Crop Image

How to Crop an Image Online

1. Choose Your Files: Drag and drop images onto the page or click "Choose photos" — up to 50 at once. The first photo opens in the editor and the rest line up as thumbnails below it; with two or more photos open, "Add more" adds files to the same batch.
2. Set the Crop: In Crop, pick an "Aspect ratio" ("Free", "Original", 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and more) or a platform size, then drag the box on the photo or type its width and height under "Crop area". "Shape" switches between "Rectangle" and "Circle (avatar)". The crop applies to every photo in the batch.
3. Pick the Output Format (Optional): "Save as" keeps "Same as original" or saves as JPG, PNG, WebP or another format. For JPG, WebP and AVIF output, the "Quality" slider (40–100) trades file size against detail. Resize, Crop, Rotate and Flip all work in the same session, and "Undo" steps back.
4. Download: Click the Download button, which names the output format (for example "Download PNG"), for one photo, or "Download all (.zip)" for a batch — "Download one by one" saves the files separately. The editor opens images right in your browser whenever your browser can decode them, so those files are not uploaded. A file it can't decode is either processed on our servers and deleted automatically afterward — the editor says so before you download — or skipped with a note. No sign-up, no watermark.

Why Crop an Image?

Cropping discards pixels outside a rectangle and keeps the framed slice. Unlike resize, it doesn't stretch or distort — the subject stays the same pixel scale, just with less around it. Unlike compress, cropping changes the composition rather than the file's bit budget. Common reasons people crop:

• Hit a platform's exact aspect ratio — Instagram feed is 1:1 (1080×1080), Stories and Reels are 9:16 (1080×1920), YouTube thumbnails are 16:9 (1280×720 minimum), and LinkedIn covers are roughly 4:1 (1584×396). Uploading at the wrong ratio means the platform auto-crops, often badly.
• Prepare an ID, visa, or passport photo — The US Department of State requires DS-160 digital photos to be square (600×600 minimum, 1200×1200 maximum), JPEG, sRGB, ≤240 KB, with a compression ratio ≤20:1; cropping a phone snap to a centred 1:1 box is the fastest way to hit the framing (the 240 KB cap is a job for the separate Image Compressor).
• Standardise product or catalogue shots — Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, and eBay all benefit from a consistent 1:1 or 4:5 frame across a listing; cropping each photo to the same rectangle keeps thumbnail grids visually clean.
• Reframe a phone or DSLR photo — Cameras shoot 3:2 or 4:3 by default, but Stories want 9:16 and avatars want 1:1; cropping is how you re-target a 4000×3000 sensor capture for any destination.
• Trim scanner borders or stray edges — Phone-scan apps and flatbed scanners often leave black bezels, fingertips, or backdrop edges; a quick crop removes them without touching the document area.
• Lift a banner or thumbnail out of a wider photo — A 16:9 strip can be cut from a 4:3 vacation shot to make a Twitter/X header (1500×500) or LinkedIn cover (1584×396) without reshooting.

If you need to change the size at the same framing, Image Resizer is the right tool; if framing is already correct but the file is too large for an upload cap, run the cropped output through Image Compressor. For format-specific behaviour, see Crop JPG (re-encode, no transparency), Crop PNG (preserves alpha), Crop WebP, Crop AVIF, Crop HEIC, Crop TIFF, or Crop GIF.

Aspect Ratio Cheat Sheet — Common Platforms and Use Cases

Pixel values below are each platform's documented recommended size; enter any of them as exact Width × Height, or pick the preset ratio and resize afterwards.

Supported Input Formats and What Happens to Each

Crop vs Resize vs Rotate vs Compress — Which Edit Do You Need?

Need rotation? Try Rotate Image for 90°/180°/270° and free-angle. Need a mirror? Use Flip Image. To combine several cropped images into a single PDF for printing or email, Image to PDF merges any number of pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set exact pixel dimensions, or only aspect ratios?

