Marque tool
 

Another question for CS users. The Marque tool for cropping a picture, is there an option so you can see what size the marque tool is making while you are using it. In most other programs it gives dimension as you size the box so at least you can see how big the box is going to end up.

Yep, you need to have the 'info' palette open via windows-info
Then click on the tiny arrow in the top right corner of the palette to get palette options. Change mouse coordinates to pixels (presuming you want pixels) and that'll tell you what size the final crop will be.

cheers,
Andy

I use marque tool in a fixed aspect ratio, click marque tool then on tool/info bar below main tool bar drop fixed aspect and enter 6 x 4 and volia, marque/crop tool opens as 6 x 4. To change pixel dimensions use resize tool off image on main tool bar.

Thanks Andy & Stephen I have found it, I have never looked at the toolbar at the top, I only ever seem to use the dropdown menus so forgot about them.:)

I only found the constantly updated dimension display quite recently, I usually just use pre-made tool presets for 3:2, 2:3, 4:3, 3:4 format crops.

Sorry to appear pedantic but as a point of information, the Marquee tool is not for cropping, the Crop tool is for that. :)

:confused: I thought they were one and the same didn't realise there was a different tool. Just shows you how much I know about CS.

I must admit that I've always used the marquee tool as a crop tool - I think I 'found' it before the crop tool and just kept using it as such!

The marquee tool means you must go to Image, Crop. The top tool bar is not available so you can input sizes, you cannot double click to crop, and the area to be cropped off is not shaded or adjustable. Use Ctrl C not Ctrl M to select it in the tool box

Image-crop takes about a quarter of a second longer than going straight to the 'tick' in crop tool and sometimes the shaded area of the crop hides a little detail that you may have wanted in the shot, though you can, of course, adjust the opacity of the shaded area.

The one area that is much slower in marquee is when you crop to a certain size for making a print - you can't set a pre-determined size. You set one dimension and then crop off the other until you get the right size - it does, however make you look very closely at what you crop out (ie whether you shave a bit off the top or the bottom) and this sort of makes you consider the overall composition very carefully.

I've found that by setting a certain size in crop tool it's very easy to become lazy and just draw around the main subject and leave it at that - OK, I was telling a bit of an untruth when I said that I always use the marquee tool!

Whatever the upsides you percieve for using the marquee tool to crop, it is in my opinion indefensable compared with using the Crop tool. Its almost as bad as using the Brightness/Contrast command to lighten or darken a photo :D

...or mis-spelling preceive of indefensible :)

Photoshop's wonderful for offering different ways of doing the same thing, isn't it!

Yes Adey it is but it is one long learning curve to get to grips with all the functions. I find it can be to easy to forget some of the simple things.

LOL yes but I definately meant perceive :D

I left it in deliberately (though I typed it wrongly to start with!) and slipped-in a little 'of' instead of 'or' -just to see if anyone was paying attention:)

definately??

A case of 'you can't fool me I've been to colage' :D

Anyway, to get back on-thread, I promise to use the crop tool more in future!

One point to bear in mind, if you set a size for the crop, 6"x4" or 7"x5" say, be aware that if you also fill in a figure in the pixels/inch box it will 're-sample' the picture to fit, which means it will 'interpolate' the resolution - not good for a final 'save' of the image.

This may be fair comment, however the function is really for print sizing surely, not for saving the final image. If you need an exact size at 300ppi for example this is an easy way to do it.