Cropping, Keeping Aspect ratio

LM
Posted By
Larry_Moskowitz
Jun 6, 2005
Views
194
Replies
6
Status
Closed
I have a photo measuring about 10" by 11". I’d like to crop this photo into one with an aspect ratio of 4" x 6". How can I use specify that the cropping tool be set to 4×6 (or 5×7 for that matter)?

Photodeluxe Home Edition allowed me to specify an aspect ration under the "Trim" command. Photoshop Elements 3.0 doesn’t seem to have such a feature. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Larry
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BG
Byron Gale
Jun 6, 2005
Larry,

With the Crop tool selected, you will see Width and Height fields available in the Options bar. Enter your desired dimensions there to constrain the aspect ratio.

You can also use the Rectangular Marquee tool in Fixed Size mode if you wish to avoid resampling your image.

Byron
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 6, 2005
You can also use the Rectangular Marquee tool in Fixed Size mode if you wish to avoid resampling your image.

Resampling only happens if you put something in the Resolution box of the Crop tool; leave it blank. But Byron’s comment is fair advice, as the Marquee tool is thus "safer".
BG
Byron Gale
Jun 6, 2005
"Colin Walls" wrote
Resampling only happens if you put something in the Resolution box of the
Crop tool; leave it blank.

Colin,

Try this… open an image – any image. Note its pixel dimensions.

Select the Crop tool, and enter the same pixel dimensions into the Width and Height fields. Leave the Resolution field blank.

Using the Crop tool, select just a portion of the image and confirm the crop.

Isn’t what happens called resampling? By predetermining the final dimensions, the subsequent selection HAD to be resampled to fit. If the specified dimensions were smaller than the actual cropped pixels, they would have been resampled down to fit.

There IS one set of circumstances under which the Crop tool will NOT resample, with values entered in the H/W fields – when you happen to select exactly the number of original pixels as you specify in the Options bar. Any other number of pixels selected will be resampled, up or down, to meet the specified values… and you don’t even get to pick which resampling method is used!!

I am not anti-Crop, just pro-disclosure.

Byron
CW
Colin Walls
Jun 7, 2005
Select the Crop tool, and enter the same pixel dimensions into the Width and Height fields

Sorry. I wasn’t clear. You are right. If you enter pixel> dimensions resampling occurs. If you enter inches [with no resolution setting], it doesn’t.

I find it frustrating that the Crop tool doesn’t have a "aspect ratio" setting. All this resampling functionality could be included in an "advanced crop" tool [which could also have control over resampling algorithm.
BG
Byron Gale
Jun 7, 2005
"Colin Walls" wrote
…If you enter pixel> dimensions resampling occurs. If you enter inches

[with no resolution setting], it doesn’t.

I concur — the Crop tool acts differently, depending on whether one has entered pixels or linear measurement units in the W/H fields.

…All this resampling functionality could be included in an "advanced
crop" tool [which could also have control over resampling algorithm.

Agreed!!

Byron
LM
Larry_Moskowitz
Jun 7, 2005
Thank you, Byron and Colin, for your most useful suggestions. By the way, gentlemen, I discovered that the Crop tool does have a quick aspect ratio setting — after selecting the Crop Tool there is a "Preset Option" dropdown menu with a list of 6 standard aspect ratios. Now I can continue with my project. Best, Larry.

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