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Crop and straighten photographs

Start with an imported photograph that needs tighter framing or a level horizon. Use the Cropping panel to choose the composition and angle, then export a separate JPEG without overwriting the source photograph.

Choose 1:1 in the aspect-ratio menu to make a square crop. English interface · No audio.

Create a project and import the photographs you want to work on.

Decide where the photograph will be used before choosing its shape. A square frame may suit one destination, while another may need more space around the subject. Keep important details away from any edge that will be removed.

  1. In the photo grid, select a photograph, then open it in the large photograph view.
  2. Select the crop icon on the right toolbar. The Cropping panel opens.
  3. Under Aspect ratio, choose the ratio required for the photograph’s destination. Select 1:1 for a square frame.
  4. Use the rule-of-thirds grid to place the subject. The area outside the crop is dimmed; keep the subject and any details you want inside the bright frame.
A portrait in the Cropping panel with a square 1:1 frame and crop grid.
The 1:1 aspect ratio creates a square frame; inspect the subject and edges inside the bright area. Arams 1.10.2 · Windows · American English
  1. In Angle, enter a small value and compare a strong horizontal or vertical line with the grid.
  2. Adjust the value until the line looks level. Change the sign if the photograph moves in the wrong direction.
  3. Check the subject and all four edges. If the rotation reveals empty areas or removes wanted content, reduce the angle or revise the framing.
A square portrait crop with Angle set to -12.0 and the photograph visibly tilted.
At Angle -12.0, the photograph tilts visibly inside the square frame; inspect the subject and edges again. Arams 1.10.2 · Windows · American English

The screenshot uses -12.0 to make the rotation easy to see. Use the smallest correction that levels your photograph while keeping the composition you want.

Export a copy without replacing the original

Section titled “Export a copy without replacing the original”
  1. Return to the gallery and select the photograph.
  2. Export a full-size JPEG copy. Keep any retouching and color corrections that you want in the finished photograph enabled; do not turn them off to match the screenshots in this chapter.
  3. Choose a new subfolder or add a suffix under Add to the Name, leave Resize to fit off, and start the export.
  4. Open Export and Render History. The export is complete when it shows COMPLETED.

This check is optional for a working copy. Before delivering the photograph, open a representative exported JPEG in an image viewer and check its framing, orientation, and details near the edges.

The photograph should have the shape required for its destination without cutting through the subject or removing details you need. Lines that should be level should look level. If you exported a delivery copy, use the file itself—not only its COMPLETED status—to judge the final framing.

Skip this section when you want to keep the crop. If you change your mind, select the circular reset icon beside Angle; its tooltip is Reset. This clears both adjustments: Aspect ratio returns to Free and Angle returns to 0.0.

The Cropping panel after reset, with Aspect ratio set to Free, Angle at 0.0, and the original landscape framing restored.
Reset returns Aspect ratio to Free and Angle to 0.0, restoring the original landscape framing. Arams 1.10.2 · Windows · American English
  • No crop control is available: make sure the photograph is open in the large photograph view. Zooming the preview does not crop the photograph.
  • The ratio changes but the frame does not: wait for the photograph to finish loading, then select 1:1 again.
  • The rotation creates empty areas or cuts into the subject: reduce the Angle value or select Reset and try a different crop.
  • The exported dimensions are unexpected: check whether Resize to fit was on. Export to a new file while you troubleshoot so the original remains safe.
  • The export does not complete: check the task status and error in Export and Render History. Do not use an incomplete file.