Cropping with Photoshop
Cropping an image is important when you only need one section of the photo, or if you need the photo to be a specific size. Photoshop also has an instant crop AND resize option that only involves one step.
Basic Cropping
After you've opened the image that you would like to crop, click on the Crop Tool in the toolbar. If you can't find your tools, at the top click on Window, and then check Tools.
Once you have the Crop Tool selected, bring your cursor over to your image, and place it where you want the corner of the crop to begin. Click and drag so that the section of your image that you want to crop is within the dotted line boundaries. You can release your mouse button when you think you have it right. After you've done that, and the section of the image within the crop area isn't quite what you want, you can click and drag the corner nodes to modify it. Once you have it where you want it, click the check mark that is at the top of the screen.
Cropping a Specific Size
Let's say that you have an image that is 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall, and you need an image for your website that is 200 pixels wide by 300 pixels tall. Now, you can't resize an image that has horizontal properties and expect it to become an image with vertical properties. Thus, you will need to crop your image. So, again click on your Crop Tool, but this time you will need to notice the Options Bar at the top. You will see where there are width and height boxes.
In those boxes is where you need to type in the width and height that you need your image to be cropped to. So in our example, we need 200 pixels by 300 pixels. In the width box type in "200px" and in the height box type in "300px".
Move your cursor over your image, and place it where you want the corner of your crop to begin. Click and drag so that the section of your image that you want to crop is within the dotted line boundaries. You can release your mouse button when you think you have it right. After you've done that, and the section of the image within the crop area isn't quite what you want, you can click and drag the corner nodes to modify it, however, this type of crop will restrict the dimensions of the crop to remain in the limitations you have set. Once you have it where you want it, click the check mark that is at the top of the screen.
Cropping a Thumbnail
Cropping a thumbnail image, is essentially the same as the Cropping a Specific Size tutorial. The only difference is that most thumbnails should be a square size around 150 pixels or so. In the width and height boxes type in "150px", and you'll get your thumbnail!