{"id":39819,"date":"2021-08-22T14:14:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T14:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/?p=39819"},"modified":"2021-08-22T21:39:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T21:39:10","slug":"3-ways-to-crop-your-images-crop-distort-retouch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/39819\/3-ways-to-crop-your-images-crop-distort-retouch\/","title":{"rendered":"4\u00a0Ways To Crop Your Images \u2013 Crop, Distort, Retouch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Deciding what\u2019s in the frame and what\u2019s out is a critical decision that can make or break an image. You can look at it very simply. What is an image of? What is an image not of? And how does what\u2019s left over support or distract from the essence of an image?<\/p>\n

In the past we had two simple options; one, use the frame to crop; two, crop when printing or post-processing. Now we have two more options to think about; three, distort; four, retouch. Each of these offers different possibilities and becoming familiar with them all will help you choose.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a new mindset. Once you learn to see in these new ways, you\u2019ll find you\u2019ll make images that you previously passed by, leaving them unmade or even unnoticed. As a result, you\u2019ll make many more successful images.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Classic crops eliminate the most information<\/em><\/p>\n

Crop<\/b><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got choices. Choose wisely.<\/p>\n

One \u2013 Crop Before Exposure<\/b><\/p>\n

Use the frame to eliminate distracting information around a subject(s). Take extra care with image information that touches the frame, as it will draw extra attention. If part of an object is eliminated by the frame make sure what\u2019s left looks deliberate - just a sliver lopped off or a sliver left over seems careless. Once you\u2019ve made your exposure, you\u2019re committed. You can crop more but you can\u2019t uncrop. When in doubt, shoot both tight and loose.<\/p>\n

Two \u2013 Crop After Exposure<\/b><\/p>\n

Shoot loose (more than you need) and you\u2019ll preserve your ability to refine a composition during post-processing, testing, and comparing many variations, even over extended periods of time, before settling on a final solution. Doing this will take more time but you will gain precision.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Distorted to fill the frame<\/em><\/p>\n

Distort<\/b><\/p>\n

Distorting photographs is widely practiced. But most photographers tend to think of their limited use of distortion as having produced no distortion. In fact, every lens distorts in its own way, some more than others, like wide-angle lenses. Lens profiles are designed to correct for lens distortion during post-processing by \u2018undistorting\u2019.<\/p>\n

Many people think they aren\u2019t distorting their photographs when in fact they are doing it on most of their images in multiple ways, first by using a lens, second by using a lens profile, and sometimes third by creating panoramas. Why are these practices more acceptable than using distortion and retouching as a part of your cropping practices? In the end, it\u2019s your choice.<\/p>\n

You can push one or more sides of an image outside its frame and achieve similar results to cropping. What\u2019s different here is that the proportions of the objects and spaces left within the frame will change, typically getting taller or wider, usually only a little but potentially a lot.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got options. Test them before you settle on your final solution.<\/p>\n

One - Transform<\/b><\/p>\n

Use Photoshop\u2019s Edit > Transform to distort an image uniformly. To move an entire side, hold the Shift key to move one side without moving the others.\u00a0 <\/span>And\/or, to move one corner independently, press the Command key before moving a corner point.<\/p>\n

(To do this an image\u2019s Background Layer needs to be a Smart Object or a duplicate layer.)<\/p>\n

Two - Content-Aware Scale<\/b><\/p>\n

Use Photoshop\u2019s Edit > Content-Aware Scale to distort an image non-uniformly \u2013 smooth areas will expand or contract more than textured areas. Pull the areas you wish to crop outside the frame. Hold the Shift key while you\u2019re doing this if you wish to change one side more than another and the image\u2019s aspect ratio with it.<\/p>\n

(Do this on a duplicate layer. Content-Aware Scale doesn\u2019t work on a Smart Object.)<\/p>\n

Three - Warp<\/b><\/p>\n

Want more localized control? Try Warp. (Edit>Transform>Warp) Warp gives you a grid to adjust more points with. It adds the ability to modify the position of elements not just with the edges but also the insides of the frame. Do this on a duplicate layer or duplicate Smart Object. Warp works on Smart Objects but since it is not a filter so you can\u2019t get the future flexibility of a Smart Filter.<\/p>\n

Four - Liquify<\/b><\/p>\n

You can use the Liquify filter to distort small portions of an image. For instance, moving something in the middle of the edge of a frame off frame without moving the corners. To do this,\u00a0 <\/span>go to Filter>Liquify, start with the first tool Forward Warp and use the brush to get the effect you desire. It\u2019s worth exploring the other brushes too as Liquify is a powerful distortion tool.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Distorted to fill the frame<\/em><\/p>\n

Distorted version with aspect ratio changed afterward<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Preserve Or Adjust Aspect Ratio<\/b><\/p>\n

Both cropping and distortion may or may not change an image\u2019s aspect ratio (the proportions of the frame). Cropping can be set to preserve a set aspect ratio but this puts limits on what\u2019s possible as at least two edges, if not all, are adjusted together. if you adjust one edge separately from the others you\u2019ll change the aspect ratio, for better or worse. But if a specific aspect ratio is important to you (either because the original creates consistency between images or because a new ratio is more expressive), after cropping you can distort the entire frame to the aspect ratio of your choice.<\/p>\n