Do you want to learn how to crop images on your Mac? Cropping images can be a useful skill to have, whether you’re creating graphics for a project or simply resizing photos for social media. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of cropping images on a Mac using the built-in Preview app.
Step 1: Open the Image in Preview
To get started, locate the image you want to crop on your Mac and double-click it. By default, most images will open in the Preview app. If not, right-click on the image file, select “Open With,” and choose Preview from the list of applications.
Step 2: Select the Crop Tool
Once your image is open in Preview, click on the “Show Markup Toolbar” button located at the top of the window. This will reveal a variety of editing tools. From there, click on the “Rectangular Selection” icon – it looks like a dashed square – to activate the crop tool.
Step 3: Adjust and Apply Your Crop
With the crop tool activated, click and drag your mouse cursor over the area of the image you want to keep. You can adjust and fine-tune your selection by dragging any of its edges or corners. As you adjust your crop selection, you’ll notice that a preview thumbnail appears in real-time.
Note: To maintain a specific aspect ratio while cropping (e.g., square or 4:3), hold down Shift while dragging your selection.
Once you’re satisfied with your crop selection, press Enter or click on “Crop” in the toolbar to apply it. The rest of the image outside of your selection will be removed.
Step 4: Save Your Cropped Image
After applying the crop, you can save your newly cropped image. Click on “File” in the menu bar, then select “Save” or “Save As.” Choose a name and destination for your cropped image, and click “Save” to complete the process.
Tips:
- Use Guides: If you want to align your crop selection precisely, you can enable guides in Preview. Go to “View” in the menu bar, click on “Show Guides,” and drag them from the rulers onto your image.
- Undo: Made a mistake while cropping? Don’t worry!
You can undo your last action by pressing Command + Z or by clicking on “Edit” in the menu bar and selecting “Undo Crop. “
- Try Different Shapes: While we’ve focused on rectangular crops, Preview also allows you to crop images into other shapes like ellipses. Just select the desired shape from the dropdown menu in the crop toolbar.
Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to crop images on Mac using the Preview app. Now you can confidently resize and edit your images to suit your needs.
If you found this tutorial helpful, feel free to explore our other tutorials for more tips and tricks related to HTML, CSS, and web development!