- Using the main application features
- Using the panels
- Tools on the Tools panel
- Changing the image size
- Choosing a bits per channel mode
- Cropping and rotating images
- Using the Layers panel
- Creating adjustment layers
- Editing adjustment layers
- Limiting the effect of an adjustment layer
- Saving adjustment presets
- Merging and deleting adjustment layers
- Working with layer groups
- Applying content-aware scaling
- Choosing a mode for the History panel
- Making snapshots of history states
- Working with nonlinear histories
- Using presets
- Streamlining your workflow
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Cropping and rotating images
You can crop your photos in Camera Raw (see page 45) or by using the Crop tool in Photoshop.
To crop an image using a marquee:
- Choose the Crop tool (C).
- Drag a marquee over the part of the image you want to keep.A
- On the Options bar, do the following:
- If you’re cropping a layer (not the Background), you can click Cropped Area: Delete to delete the cropped-out areas, or click Hide to save those areas with the file (they’ll extend beyond the visible canvas area but can be moved back into view with the Move tool).
- Check Shield to cover the area outside the crop marquee with a dark shield to help you see which part will remain after cropping. You can change the shield color by clicking the Color swatch, or change its Opacity value.
- For the Perspective option, see Photoshop Help. We prefer to use the Lens Correction filter to correct perspective problems (see our Photoshop CS4, volume 1: Visual QuickStart Guide).
- Perform any of these optional steps:
- To resize the marquee, drag any handle (double-arrow pointer). Shift-drag a corner handle to preserve the proportions of the marquee; Alt-drag/Option-drag a handle to resize the marquee from its center; hold down Shift and Alt/Option to do both.
- To reposition the marquee, drag inside it.
- To rotate the marquee, position the cursor just outside it (curved arrow pointer), then drag in a circ ular direction. To change the axis point around which the marquee rotates, drag the center point away from the center of the marquee before rotating. The image orientation will change after the next step. (For another way to straighten a crooked photo, see page 93.)
- Do one of the following:
Press Enter/Return.B
Double-click inside the marquee.
Right-click/Control-click the image and choose Crop from the context menu.
- To cancel a crop marquee, press Esc.
- To create presets for the Crop tool, see page 111.
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Cropping to a Specific Size
To crop an image to a specific size (say, a standard photo size of 4" × 6"), before using the Crop tool, enter the desired Width and Height values on the Options bar. (You can click the Swap Width and Height button 
to swap the two current values.) For Web output, lower the image Resolution value to 72 ppi; for print output, enter the
current image Resolution value to prevent it from changing when the image is cropped. Finally, drag a crop marquee on the
image.
By using a temporary shape layer, you can crop an existing image based on the rule of thirds.
Playing by the Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a guideline for composition that visual artists use: You imagine that a scene is segmented horizontally and vertically into thirds, and try to position the key features of the scene where the imaginary lines intersect. Aligning a subject at these points creates more visual tension and interest in a composition than simply centering the subject would.
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If the center of interest is positioned at one of the imaginary intersections, you can create balance in the picture by positioning a secondary object at the opposing intersection (see the pairs of red circles and blue circles above).
Remember that the rule of thirds is not hard and fast—you can produce a good composition without adhering to it. The important thing is to be conscious of where you position objects in your images and why, and to consider their visual impact.
To crop an image using the rule of thirds:
- Open an image, and choose a Foreground color for the temporary grid shape.
- Choose the Custom Shape tool.
On the Options bar, click the Shape Layers button 
and choose the Grid preset from the Custom Shape preset picker. (If you don’t see that preset, choose Reset Shapes from the picker menu, then click Append or OK.)
- Click the Geometry Options arrowhead on the Options bar. Click Fixed Size, enter values, and check From Center.A
- Click in the center of the image to make the shape appear. Press V, then reposition the shape so one of the points where the interior lines intersect is over a key feature of the composition.
- With the Crop tool (C), drag a marquee around the outer edges of the grid shape,B then to accept the crop, either press Enter/Return or double-click inside the marquee.
- Delete the selected shape layer by pressing Backspace/Delete).C
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The Image Rotation commands rotate all the layers in an image. (To rotate just one layer at a time, use a rotate command on the Edit > Transform submenu instead.)
To rotate an image by an exact amount:
- Do either of the following:
Choose Image > Image Rotation > 180°, 90° CW (clockwise), or 90° CCW (counterclockwise).
Choose Image > Image Rotation > Arbitrary. The Rotate Canvas dialog opens. Enter an Angle value, click °CW (clockwise) or °CCW (counterclockwise), then click OK.
You didn’t have a tripod handy for that unforget-table moment? Did a sloppy job of scanning? You can straighten out your photo with the Ruler tool.
To straighten a crooked image:
- Choose the Ruler tool
(I or Shift-I).
- Drag along a feature of the image that you want to orient horizontally or vertically,A noting the angle (A) value on the Options bar as you do so.
- Choose Image > Image Rotation > Arbitrary. The angle you dragged will appear in the Angle field in the dialog automatically. Click OK.B
- With the Crop tool (C), remove any background color areas that resulted from the rotation.C
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Quick Summary: Choosing Colors
The current Fore ground color is applied when you create type and when you use some tools and commands, such the Brush or Pencil tool. The current Background color is applied by other edits, such as when you apply a transform command to, or move a selection on, the Background, or rotate the image. The two colors are displayed in the Foreground and Back ground color squares on the Tools panel A and Color panel.
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There are many ways to choose a Fore ground or Background color:
- Enter values or click a color in the Color Picker.B
- Sample a color in the image with the Eyedropper tool.
- Click a preset or user-saved swatch on the Swatches panel.
- Enter values or move sliders on the Color panel.C
- Choose a premixed color from a matching system via the Color Libraries dialog (click Color Libraries in the Color Picker to make the dialog appear).
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Quick Summary: Using the Swatches Panel
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Task |
Method |
|
Choose a color from the Swatches panel |
To choose a color for the currently selected color square (Foreground or Background), click a color swatch; to choose a color for the unselected color square, Ctrl-click/Cmd-click a swatch. |
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Add a color to the Swatches panel (colors on the panel are available for all documents) |
Mix or choose a Foreground color by using the Color panel, Color Picker, or Eyedropper tool, then click the New Swatch of
Foreground Color button |
|
Delete a swatch from the Swatches panel |
Alt-click/Option-click the swatch to be deleted (scissors pointer),A or right-click/Control-click a swatch and choose Delete Swatch. This can’t be undone. |
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Save the current swatches on the panel as a library |
Choose Save Swatches from the panel menu (keep the .aco extension when you enter a name in the dialog). Relaunch Photoshop to make the library appear on the panel menu. |
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Save changes to an existing user-created library |
Follow the instructions above, except click the existing library name. When the alert dialog appears, click Replace. |
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Load a user-created or preset swatch library |
From the Swatches panel menu, choose a library name, then either click Append to append the new swatches while keeping the existing ones on the panel or click OK to replace the current swatches with the new ones (an alert may appear, giving you the option to save the current swatches). |
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Restore the default swatches |
Choose Reset Swatches from the Swatches panel menu, then click OK. An alert may appear, giving you the option to save the current swatches. |
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Save the current swatches for use in another Adobe Creative Suite program |
On the Swatches panel menu, choose Save Swatches for Exchange. |
on the panel. (Or to name the swatch as you create it, click the blank area below the swatches on the Swatches panel or right-click/Control-click
any swatch and choose New Swatch; enter a name, then click OK.)
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