Now that you have the photo software that’s right for you, it’s time to learn how to use it to make ordinary photos into amazing images.

Most people are not thinking about the end result when they take a picture. They are rushed, distracted or just more focused on the subject than the composition. But today it is easier than ever to make a few adjustments by smart cropping and create a picture you are proud of.

Cropping simply means cutting out unnecessary imagery out of a picture by trimming the edges. You may be able to do this right on your camera, even before you print. If so it may be easier for you to do it right there, however when you are working on the computer the image will be bigger so you may see things you want to crop that you can’t just looking at the LCD screen on your camera.

Cropping a photo is fairly easy. The first thing you need to do is determine what part of the photo you want to keep. In most programs you will place the crop tool where you want one corner of our photo to begin. Then you select the area that will become your new picture by clicking and dragging the cursor. The area to be trimmed will either become lighter of darker than the rest of the image. You will be able to crop either to specific size set by the program or you’ll be allowed to set a random size that you choose. When you’re happy with the new image you will tell the program to complete the cropping process.

As a safety precaution always save a copy of your image before you experiment with cropping. If you save over the original you may never be able to get it back.

What can cropping do for your photos?

Place more emphasis on part of the image you want to be the most important

Get rid of distracting elements of a photo and make the subject of the photo more clear
 

Make a horizontal image vertical

Create a more pleasing composition by putting the subject in more interesting off-center positioning

Make images of differing sizes the same size or shape

Coming next, sharing your travel nursing photos.