Quick Photoshop Fix For A Tight Crop (UPDATED)

[Steve]

Note - I've updated this video to give a more thorough explanation and to be more in-line with the defaults of the current versions of Photoshop. I've also added another example as well to demonstrate what to do when part of the animal is actually right on the edge and not just near it.

Have you ever cropped a little too tight and need just a bit more room? In this video, I'll show you a quick Photoshop trick that you can do in seconds to fix the problem! No cloning, no content-aware fill, just a quick, easy fix

 

[Oztours]

Great tip there Steve...

 

[robg]

Super cool trick. I would never have thought of that.

 

[Photocat]

Have you ever cropped a little too tight and need just a bit more room? In this video, I'll show you a quick Photoshop trick that you can do in seconds to fix the problem! No cloning, no content-aware fill, just a quick, easy fix

This technique also works in Affinity Photo using a similar procedure with the appropriate commands.

 

[robg]

This technique also works in Affinity Photo using a similar procedure with the appropriate commands.

Having only recently dropped my Adobe subscription and bought Affinity Photo, I was wondering whether there was an equivalent function in AP. Glad to know that there is.

 

[gordon_g]

Fantastic tip! I've been using content aware... no more!

 

[kimball]

Great and simple tip. It definitely makes me wonder how often I over-complicate edits like this (for example, with content-aware fill) when a simpler solution is more elegant and appropriate and frankly looks more natural.

Side question: why vimeo? Are you unhappy with youtube?

 

[Steve]

Side question: why vimeo? Are you unhappy with youtube?

I like to do some videos that you can only get at the forum to encourage people to stop by and maybe sign up. Short videos like this are perfect for that purpose, so I host it on Vimeo - otherwise it's not really just for the forum

However, the thought has occurred to me that this may not be the best route either - especially with this little video. I probably should post it to YT as well.

 

[DRwyoming]

Good tip. One thing I'd add is that in the latest releases of PS CC the Free Transform Tool defaults to a perspective locked mode. IOW, as you drag that bottom handle down the selection gets wider as well as taller which isn't really what you want for this quick fill trick. To disable the perspective lock, click the small chain icon that comes up in the top context sensitive tool bar after you select the Free Transform Tool (Cmd-T/Ctrl-T).

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Steve]

Good tip. One thing I'd add is that in the latest releases of PS CC the Free Transform Tool defaults to a perspective locked mode. IOW, as you drag that bottom handle down the selection gets wider as well as taller which isn't really what you want for this quick fill trick. To disable the perspective lock, click the small chain icon that comes up in the top context sensitive tool bar after you select the Free Transform Tool (Cmd-T/Ctrl-T).

Good point - I forgot I had turned that off already on mine! You can also hold Shift as you drag if it is locked to temporally unlock it and have it work as shown in the video.

 

[Yezdi]

Very cool trick Steve...

 

[Johnnypanic]

Thanks Steve. Excellent tip.

 

[Laurent Dieu]

Thanks for this excellent and easy tip Steve

 

[KCPhoto]

Well.......I have certainly wasted a lot of time and effort over complicating that in the past :(.....

Thank you, Steve. As usual, providing the best nature photography help available on the interwebs.

 

[LarryG]

Having only recently dropped my Adobe subscription and bought Affinity Photo, I was wondering whether there was an equivalent function in AP. Glad to know that there is.

Hi. It is called "canvas resizing". AP has an instructional video.

 

[robg]

Hi. It is called "canvas resizing". AP has an instructional video.

Thanks!

 

[SNEDDERS6666]

Every day is a brilliant school day with you Steve. Tried this earlier and I am really impressed. My PS and LR skills are coming on leaps and bounds with all this great stuff, Thank you Steve and you guys so much, appreciated. I get this first on the BCG emails which I love, I then come over here to the forum for all the other comments.

 

[ssheipel]

Thanks Steve. I was able to give this elk some foot room (I had as @DRwyoming beautifully critiqued the original shot) cropped (in camera as it turns out) off where the hooves would actually be hidden in the grass. Now, my general and profound incompetence with software tools remains, however. But that's for several hundred other posts about sizing and apsect ratios, etc. LOL

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[ssheipel]

Good tip. One thing I'd add is that in the latest releases of PS CC the Free Transform Tool defaults to a perspective locked mode. IOW, as you drag that bottom handle down the selection gets wider as well as taller which isn't really what you want for this quick fill trick. To disable the perspective lock, click the small chain icon that comes up in the top context sensitive tool bar after you select the Free Transform Tool (Cmd-T/Ctrl-T).

View attachment 8367

Going to go play again with this tip in place; had difficulty with the 'shift' key thingy Damn, a disaster with photoshop LOL Thanks for this.

 

[DRwyoming]

Going to go play again with this tip in place; had difficulty with the 'shift' key thingy Damn, a disaster with photoshop LOL Thanks for this.

No worries.

On the sizing question, a good rule of thumb for web posts here would be no more than 800 pixels tall and no more than 1200 pixels wide. You can do that in Photoshop in the Edit>Image Size dialog box if PS is your tool of choice or it's easy in the LR Export dialog box. As it is I tried zooming my view in Safari on my MacBook Pro all the way out and your Elk image above still can't be seen in a single view and requires scrolling to see the entire image.

 

[jeffnles1]

nice tip. thanks

 

[shaunakhub]

A Simple, easy and awesome trick. Steve!
Thanks a lot.

 

[Cristobal]

Steve, a question for you:
I took recently this photo of a woodpecker, being then not satisfied by a little part of the tail missing; I viewed your recent video 'Quick photoshop fix for a tight crop' and I have access to Photoshop which comes with my Lightroom classic subscription.

Before diving in Photoshop (I never opened it), do you believe that I can fix this framing error with your method?

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Steve]

Steve, a question for you:
I took recently this photo of a woodpecker, being then not satisfied by a little part of the tail missing; I viewed your recent video 'Quick photoshop fix for a tight crop' and I have access to Photoshop which comes with my Lightroom classic subscription.

Before diving in Photoshop (I never opened it), do you believe that I can fix this framing error with your method?

View attachment 8924

Not with the method in that video since you're actually missing part of the bird. You may be able to expand the bottom area and "round" the missing feathers with a clone stamp to make it look correct though - it looks like there's not much missing.

However, Photoshop is an incredibly complex program and not usually something you can start using and make these kinds of corrections with right away. I'd highly recommend lots of time on YouTube or Adobe's site learning the basics of the software first.

 

[Cristobal]

Not with the method in that video since you're actually missing part of the bird. You may be able to expand the bottom area and "round" the missing feathers with a clone stamp to make it look correct though - it looks like there's not much missing.

However, Photoshop is an incredibly complex program and not usually something you can start using and make these kinds of corrections with right away. I'd highly recommend lots of time on YouTube or Adobe's site learning the basics of the software first.

Thank you Steve for your opinion and your recommandations; winter is approaching and it will be a good time for me, exploring and learning the basics of Photoshop.