Photoshop: Cropping an Image & Converting an Image to Black and White

Photoshop: Cropping an Image

If you find that you need to trim off the edges of your photograph, you can use Adobe Photoshop's Crop tool. For example, Figure 1.1 has a lot of excess space on the right side. Using the Crop tool, you can easily correct this type of problem. You just:

1. Select the Crop tool.
2. Click and drag to highlight the portion of the photograph you want to keep.

• Click and drag the boxes on the top, bottom, right, and left to adjust the height and width of the highlighted area.
• Click and drag the boxes on the corners of the highlighted area to adjust the size of the highlighted area proportionately.

3. Choose Image > Crop from the menu.

You have eliminated the excess space surrounding your image.

Figure 1.1 Image before cropping

Figure 1.2 Image after cropping

Converting an Image to Black and White

Sometimes a photo is striking in black and white. Other times, you need to change an image to black and white for some other reason. Perhaps you want to include the image in a newsletter that is printed in black and white. Whatever the reason, making the change is easy. You start by making a copy of your photo. You will work from the copy so that the original photo remains intact.

1. Choose Image > Duplicate from the menu. The Duplicate Image dialog box opens.
2. Type the name you want to give to the copy of your photo.
3. Click OK.

You are now ready to change your color image to black and white.

1. Choose Image > Mode > Grayscale from the menu.
2. If prompted, click OK to discard color information.

Your photograph is now black and white.

Figure 2.1 Color Figure 2.2 Black & white