with the Rectangle Selection Marquee. I can’t begin to select my cropped area that precisely first try without adjusting each side individually.
Do those of you who use the Rectangular Marquee Tool for cropping know of a way to adjust one side of the rectangle?
M.I.A.,
In Elements, you cannot adjust the size of a marquee once you have drawn it… as you have observed.
I think that full Photoshop provides re-sizing handles on a marquee — but that must have been one of the features removed when creating Elements.
Byron
Except by…
with selection active; Select>Modify and choose expand or contract
Byron,
Thought that full Photoshop may have a way of re-sizing on a marquee … anyone know if it is possible and if so how do you do it?
Wendy
I just checked the marquee tool in Photoshop 7, and it doesn’t appear that there is a way to adjust the marquee once it has been drawn. I don’t have Photoshop CS here at work.
You can’t adjust the marquee size like the Crop tool selection, but there is a simple workaround.
First, make your selection with the Marquee tool. On the Layers palette, click on the icon to Add New Layer. Use the Fill tool and fill the selection with white or any other color of your choice and then lower the opacity on this layer to about 30% so you can see the original layer underneath.
Now you can click on the Move tool (V) and adjust the selection as desired. Hold down Shift to contrain proportions, move it around, distort the selection…and more. When you are done, commit the change (press Enter).
With the selection still active, click on your original layer and use Image menu>Crop. You can turn off visibility of the moveable fill layer if you like. One really big advantage about doing it this way is that you get to see a center point.
Patti
P.S. I think it was Chuck who came up with this workaround awhile back.
Wendy,
In CS, Select<Transform Selection. This will put drag handles on the selection made with Marquee…or any selection tool for that matter.
Terri
Terri,
That is why I like to follow this forum. That same method is available in Photoshop 7. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t spend very much time studying the books or the help file.
Terri,
Well I never knew that ….
Thanks for the information
Wendy
It’s also a choice in the context menu that comes up if you right click in the selection. Jim, I’m a confirmed bookworm. I read my books until they are dog earred looking for little bits I’ve missed.
Terri
Also, you can right click in marquee area and get to same select/transform selection option quicker.
Mac
