How to Crop an Image
Over the many years Adobe Photoshop has existed, the crop tool has adjusted and changed for the modern age. When you want to crop an image, just simply select the crop tool, 5th from the top, and cut what you do not want. You can also set aspect ratios, which allows you to have a square image, rectangular image, etc. I will be using the image below, which is a car that is on the side of a mountain. This image is very nice, but is too bright and the sky is too tall. With the power of Photoshop, let’s fix it.
Cropping the Image
Once you have uploaded your image from Bridge to Photoshop, select the crop tool. This tool allows you to cut and take off what you don’t want. In this photo, the sky is too large for my taste, and takes away from the main focus of the photo. When the crop tool is on, 8 handles will appear, surrounding the photo in every direction. This is where you can pull down the handles and take things out. When you are cropping images, it is important to work with the”Delete Cropped Pixels” checkbox off. This will allow you to change any of your mistakes after you are done cropping.
Editing through Smart Filters
After you have cropped the image to your liking, you can edit the image through Smart Filters. These filters are what allow you as the editor to change the theme and feel of the page. Select the Filter tab, then select Convert to Smart Filters. This way, Photoshop knows that will allow you to use the filters. Once you have confirmed the pop-ups, you must go back to the Filter tab, and select Camera Raw Filter. This filter brings up the photo with all these cool filters. With the new features of Photoshop in place, you can simply select the eye-dropper and click something that is 16% grey. In this case, selecting the car tire with the eye-dropper will work just fine. Once you have done this, the picture will change and be more scenic. Below is the image after being cropped and edited through smart filters. You can see a drastic difference with just a few steps.
