September 2011 Photoshop tip

original image

The Crop Tool is easy to use and can make a big difference in how your photo looks. I like the picture below, but I want it to be cropped differently and straightened.

1) First select the Crop Tool in the tool bar by clicking it. After you have selected it, click and drag to make a box around the entire image.

2) We will start by straightening the photo. Place your cursor at the corner of the image and slowly move it up until your cursor becomes a curved line with arrows on either end. Now click and drag the mouse. You will notice that the image is rotating with your mouse. Line up a line in the image that should be straight with the side of the Crop Tool selection box. In the

crop box

photo below I used a horizontal line in my image so I used the horizontal side of my Crop Tool selection box. Once you think you are done press Enter.

3) I would still like to crop the photo. Repeat step 1. Put your cursor at the corner of the image, click, hold down shift, and drag to the size you would like the image to be. Holding down shift keeps the image the same ratio. You do not need to hold it down if you want to change the ratio. By clicking inside the Crop Tool Selection box, you can move the box around the image to place it exactly where you would like the image to be cropped. When you think you are done press Enter.

First Crop

4)I can also remove lens distortion with the crop tool. This time when I crop I make sure the “Perspective” box is checked. This time I move the corner boxes into position using a straight line that should be vertical as my guide for the sides. I use a straight horizontal line for the top and bottom. When I have the lines correctly positioned I hit enter and