Cropping Photos. Why?
Every Digital Photo Needs to Be Cropped! Why?
Because we can!
The first reason is “because we can” and that is one of the real benefits and joys of digital photography. With a little cropping we can turn an average picture into a memorable photo. With film photography we basically had to accept what we got when we picked up our prints. How many times have you wished you could retake the shot and not include someones elbow or half a face? With a digital image we can easily trim or eliminate portions of the picture we don’t want or need.
Cropping Out the Fence Makes This a Better Picture
Aspect Ratios Vary
The aspect ratio (the ratio of the width to the height of the picture) of a digital camera sensor is typically 4×3 (1.33). The aspect ratio of a 4×6 (6×4) print is 1.5. The format for HDTV is 16×9 or 1.78. so, if you want 4×6 prints you should decide what portions of the image should be cut off and not let the printer software decide for you. Here is an example of what can happen if you let the printer decide where to crop the photo–And, it is my head that go clipped!
Crop photos before you send them to the printer
Turn and Average Shot into a Great Shot
here is an example of how to turn an average vacation shot into a great shot. I used a 4×6 portrait cropping format to creat this post card quality photo from a shot I took on a recent visit to Castillo De San Marcos in St. Augustine, Fl. For information on what software I used and how I fixed the photo go to http://www.correctphoto.com/GreatShot.htm.
Photo Cropping can turn and average photo into a great shot
Crop for Specific Uses: Scrapbooking, Facebook, Flickr, Websites, eBay, etc.
Cropping is an essential tool for almost any use for a digital photo. Whether you want to create a photo of yourself to post on your Facebook page, sell an antique on eBay, or optimize a photo for your website that little “digital scissors” called cropping will soon become your most favorite imaging tool.
Crop for Facebook, Scrapbooking and other special applications
Here are a few other articles and tutorials on cropping photos.
The Art of Cropping
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/learnmore/crop.mspx
How to Crop a Photo for Better Composition by Elizabeth West
http://photodoto.com/how-to-crop-a-photo-for-better-composition
Create a Memory
http://www.correctphoto.com/CreateMemory.htm
Create Outstanding Vacation Photos
http://www.correctphoto.com/GreatShot.htm
Hopefully, this discussion has illustrated the benefits of cropping your photos. Remember, every digital photo needs a little cropping. And, cropping is one of the easiest photo editing functions you can do and you will be amazed at how much better your photos will look if you just take a little time to crop. I will talk about “The How” of cropping in an upcoming post.
Best Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.