Cropping pictures in Photoshop CS3

This picture has extra space on the side, shown in the highlighted yellow section of the thumbnail or hidden below the caption text. The excess carpet in the picture is not needed and this picture can be cropped and converted from landscape to portrait.

Select the cropping tool from the tools menu.

After this tool is selected, the cursor will change and look exactly like the cropping tool icon.

Once you have selected the cropping tool, decide on whether or not you want to used a preset. Presets are great if you think someone might print out the picture. You can choose 4x6 at 300 dpi, and Grandma can print it out and put it in a frame. If the picture is only going to be used in email and on the web, a preset is not necessary.

If someone is going to print the picture, make sure the resolution (pixels per inch, dots per inch) is at least 300. If the image is only going to be displayed in email or on a web page, then 72 dots per inch is just fine.

If the preset exists but it is landscape instead or portrait, or visa versa, you can switch the height and width around by clicking on the switch icon.

Draw the box. After the box is drawn it will highlight the area that will be preserved after the cropping. You can nudge the box with the arrow keys or with the mouse. If you selected a preset, you won't be able to change the aspect ratio of the box. If the aspect ratio is wrong, hit cancel and choose a new preset.

You can delete the width and length from the cropping tool options and make your cropping box any aspect ratio you want.