Edit Digital Photography: Perfect Composition with Cropping

The composition of a photograph can either draw the eye to your work, or fail to get across the desired message to the viewer. Many elements are needed to create a wonderful photograph, but composition is one of the most important. Composition deals with how the various elements of the photograph work together in both placement and interaction to convey what the photographer sees and feels.

Knowing what creates a good composition defines the great photographers from the amateurs. Many factors make up good composition, but cropping is perhaps one of the most important parts.

Improving the composition of a photograph is simple through the cropping tool available in Photoshop. With this, you can swiftly cut out areas of the photo that you wish to be removed, or that take away from the photo's subject. Photoshop enables you to measure the portions to by cut, to ensure accuracy.

The best part about cropping using Photoshop's cropping tool is that if you don't like how your photo looks after it has been cropped you can simply go back to where you started and try again. You can essentially experiment with an unlimited number of possibilities.

The following are some tips for better cropping.

Consider the Rule of Thirds

You will typically never see the professional photographer center the subject in a photo, while the amateur usually does. By moving the subject off center, you will create more visual interest and appeal to your image. Visualize three lines dividing your image into even thirds and crop your photo in a manner that will place your subject into one of the outer thirds. Experiment as much as you want to reach your desired effect, but make sure to save a copy of your image as an original in a separate folder.

Crop to Traditional Print Sizes

Standard photo sizes such as 4x6 are easier to frame, so make sure to check the sizing when cropping a photo. Should your image not conform to standard dimensions, simply cut off or add back a little of your photo to meet these sizes. Without this, a photo lab may crop off more than you would want or in the wrong area of the photo to make them print the right size.

Framing an image through your camera can take backseat thanks to the cropping tool available in Photoshop. Any adjustments and editing can be made sitting at your computer. Another nice feature of Photoshop cropping is that no matter the Photoshop Elements version or the Photoshop CS version, the basic steps remain the same.

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