How Cropping in Post-Production Can Improve Composition
Even though I strive to get the best compositional shot in-camera. I do see ‘cropping’ as essential to my post editing workflow. For such a simple post edit technique, it can really enhance and improve composition of the image. I have also found cropping an image, be it small or in a creative sense can transform an image dramatically.
I like to view cropping as reframing the scene. The initial framing of the scene comes when you look through the viewfinder, then next when you have uploaded your images onto your computer for editing.
You get the chance and time to critically see if your image(s) needs cropping and what type is required. For example, there might be some distracting elements in the foreground that you missed when you looked through the viewfinder, or a horizon line isn’t quite as straight as it should be.
In this article, I’m going to illustrate the following reasons why you might crop your images in post-production:
- To straighten lines: keep the horizons even and the vertical lines vertical.
- To move your subject or object: a little more to the left, right, up or down.
- To trim away distracting elements, especially at the sides or the near foreground.
- To zoom in to show impact, especially portrait or head-shots.
- To use the rule of odds – instead of two subjects just use one.
- For creative cropping – rotate image, use perspective crop.
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Seascape with a crooked horizon line.
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Once you click on the Crop Tool in the Tools panel, there is a dedicated straighten button in the
Options Bar.
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Horizon lines are easily fixed using the Crop Tool in Photoshop.
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The Crop Tool in Photoshop CS6 works non-destructively if the Delete Cropped Pixels box is
unchecked.
So in the next image, I wanted the focus of this shot to be entirely on the sunflowers. The background, although blurred, is still too distracting with the color of the garments worn by the passersby.
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Although the background is blurred, the colour of the garments worn by the passersby is too
distracting.
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There are various preset aspect ratios when you click on the Unconstrained tab. You can also save
your own presets too.
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The
sunflowers are now the main focus point in this image, and the green
blurred background is complimentary, without being a distraction.
I was at the zoo on a family outing, so I wasn’t taking dedicated shots for anyone. I was behind a barrier and a good 30 feet (approx.) away from the seals. I didn’t get time to think or compose for this shot. I just wanted to grab a shot of the seals.
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Seals taken at the zoo.
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I
cropped in tight to get a close-up of the seals. I didn’t like the
railings at the back, but I would have
preferred to have kept the
reflection of the seals in the water, but there is always a trade off!
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Emmet and Lucy enjoying the nice weather and the chat!
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Lucy hanging on to every word that Emmet is saying! The look of I-only-have-eyes-for-you!
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Fun at the beach.
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By cropping out my other daughter, the focus is on the action. It’s also using the Rule of Odds to focus on the single subject.
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Two subjects shot sitting on a bench side-by-side.
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After the image is cropped, I now have two distinct portraits.
I had taken the following photo in Berlin some years back from a boat on the river Spree. This modern building was quite impressive, but the reflection of the sky and clouds in the glass, caught my eye. It made for a nice abstract composition.
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A shot of a building while in a boat on the river Spree in Berlin. Compositionally, this by itself is
not a good shot.
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With
some editing to highlight the reflection in the glass of this building,
I used the Perspective Crop
Tool to create an abstract composition.
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The perspective Crop Tool in action.
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I created this abstract composition using the Perspective Crop Tool in Photoshop.
To crop or not to crop, that is the question? Share your comments and images below please.
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