Tutorials2D GraphicsGIMPGIMP: How To Crop Images

GIMP: How To Crop Images

Written by Marc Roberge | 09 February 2012

One of the questions I get asked most often about GIMP are how to properly resize and crop images. Ok. I guess that’s more like 2 questions, but they are quite often part of the same workflow. I will discuss resizing images for printing in a future article. For now, I thought I’d go over the basics of cropping with you.

Let’s start by launching GIMP and opening up an image. Next, let’s select the Crop Tool from the Toolbox.

Options for the Crop Tool are now available below the Toolbox.

Let’s have a look at each of these options, one at a time. The “Current Layer Only” option is toggled off by default. When unchecked, any cropping task will affect the entire image, through all layers – which is generally what you will want. However, there are times when you will need to crop an element or image on a single layer without affecting the entire image stack.

For demonstration purposes, I’ve created a second layer on which I painted a quick scribble.

With “Current Layer Only” checked, I can crop the scribble without affecting the rest of the image.

The “Allow Growing” option is also toggled off by default. Normally, when you want to crop an image, it’s to cut out extraneous parts. Occasionally, however, you may need to do this and also extend outside the borders of the image. While unchecked, you can only crop within the bounds of the image but, with it checked, you can extend your crop selection outside these bounds.

The “Expand From Center” is an easy one. When unchecked, your crop selection sets a corner where you click and extend from there. Of course, the crop area can be moved and resized to your heart’s desire. With “Expand From Center” checked, naturally, your crop selection sets its center where you click and expands out from that point.

I won’t provide you with an image here because it wouldn’t appear any different in either mode.

Probably the most useful crop options are those relating to position and size. The first sizing option allows you to toggle a fixed aspect ratio, width, height or size. Selecting aspect ratio, you will need to provide the appropriate ratio in the field below. If you are not familiar with aspect ratios and how they relate to standard and non standard picture sizes, then skip this option for now. I will be writing a thorough tutorial on image sizing and resizing shortly which will cover aspect ratios in detail. The other fixed options (width, height, size) are relatively useless (well, for me at least) because the two options I tend to use most are either fixed aspect ratio or the position and size options below.

When I want to crop an image down to specific dimensions, which is most of the time, I tend to use the “Size:” option. Start by selecting the base units you want to work with from the drop down list. For web images, I usually work in pixels whereas if I’m editing an image for print, I prefer to work in Inches because most standard and wide format prints are still measured in inches (ie. 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, etc…). Once you’ve selected your sizing units, draw a rough crop area over the part of your image you wish to keep then type your desired crop width in the left field and your desired crop height in the right field.

The last of the options I will discuss here is the “Guides” dropdown. By default, “No Guides” is selected. However, if you would like some visual guides within your crop area selection to help you align your crop, you have the choice of “Center Lines”, “Rule of Thirds” and “Golden Sections”.

Of course, once you’ve drawn and positioned your crop area you will need to either click once in the center of your crop selection or press “Enter” to apply the crop.

Hope this helps and thanks for reading!