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Aspect Ratios and Picture Cropping Problems

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You have just had some amazing pictures taken and you want to display them in various places.  It could be a wedding, portrait, landscape, or something of many different kinds of photography.  The point is that you want to display them proudly and properly too.  Standard picture mat and frame sizes with standard aspect ratios are generally cheaper than something custom.  This is the path of matting and framing for most consumers.

There is one potential problem with resizing photographs, and many other kinds of art; it often requires cropping.  The picture can still look just fine and presentable or there can be some serious problems with the image after cropping.  So, what can you do to prevent someone’s head or arm from being chopped off?  The answer is to look into aspect ratios.

What is Aspect Ratio?

A simple internet search of any dictionary website for the term will yield a basic definition of the proportion between the width and height of a picture.  You’ll often see it expressed as two numbers sandwiched by a colon such as 16:9.  The format is width followed by height.  However, some variations just place the smaller number in the first slot no matter what orientation that results in.  Proportions are fractions, should we remember our grade school math correctly.  So, now we have math involved.  This can’t be fun, right?  Never thought that something like that would be important in the world of photography?  You wouldn’t be the only person to think this.

Graphic of aspect ratios and how they're calculated by Cramer Imaging

Common Aspect Ratios

Now that you know what an aspect ratio is, you’re probably wondering what some common versions are.  Wonder no longer.  I’ve got a list for you.

  • 3:2 (most common)
  • 4:3
  • 16:9 (widescreen)
  • 1:1 (square)
  • 4:5
  • 5:7
Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of a blooming field full of large sunflowers in golden hour
Most photography utilizes 3:2.

Please keep in mind that there are plenty of other less common ratios out there.  People often use the less common ones for more niche applications.

Why Should I Care About Aspect Ratios?

Have you ever ordered a package of photos from a photographer or even a 1 hour print lab and seen that the 8x10s are shorter and fatter than the 4x6s?  Have you noticed that some of the top, bottom, or both are missing from the 8×10 and not the 4×6?  Ever wonder why that is?  I have.  There are portions of the photograph removed from the 8×10 because that aspect ratio doesn’t allow room for all the picture in the 4×6.  Some of the image has been cropped out so that the picture will look right and still fit on the dimensions of the paper it’s printed on.  A professional photographer works hard to make sure that the final printed product will still look right in a different aspect ratio.  Sometimes, this is just not possible to do.

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of the sun peeking around the Thor's Hammer hoodoo in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Original
Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of the sun peeking around the Thor's Hammer hoodoo in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Square crop works here.

Why would a professional photographer have problems cropping a picture?  It has to do with the photograph itself and what is being depicted.  Sometimes a picture will work out very well when cropped and sometimes it won’t.  Why is this?  It is a simple matter of answering the question of what the subject matter is and whether or not it will be marred when cropped.  If it will be altered in such a way as to yield an undesirable result, then the aspect ratio is an important part of the picture to consider when trying to frame it for display.

Cramer Imaging's professional quality landscape nature photograph of the Teton River Dam canyon in mist near Driggs, Idaho
Original
Cramer Imaging's professional quality landscape nature photograph of the Teton River Dam canyon in mist near Driggs, Idaho
Not every photo crops well.

When it is important, the specific dimensions of the image are important to have because this will help in the math of deciding what would be the best final presentation size for the picture.  If no important elements of the picture are cut out during a crop, then there is no need to worry about aspect ratios in creating a presentation-worthy photograph.  Even consumer-generated photos are not immune from issues with aspect ratios and cropping.  Ever try to blow up, print, and frame one of your own pictures?  The same rules apply.

What Should I Look For?

The most obvious answer to this is if a crop job cuts off a head or an arm.  I haven’t seen very many photos with missing heads that look at all any good.  Also, you want to see if whole people get removed from something like a group portrait; also a highly undesirable result.  Will someone’s face be covered by a mat or frame due to the crop?  That is another thing to consider.  Mats and frames have a small margin of overlap across the picture which can inadvertently cover up a part of something important even though it was not removed with the crop.

