It is seldom that you'll find a photograph that is ready to use in your web page layout without some sort of editing. One basic way to modify images is to crop them -- remove some part of the image. Cropping changes the appearance of photographs and clip art in order to better fit the layout, make a statement, or improve the overall appearance of the subject matter.
Here's a list with some of the options available to arm yourself (or your images) with.
· Crop to show what's important - Change the focus of the photograph or emphasize specific portions of an image by cropping out less important or less desirable people or objects.
· Crop the background - Cropping out background clutter helps put the main subject matter in focus. Cropping to break out of the box adds additional interest.
· Crop to change the orientation - Not only does the cropping change the photo from horizontal and fat to tall and narrow, it helps to focus attention on the most interesting part of the photo.
· Crop out the main subject - Sometimes the image that is most interesting or most useful is not the main focus of the photograph. Look all around an image to find new angles. Crop to bring that secondary portion of the image into focus and make a statement that may be entirely different from the original photo.
· Crop to create uniform images - Cropping and resizing so that each subject appears to be about the same distance from the camera provides a uniform appearance to a varied group of mug shots.
· Crop creative shapes - Used sparingly, photos cropped into unusual or unexpected shapes such as starbursts, ovals, or polygons can add a special touch to a newsletter or scrapbook layout or make a plain photograph more interesting.
Tips:
Use cropping to change the image size
Combine photo cropping with resizing or re-sampling to bring the subject of the photo closer or push it further away.
Crop bleeds carefully
When cropping a photo that will bleed off the page, be sure not to crop so close that the main part of the image gets lost off the edges.
Use cropping with other photo editing techniques
Combine photo cropping with other graphics modifications such as color removal, tints, sharpening, and blurring to draw the eye to the most important part of the image.
Keep actual and perceived image size consistent
Don't use cropping alone to create images of the same size. Consider the appearance of people and objects in the image. Crop and size photos, such as mug shots or a series of landscapes so that like objects in the images appear at about the same size / distance from the viewer. Consider proportions within the photo when two cropped images appear in close proximity.