Lightroom- how do i crop it to a 4 x 6

In lightroom, I want to make sure that when I am cropping pictures I don't "overcrop" them to the point

that when I get them developed they are being cut off. I tried sizing it to a 4 x 6 but how do I just set

something so that every picture will print out as a 4 x 6.

The quick and dirty way -- Select the shots you want to crop in Grid, and then in the Quick Develop panel on the right, pull down the Crop Ratio list and select 2x3.

 

If you want to be a little more careful about your crops, then you need to do it one shot at a time. Enter the crop mode with the R shortcut, then pull down the "Aspect" list in the Toolbar and choose 2x3. Then adjust the crop rectangle to taste.

 

Yeah, it's weird that's called "Crop Ratio" in one place and "Aspect" in another, and it's weird that both 2x3 and 4x6 are in the list.

With Quick Develop or the Cropping Tool, you can select either 2x3 or 4x6. It is weird that

they used two different names : Crop Ratio and Aspect. What's important to remember is

that you're just setting up the proportions of the framing, not the actual sizing. 4x6 equals

2x3 in proportions, there's no difference at all.

 

I usually select all in Grid and set the proportions to 8.5x11. Then, as I'm working on

particular images, I go into the Crop tool and adjust exactly what crop I want.

 

Godfrey

Sorry I'm confused, I should be setting it to a 2x3 ratio if I want to develop the picture as a 4x6? Is there a way to lock in that ratio so that all the pics will develop as a 4x6 without any cutting off?

in terms of ratios 1:1.5 = 2:3 = 4:6

 

Another way to do what you want;

 

Select the photos, In Library choose export, set up a new folder for that job, and decide on the output color space (Adobe RGB(1998), sRB, Pro Photo) and the bit depth per channel ( if you use Adobe RGB or sRGB choose 8 BPC) and the format you want to output in (TIFF, JPEG, or PSD). if you choose JPEG you are automatically limited to 8 bits per channel.

 

 

Set the resolution to 300 pixels per inch to be safe for most printing processes.

 

To the immediate right of the color Space selection is a "constrain MAximum Size' option. Turn this option on (click on hte box if there isn't a check already there.

 

Set Units to inches and set the Height and Width to 6. This sets the maximum height or width to 6 inches and the shorter dimension will fall where it needs to go. Since virtually all point and shoot and 35mm like DSLRS use a 1:1.5 ratio format the images you output will be sized to 4x6 inches (At 300ppi, 1200x1800 pixels).

screenshot attached<div></div>

<i>virtually all point and shoot and 35mm like DSLRS use a 1:1.5 ratio format </i><P>Virtually all point and shoot digitals have a sensor that is 4:3 native, not 1:1.5. Some, like the Canons, have a cropped mode that does 1:1.5, but many, such as quite a few Nikon models, have 16:9 as a cropped mode, and many users prefer to use the full mode. If you use "constrain maximum size" to a ratio that these don't fit, what do you get?

Obviously I haven't worked with very many point and shoot cameras if that is the case. The ones I have worked with (and none recently) had a 1:1.5 aspect ratio.

<i>If you use "constrain maximum size" to a ratio that these don't fit, what do you get?</i>

<p>

The "constrain" dimensions specify a box that the image must fit within. So if you're starting with a 4x3 image and specify dimensions of 900x600, you'll end up with a 800x600 image.

I use a canon xti, so what happens if I crop something to a wierd dimension but then output it as "constrain maximum size" will there be white borders or something? How does it fit?

Ellis, I'm not sure I understand you - <I>"Select the photos"</I> - are the actions you are describing an automated process or do you need to open each image? In other words do you simply let PS choose the area to crop?

Elizabeth, nothing will be added. Your photos will retain the aspect ratio of your crop. The photo will fit within the constraining box.

 

Or rather than trying to understand what I just said, it might be clearer if you just try it and see for yourself.