Cropping Trick

There are a couple of disadvantages to using the crop tool in photoshop. First, its hard to tell what the crop looks like until you have completed it. If you don't like how it looks you have to undo the action and crop again until you are satisfied with your result. Second, your resolution changes when using the crop tool. I'm going to show you an efficient way to crop your photos without using the crop tool.

Step 1. Use the [Ctrl] [J] shortcut to make a copy of your background image.


Step 2. Make sure you have "Layer 1" selected then use the [Ctrl] [T] shortcut. This shortcut allows you to re size and move the layer that you are working on. (We will be covering this shortcut in an upcoming Shortcut of the Week.)

Step 3. Move your cursor to the corner of the image and click-drag the image to the approximate size that you want. (Tip: holding down the shift key while changing the size of the layer will lock the proportions of your image.)

Step 4. Move your cursor over the top of the image and click-drag to move your image into whatever crop you want.

If your image is bigger than you want simply repeat step 3 to shrink it down.


You can also rotate the image by moving your cursor outside the image and click-drag.


Step 5. When are satisfied with the look of you image press enter.


Step 6. Flatten your image using the [Shift] [Ctrl] [E] shortcut and Save it.


This Cropping Trick gives you the option of seeing exactly how your image will look before committing to the action. Plus your image size and resolution will remain the same as the original image.


Please let me know if you like this Trick. Comments are welcome.