Both. Type a precise Width and Height in pixels for output that matches a spec exactly — useful when the destination requires a fixed size (DS-160 visa photos at 600×600, YouTube thumbnails at 1280×720, LinkedIn at 640×640, Instagram at 1080×1080) — or pick a ratio preset, and either way drag the crop box into position on the canvas; there's no separate X/Y position field, so placement is always by dragging, while the Width/Height numbers update live and stay editable so you can fine-tune the exact size before you download. Free mode lets you ignore ratios entirely and select any rectangle.

Does cropping reduce image quality?

Cropping itself just discards pixels outside the selected rectangle, so the kept area starts at the original pixel quality. What changes that is the re-encode at save time: PNG and TIFF are saved losslessly, so the cropped pixels match the source (16-bit and wide-gamut sources become 8-bit sRGB); WebP and AVIF are always saved lossy, even at "Quality" 100, and HEIC/HEIF is saved as JPG. JPG always re-encodes when saved — at the "Quality" slider's setting, where a high value makes a single crop show no visible loss, but repeatedly cropping and re-saving the same JPG dozens of times will gradually accumulate JPG noise around hard edges.

How do I crop an image into a circle for a profile picture?

Under "Shape", pick "Circle (avatar)" and place the circle over the subject. Image files are rectangular pixel grids, so the result is saved as a square with transparent corners; that needs a format with an alpha channel (PNG, WebP, AVIF, TIFF), and "Save as" switches to PNG if the chosen format has none. In practice most platforms (LinkedIn, Slack, GitHub, Discord, X, Facebook) automatically apply a circular mask to square avatars, so a centred 1:1 crop also displays as a circle on the site.

What's the difference between cropping and resizing — can't I just resize to the same dimensions?

Resizing keeps the entire image and scales every pixel; resizing a 4000×3000 photo to 1080×1080 stretches the composition into a square, distorting faces and objects. Cropping keeps the original pixel scale but trims the framing — your subject stays the same shape and size in the final file. The typical sequence is crop first to fix aspect ratio, then resize if the cropped pixel count still doesn't match the destination spec.

Can I crop multiple images to the same dimensions at once?

Yes — drop up to 50 images at once (a mixed batch works too). The crop region (or aspect-ratio preset) you set applies to every file in the batch; "Download all (.zip)" saves every cropped result in one ZIP, or use "Download one by one" to save them separately.

Is transparency preserved when I crop a PNG, WebP, or HEIC?

Yes for PNG and WebP. PNG, WebP, AVIF and TIFF output keep transparent and partially transparent pixels (alpha channel) — the area outside the new rectangle is removed, but the pixels inside keep their alpha values. GIF keeps only on/off transparency, so soft edges become hard-edged. A HEIC is saved as JPG, and JPG and BMP cannot store transparency, so transparent areas become solid white (for JPG the editor offers a "Keep PNG" button). Stay in PNG (or convert with Image Format Converter) when you need transparency for logos, icons, or product cut-outs.

Does cropping preserve EXIF data — camera model, date, GPS?

EXIF tags (camera model, lens, ISO, shutter speed, date taken, and GPS coordinates if your camera embedded them) are copied to the cropped output when it is saved as JPG — including a HEIC saved as JPG. Other output formats (PNG, WebP, TIFF and the rest) are written without EXIF. The orientation tag is reset to normal because the pixels are turned upright. So a cropped JPG still carries its GPS location; to drop it, save as PNG or WebP instead.

Why is my output file size larger (or smaller) than expected?

Cropping removes pixels, so raw image data shrinks proportionally — a 4000×3000 photo cropped to 1080×1080 keeps about 9% of the pixels. But the final file size also depends on the format's compression and the content of the kept region. A crop full of detailed texture (foliage, fabric, fur) compresses less efficiently than a crop of smooth sky or solid background, so two same-pixel crops can produce different-sized files. Lossless formats (PNG, TIFF) scale roughly with pixel count and content complexity; lossy formats (JPG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC) also depend on the quality setting. To force a specific output size, follow the crop with Image Compressor and set a target file size in KB or MB.

Where are my cropped files processed?

The editor opens images right in your browser whenever your browser can decode them, so those files are not uploaded. A file it can't decode is either processed on our servers and deleted automatically afterward — the editor says so before you download — or skipped with a note. No account required, and no watermark applied to outputs. Very large images are bounded by how much memory your browser tab can hold.