Use the crop tool to learn about composition

Friday 25 March 2022, 16:08 by Nando Harmsen | 3,940 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

You can crop a photo. This allows you to remove unwanted parts of the photo. But the crop tool in Lightroom and Photoshop also gives you a chance to learn more about composition.

I explain how this works, and it is very simple. The beginning, at least.

Composition is always the most difficult part of photography. The division of areas is important, as are framing your subject, lines, and the ever-annoying set of composition rules, or guidelines.

There are so many rules or guidelines in the field of composition that it is difficult to apply them in practice. Which rule or guideline should you use, and when? And then there is another problem: do you know them by heart?

In Photoshop and Lightroom, it is possible to crop a photo. In principle, you can do this in any photo-editing programme. I don't know how it works with other software, but Photoshop and Lightroom offer the option of guides in the crop tool.

The rule of thirds, projected onto the photo when using the crop tool
The guides used by Photoshop and Lightroom are based on several commonly used composition rules, or guidelines. I find the word rules sounds so restrictive, as if you have to follow them. You can use these guides to take a critical look at your photos.

The diagonal method projected onto this photo gives you the opportunity to take a critical look at your photo when it comes to composition.
You can switch between the different guides by repeatedly pressing the letter 'o'. If you have a guide that depends on the angle, such as the Fibonacci spiral or the Golden Triangle, hold down the shift key while pressing the letter 'o'.

The Fibonacci spiral must start from the correct corner. Use shift-o to tilt the spiral.
If your photo has a completely wrong composition, it is not possible to correct it in this way. You can only do that in the field, while taking the photo. But it can give you a clear idea of why a particular division of areas does not work, or works less well.

Of course, it is perfectly possible to use the composition guides when actually cropping a photo. They allow you to choose a good aspect ratio, or to correct the placement of the elements in your frame.

With the crop tool, you can create a crop that works best in compositional terms by choosing the right guides. Your photo must already have a good composition, though.
The crop tool is not a solution for a wrong composition. But it is a tool for learning about composition, and in some cases also for actually improving it. Take a look at your old photos, and try these guides on them. See what works, what doesn't, and why it does or doesn't.

Do you ever look at your old photos and ask yourself why a composition works or why it doesn't? Have you used this method before? Tell us in a comment below this post.

You might also like

• 

  Learn the Rule of Thirds So You Don't Have to Use It

  by Nando Harmsen

• 

  Photography rules are not meant to be followed strictly

  by Nando Harmsen

• 

  Rules! Good to learn, good to let go

  by Erik van Rosmalen

• 

  Everything about Generative Fill in Photoshop Beta

  by Nando Harmsen

• 

  Street photography tip: Use leading lines to guide the viewer

  by Michiel Heijmans

• 

  New in Photoshop Beta: Generative Fill

  by Nando Harmsen

0 comments

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.