DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> To crop or not to crop
⏮️⏪◀️ 1/1 ▶️⏩⏭️
Showing posts 1 - 4 of 4, (reverse)
AuthorThread
Sony DSC-F707
 10/14/2002 03:55:57 PM · #1
What are your opinions on in-camera cropping? How much of the image to crop at the time I take the photo and what to leave for post processing in Photoshop has been a bit of a dilemma with me. On one hand, I want to preserve as much image detail as possible and on the other hand, I want to be able to display my image at different ratios such as 8x10 or 4x6. I often upload images to a photo sharing and purchasing site for my friends and family to use and I find myself stuck with what ratio to display the photos at. I'm afraid that if I have cropped my original images tightly and display them at their 8x6 ratios then anyone who purchases a 4x6 ratio (which most people will) may get a poorly, automatically cropped image where important image information may be lost and the customer will not see what I intended them to see. If I present the images at a 4x6 ratio then images that are ordered as 8x10's will also be cropped further and important info can still be lost. I could present my images in all three ratios but that would be tedious and probably confusing to most people. I think my final solution is to get the most information from the camera as possible and this meens cropping appropriately in-camera first. I will worry about other cropping possibilities later. I recently had one of my images printed at a 20x30 in. size and I kept it at it's 8x6 ratio with a half inch white border around it so I would be sure I could mat and frame it without losing any of my original image inforamtion. This may all sound a bit confusing but it is something to consider when it comes to presenting our fine images. What are your thoughts?

T
Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
 10/14/2002 04:24:08 PM · #2
This an interesting topic.

I usually try to frame the photo as I want it, but this can lead to strange compositional choices if you crop to a standard print size.

I think composing the shot for the desired print ratio would be the best way to go.
Nikon D100
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Nikon
 10/14/2002 04:28:05 PM · #3
the only place that i have submitted to for printing is daprints, and there you get a set of possible sizes that have the same ratio as your submitted photo, so it's never been an issue with me.

having said that, i agree with getting the in-camera crop close to what the final output will be. i sometimes leave just a little spare room around the edges to give me flexibility, but overall i try and get it close to right while i'm taking the photo.

there are exceptions though. for example, when i know i want to crop something into a longer format, i can obviously not select that in-camera. i then take the long edge close to the final and crop top and bottom (for a landscape format) later. or, if i photograph a moving 'target' i may include more space than i want for my final photo just to make sure i don't inadvertantly crop of a body part...
Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
 10/14/2002 04:33:43 PM · #4
I have long had a problem with cutting of the tops of heads, not a good thing for someone who wants to be a portaits photogrpher, I have been leaving a little extra room lately. I can do a fair amount of cropping and still get a decent 8x10 from my camera.
⏮️⏪◀️ 1/1 ▶️⏩⏭️
Current Server Time: 09/22/2026 09:42:40 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.
Theme: Classic / Light / Dark
Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2026 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/22/2026 09:42:40 PM EDT.