How to Crop an Image in Photoshop
Cropping is the fastest way to fix composition, remove distractions, and match an aspect ratio. Photoshop's Crop tool is powerful but can feel cluttered. This guide walks you through the essential steps, then shows a free online alternative when you need a quick crop.
Open Photoshop and load your image with File > Open.
Select the Crop tool from the toolbar, or press C.
Drag the crop box handles to frame the area you want to keep.
Pick a preset ratio from the options bar — 1:1, 4:5, 16:9 — or type your own.
Press Enter to apply the crop, or click the checkmark.
Export with File > Export > Export As to save your cropped image.
Pro tip
Hold the Alt/Option key while dragging to crop from the center. Use the Straighten tool to level a tilted photo before you crop.
Frequently asked questions
Select the Crop tool, choose a preset from the ratio dropdown in the options bar, or enter custom width and height values for an exact ratio.
Yes. Duplicate the layer first, or work on a copy, so the original pixels are safe if you need to adjust later.
Pixcutly's crop tool runs entirely in your browser. Upload an image, choose a preset ratio, and download — no install and no account.
Ready to crop an image?
Use Pixcutly's free crop tool for pixel-perfect crops in seconds — no Photoshop required.