What aspect ratio do you crop to??

[Flew]

Much has been written about the innate symmetry of the 3:2 aspect ratio that is used by both 35mm and most DSLR's. I usually try to maintain that ratio when I crop, in either the landscape or portrait modes.

From time to time, I have a shot where 3:2 doesn't work for me, and I feel like I'm breaking some magic rule. Does anyone else worry about this or am I just obsessing? What ratios do you normally use on cropped shots?

Thanks,

Frank

 

[Steve S]

I almost always crop to 4:3

or something close to that. Unless it's a landscape or something that could benefit from the full frame. Ya right, like I ever did a decent landscape! :roll: Portrait orientation shots are just too tall @3:2, so if I think about it, I'll always leave some room to chop some off the top .

 

[Gale]

Flew,

Yes I think about it, but don't have a clue.

Hope someone will or many and give an idea of what crop should be used.

Cheers
Gale

 

[greyflash]

I really have to think when doing portraits in order to leave enough room for a 3:2 crop. Most of the time I don't leave enough. I may start leaving my grid lines on and determine which line is a 3:2 crop line. Other than that I just crop for the most pleasing look on the web.

 

[NeilCam]

Depends whether I'm printing or they're just going on the web. If the latter, and that's where far and away most of my stuff goes, then I crop to whatever looks the best (and allows me to chop off the mistakes).

Neil

 

[Chris101]

Depending on the image, I usually try for 2X3 or square.

 

[Uncle Frank]

Interesting topic. I prefer squarer crops, maybe because I had a torrid affair with a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 model 30 years ago :lol:. As a result, 4x6s look like panos to me. But, of course, there's no need for a standard crop for web presentation...

However, since I harbor the vain hope that someone may want to buy a print, I've fallen into the habit of composing and cropping everything for a 5x7 apect ratio... because of framing considerations. It's easy to square up a 5x7 if I need to make an 8x10 or 11x14 print. And the only time I ever print 4x6s is when I need to provide proofs to clients... and those aren't for framing.

 

[joecolson]

I usually corp to 3x2. I find that as I see more photographs and watch HDTV, the 4x3 ratio just doesn't do it for me. With that said, I have several different crop ratios as presets in PS CS that I use to see what looks best.

 

[Ron Reznick]

Season to taste

There are several schools of thought with regards to aspect ratio. Consider the fact that people have been creating paintings for much longer than photographs, and that aspect ratios of canvases are selected with consideration for the subject material, without and rather than any consideration for any pre-established standard. Also, consider that this thought has been applied and refined over hundreds and hundreds of years... I'd say that examining paintings by masterful artists is a good way to get a feel for both composition and aspect ratio of "canvas".

There is another thing to consider. There are several (both technical and aesthetic) reasons for working with what have been called the "Golden Ratios" in some situations. Remember that these were originally developed to yield a room dimension that was both aesthetically beautiful as well as yielding the best acoustics for a rectangular room, but the principles have been applied to a lot of 2D uses.

0.8 : 1.0 : 1.25
0.62 : 1.0 : 1.62

Notice something interesting. Consider the first two ratio set above (0.8:1.0 or 1.0:1.25). Sound like a standard print size to you? (either yields 8x10: when setting 8 equal to 1.0, 1.25 = 10).

The other ratio-set yields sizes slightly different than the 2:3 that we have been used to with 35mm and digital SLRs (e.g. with 8 set as 1.0, 0.62 yields 5 (5x8), and 1.62 yields 13 (8x13).

When cropping, I consider the composition.

Ron

 

[Larry Gleason]

Welcome aboard, Ron! Really glad to see you here. As to your bottom line, I crop to the composition too. The art gallery I work for prefers it since they are also a custom framing business. It precludes unframed standard sizes from being framed using a cheap standard frame purchased in a local discount store.

 

[Flew]

Ron,

Welcome to the Cafe.... :wink:

For the longest time, I have stuck to the 3:2 ratio, primarily because you made such a strong impression on me in your presentations.... 8)

Recently I have tried cropping more to the composition, but was just wondering what other good photog's were using. I have found that the 8x10 ratio is a pleasing ratio.

Regards,

Frank

 

[Larry Gleason]

Frank-

8X10 for sure but I have found that working the 12-24 or 14mm, 8X12 (natural to the D1X) has a pleasing look. It really makes wide angle shots shine! Also works for many shots in the higher mm range. I believe that I read once that rectangle shots are more comfortable to the eyes than square shots although there are times when a square may enhance an effect of composition.

 

[daodang]

Welcome aboard Ron. Glad knowing you joined NikonCafe fine forum.

My cropping depends mainly on composition.

When I want to print, I try to crop to the 1.25 ratio since I print 8x10s most of the time. Otherwise, I often find myself using 4:3 and 16:11 ratios (for landscapes). I think TV and films get too much hold on me

 

[Locton]

Much has been written about the innate symmetry of the 3:2 aspect ratio that is used by both 35mm and most DSLR's. I usually try to maintain that ratio when I crop, in either the landscape or portrait modes.

From time to time, I have a shot where 3:2 doesn't work for me, and I feel like I'm breaking some magic rule. Does anyone else worry about this or am I just obsessing? What ratios do you normally use on cropped shots?

Thanks,

Frank

For me it is different with every photo and it is what looks best with each one, what you want to loose and how much of the main subject you want and how much of the background you don't. So too sum up, I do not work to any ratio as in my opinion I do not think it matters.

 

[FredAzinger]

Lots of different aspects:
- If for "regular" prints the native 3:2 often works.
- for 8x10 then you need to crop to 4:5
- for phones or TV output you need to crop to 16:9
- for my digital picture frame that needs 16:10
- for canvas prints I crop to all sorts of ratio's based on subject and stretcher-bar available lengths.
- for emailing photos, I'll crop randomly to get the best presentation.

No one-size-fits-all when it comes to cropping.

 

[Butlerkid]

I crop to strengthen/complement the image. Period. I have no set aspect ratios, but will use a "standard" one if does what I want. Otherwise, I have no problem creating a custom crop.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Amazing that this thread, which was last used in 2005, has been revived. Sadly, at least two of the contributors to the thread have died.

 

[Clix Pix]

I really wish that people would pay attention to the date a thread was started and the dates of responses, especially the last one, before then posting in a thread.

 

[Locton]

Does it really matter when it was originally posted as I am sure there will always be someone who has the same question whether it be about cropping or something entirely different. Probably in a couple of years or so the same question will raise its head again, either on this forum or somewhere else.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Does it really matter when it was originally posted

It matters with the topics of some threads but not this one. My previous post about the old age of the thread was only a matter of interest, not discouragement of any kind.