In computing, a crop is the removal of the outer parts of an image to improve framing, accentuate subject matter or change aspect ratio. Cropping is accomplished by selecting a rectangular region in an image, and removing the pixels outside the rectangle.
Cropping is a common image editing operation. It is most often used to remove unneeded or unwanted parts of an image, such as extra space around a subject, or to change the aspect ratio of an image (the width-to-height ratio). Cropping can also be used to improve the composition of an image, by removing distracting or irrelevant elements.
There are a number of different ways to crop an image. The most basic method is to select a rectangular region of the image and remove the pixels outside the rectangle. This can be done manually, using an image editing program such as Photoshop, or automatically, using an online cropping tool.
More advanced methods of cropping allow the user to select a non-rectangular region of the image, and to remove the pixels outside the region. This can be useful for isolating a subject from its background, or for removing unwanted objects from an image.
When cropping an image, it is important to consider the aspect ratio of the resulting image. The aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio of an image, and is typically expressed as a two-digit number, such as 4:3 or 16:9. Changing the aspect ratio of an image can have a significant impact on its appearance, so it is important to choose an appropriate aspect ratio for the final image.
There are a number of different uses for cropped images. Cropping can be used to change the composition of an image, to focus on a particular subject, or to remove distractions. Cropping can also be used to change the aspect ratio of an image, which can be helpful for creating images that fit a specific size or shape.