Main

July 10, 2009

Decreasing File Size

When compositing several images into one document I often find that a portion of a layer will end up being positioned outside of the visible image area. Photoshop, of course, is still keeping track of this information (in case I choose to reposition the layer), but when I’m certain that I will no longer need it, I will choose Select > All and then Image > Crop. This eliminates unnecessary information outside or beyond the visible image area and will typically help to keep my file size more manageable

July 9, 2009

Adding Canvas Size

One can always select Image > Canvas Size in order to numerically add or subtract to the width or height of your image. But if you would rather eyeball it, try using the Crop tool. Drag out a crop marquee and release the mouse. Then, grab one of the anchor points and drag it beyond the visible image area. When the crop is applied,the area outside of the image and within the crop marquee will be added to the image canvas.

Note: If you can't drag the crop outside of the image because the image windows is in the way, try zooming out or using full screen mode.

To add transparency around the image (instead of filling the added space with the background color) convert the Background into a layer by dragging the Lock icon to the trash before cropping.

February 20, 2009

Toggle the Shield

The forward slash key (/) toggles on and off the Shield (the shading of the area outside of the crop) while using the Crop tool.

February 19, 2009

Cropping Images to the Same Size

To use the dimensions of one image to crop another, select the document with the desired crop (width, height, and resolution) and click the “Front Image” button in the Options bar (this will enter the height, width and resolution for the document). Then, switch to the document that needs to be cropped and use the Crop tool to make your selection. The aspect ratio will be constrained while dragging the crop and, when applied, the image will be resized to the desired width, height and resolution.

February 18, 2009

The Crop Tool - Changing Width and Height

While using the Crop tool, tapping the return/enter key will automatically highlight the Width in the Options bar and allow you to enter an amount. Tab to move to the Height and Resolution fields.

February 17, 2009

Adding Canvas Using the Crop Tool

To use the Crop tool to add canvas to your image, drag out a crop and release the mouse. Then, drag the crop handles outside of the image area and apply the crop. The area outside of the image will be added to the canvas. Note: to add transparency around the image (instead of filling the added space with the background color) convert the Background into a layer by selecting Layer > New > Layer From Background (or by double clicking on the word Background in the Layers panel).

February 16, 2009

Crop Tool Basics

To cancel a crop, tap the escape key. To apply the crop, tap the enter key, double click inside of the crop bounding box, or choose another tool from the tool bar (this last method requires an additional dialog box in order to tell Photoshop to crop or not).