Cramer Imaging's professionally photographed portrait of a family holding hands on a bridge with fall leaves in Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho
Original
Cramer Imaging's professionally photographed portrait of a family holding hands on a bridge with fall leaves in Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho
8×10 Crop chops off arms making the crop unsuccessful.

“That’s all well and good but my photo in question is not a portrait.  There are no people in it.  What do I look for when there are no people in the picture?”  That is a good question.  If you are handling a picture of an object, then you do not want to remove any part of the object.  A chair would not look right with part of the back removed and a grand piano shot wouldn’t look right without all the legs showing.  Don’t crop those elements out.  There are some things which are expected to be seen and the image looks wrong when they are cut out.

Photograph of Cramer Imaging's Palisades in a living room setting with a piano
Original
Photograph of Cramer Imaging's Palisades in a living room setting with a piano
Observe how strange the piano looks cropped this way.

Landscapes are more difficult to define.  Due to the fact that there is a photograph in front of you already implies that a photographer felt this was an appropriate place to crop out the rest of nature.  So, what do you do when cropping a landscape photo?  The answer is to try and cut out the parts which don’t matter so much.  If you are holding a picture showing a lot of sky and clouds, then the ground is less important and can suffer some removal without too much obvious damage and vice versa.  Try and make the final image look as unaltered as possible.

Cramer Imaging's professional quality landscape photograph of Upper Mesa Falls on the Snake River near Harriman State Park, Idaho
Original
Cramer Imaging's professional quality landscape photograph of Upper Mesa Falls on the Snake River near Harriman State Park, Idaho
8×10 Crop Sort-of Works.
The Picture Loses Some of the Grandeur But Can Still Work.

I Don’t Want to Crop.  It Doesn’t Look Right.  What Do I Do?

If cropping is not working for you or the picture you want to show, then the simple thing to do is to find out what dimensions the picture has and keep the same aspect ratio when sizing up.  This begs the question of “what are some common photo sizes in common aspect ratios?”

Photograph of a framed and matted version of Cramer Imaging's "Sun Dance" photo at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Common Image/Picture/Photograph sizes

Thankfully, the photography and art market provide us with answers to this question.  You’ll find several common sizes of photos available.  Please keep in mind that these measurements are all in inches.  Convert to centimeters if you use the metric system.

  • 2×3 (wallet)
  • 4×6
  • 5×7
  • 8×10
  • 11×14
  • 12×18
  • 16×20
  • 20×30

The aspect ratio of 3:2 translates into a 4×6 picture perfectly.  Most digital cameras shoot at this aspect ratio.  If you don’t want to crop, then a multiple of 4×6 is what you want to find.  A 12×18 or 20×30 inch size will allow you to magnify the size of the photograph without having to crop.

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of dawn rising over magical fog the landscape of Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Original image
Photograph of a framed and matted version of Cramer Imaging's "Beyond the Wardrobe" photo at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
12×18 print.  No cropping required.

Sometimes you will find a picture which doesn’t meet the common aspect ratios and will not fit into a standard sized frame.  Panoramas are good examples of this kind of problem.  Sadly, you must order a custom job to mat and frame these non-standard sized images.  You could use alternative display methods, such as mounting, as well.

Cramer Imaging's professional quality landscape panorama photograph of the sky and moon reflecting in Henry's Lake at dawn with blue and golden hours

Conclusion

Aspect ratios are something which governs the appearance of photographs and other works of art.  It consists of the ratio of width to height and is one of the considerations when resizing a picture for printing.  When properly cropped, there is little important difference between one aspect ratio and another.  When poorly cropped, there are visible issues.  Proper attention to the elements contained in a photo will help prevent poor cropping.

When cropping is not a good option, choosing a size with the same aspect ratio will alleviate any problems stemming from cropping.  With simple attention to these points, it will not be difficult to create prints of your own work suitable for display in a mat and frame.

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