Image Cropper

Features

• Numeric crop region for exact control
• Seven aspect ratio presets
• Live overlay showing the crop region on the source
• Centre and maximise helpers
• PNG, JPEG and WebP output

How to use it

1. Drop in an image.
2. Pick an aspect ratio, or leave it freeform.
3. Set the crop position and size, or press Maximise.
4. Download the cropped result.

Cropping, composition and the ratios that matter

Cropping is lossless in the sense that it discards pixels rather than degrading the ones it keeps, but those pixels are gone. Always crop from the original rather than from a previous crop, and keep the original file, because you cannot uncrop.

The ratio presets exist because platforms enforce them. Instagram displays square and 4:5; stories and Reels are 9:16; YouTube thumbnails and most video are 16:9; link previews on Facebook, LinkedIn and Slack all crop toward 1.91:1, which is why 1200×630 is the standard Open Graph size. Uploading the wrong ratio means the platform crops it for you, usually badly and usually from the centre.

One compositional rule survives most scrutiny: leave headroom but not too much. The rule of thirds, placing the subject a third of the way across the frame rather than dead centre, is a useful default rather than a law, and centred composition works well for symmetry and portraits. What consistently looks wrong is cropping through a joint in a person's body: crop mid-thigh or mid-forearm rather than exactly at the knee, ankle or wrist.