Design Tools3 min read7 steps

How to Crop an Image Online for Free

Cropping removes parts of an image you do not want and re-focuses the viewer on the subject. Whether you need a square crop for Instagram, a 16:9 crop for a YouTube thumbnail area, or a custom pixel crop for a website header, Camisual handles it with a built-in crop tool inside the Image Editor.

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Step-by-step: Crop an image in Camisual

  1. 1

    Upload your image

    Sign in at camisual.com, click "New Design", then click "Add" and "Upload Image". Your image appears on the canvas.

  2. 2

    Open the Image Editor

    Click the image on the canvas to select it, then click "Edit Image" in the left Images section.

  3. 3

    Click the Crop tab

    In the Image Editor toolbar at the top, click "Crop". The image enters crop mode with drag handles on the edges and corners.

  4. 4

    Drag the crop handles

    Drag any corner or edge handle to define the crop area. The area outside the crop is shown with a dark overlay so you can see what will be kept and what will be removed.

  5. 5

    Use a preset ratio (optional)

    In the Crop panel, look for ratio preset buttons: Free, 1:1 (square), 16:9, 4:3, and custom. Click a preset to constrain the crop handles to that ratio. This ensures a perfectly proportioned crop without measuring by hand.

  6. 6

    Apply the crop

    When the crop area is set, click "Apply" in the Crop panel. The image is cropped and updated on the canvas.

  7. 7

    Export the cropped image

    Click "File" then "Export". Choose PNG or JPG and download your cropped image.

Cropping vs resizing the canvas

Cropping the image removes pixels from the image layer itself. Resizing the canvas changes the output document size. For most use cases (cropping a photo to remove background elements), crop the image. For changing the dimensions of the whole design, use Canvas Size instead.

Tip

If you want a square crop for Instagram, use the 1:1 ratio preset in the Crop panel. Drag your crop box over the most interesting part of the image and apply. The result will be exactly square.

Ready to try it yourself?

Everything in this tutorial is available on Camisual's free plan. Open the editor and follow along right now.