Help With Photo Editing

[Mungo]

Ok, I am very new to photography.

I often hear of folks here 'cropping' their pictures.
I have downloaded Photoshop Elements and use the auto enhance options. I have tried zooming with the + on my picture to bring the object 'closer', then crop.
When I come to look at the final picture, it is just smaller and not nearer. Is there something I am missing here?

I have the Fuji 8100fd

Please be gentle, as I said I am very new to all this editing palava

[Soupdragon]

Can you crop the image without zooming in first, and then enlarge the image afterwards?

[DemonTraitor]

Cropping will make the image smaller, as you are reducing the image dimensions, but if you view the picture as "Actual Pixel Size (or 100%)", everything should look larger/closer.

When cropping, you need to make sure you are starting with a large image, otherwise the cropped image can become too small.

[Soupdragon]

So instead of zooming in, start by enlarging the image?

[Lancashire Lad]

There are several websites offering on-line tutorials for photoshop elements.

For example, you might find "photoshoproadmap.com" useful. If you google for "photoshop elements tutorial", that website comes up on the first page of hits.

The site has numerous on-line (free) tutorials, which cover just about every aspect of photoshop elements.

If you enter "crop" into the site's search box, it brings up an index of all the tutorials containing the word crop, and you just click on the one you want. (The tutorial showing you how to go about correctly cropping a photo in elements is currently third down on that list).

I'm sure that some of the other sites will offer similar levels of info.

Regards
Mike.

[Ollie]

Just a quick example of cropping a photograph.


The first image has just been resized to 900 x 600 pixels, not cropped at all.

The second image has been cropped to 900 x 600 pixels making both photos the same size but note how the cropped image has brought the bird closer.

Hope this helps. This was done in Photoshop Elements

Roger

Forgot to add that once you have clicked on the photos you will need to click on the photo that opens up again to view them full size

Uncropped just resized



Cropped

[Tormentil]

Mungo, don't get confused between "cropping" and "re-sizing" an image. They are totally different procedures.

"Cropping" a photograph is just like cutting an article from a news paper, you're discarding all the bits you don't want and just keeping the bit you want. The resolution of the cropped image is exactly the same as that of the original image.

"Resizing" is changing the relative size of an image, making the image smaller or larger, changing its resolution, but keeping all the image areas in tact.

[Mungo]

Yes, I think I have been getting confused with cropping and re sizing.

Thanks everyone for your replies and Lancashire Lad I have bookmarked those sites - cheers

Ollie, thanks for the explanation, it make more sense now - cheers

I'm sure I will have more questions once I have had a play with what Elements and what it can do

[ron1863]

This is a good site for beginners to Photoshop Elements:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 In Pictures

[Mungo]

Excellent - an Idiot proof step by step guide - Thanks Ron