Cropping - The Art of the Picture Editor

The example image to the left  is a nice "as taken" image of a roundabout in Sheringham Norfolk, there is road sign on the left hand side of the image, a car to the right, and the composition is spoiled by the amount of road at the bottom of the picture.  But because cameras have a fixed picture format, when taking a photo capturing the subject is the most important factor.

The composition can be greatly enhanced by cropping the image to improve the visual effect. So when looking for images it is a good idea to look within the border to see if a better picture is lurking.

The image on the right has been cropped from the one above so that main subject area is included, and  all the boring or nasty bits have been removed.

Where to crop is often a matter of taste and artistic balance, it can also be influenced by the design of the page where the image is to be used.

There are some well established rules and guide lines that make a picture look pleasing to the eye, for example the rule of thirds.

There are many artistic websites that offer guidance to the would be picture editor, but like many things experience and taste count for a lot.

Most pictures can be improved by cropping, and many dull compositions make dramatic images when heavily cropped, especially if the main subject is an odd shape. Unusual shaped images are often deployed on websites to add impact without consuming all the space, a banner is a prime example, which accounts for its use in website advertisng.