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Image Crop

Process images in your browser — your files never leave your device.

Image ToolsFreeRuns in your browser
Interactive image cropRuns in your browser, nothing uploadedFree, no account

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Overview

What is the Image Crop?

This tool crops an image to a rectangle you drag directly on the preview, then exports just that selection as JPG, PNG or WebP. Drag the selection freely, or lock it to a preset ratio — 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 or 3:2 — and the selection box snaps to that shape while you resize it. The output's pixel dimensions come straight from the selection: whatever fraction of the image width and height you select, that's what you get in actual pixels, scaled up from the image's real resolution rather than the size it happens to display on your screen.

Cropping and resizing are different operations, even though both change an image's dimensions. Cropping removes part of the image and keeps the rest at full resolution — nothing is stretched or squeezed. Resizing keeps the whole image but changes its overall pixel count. Use crop when you want to remove unwanted parts of a photo or force it into an exact aspect ratio without distortion; use resize when you want the whole image, just bigger or smaller.

Benefits

Why use a free image crop?

Drag the crop area directly on the image

No coordinates to type in — click and drag on the preview to select exactly the area you want to keep, with the selection rendered live over the photo.

Preset ratios for common formats

1:1 for square social posts, 4:3 and 3:2 for standard photo ratios, 16:9 for widescreen banners and video thumbnails — or free-form for anything else.

Exact pixel dimensions shown before you commit

The selection's real pixel size updates live as you drag, calculated from the image's actual resolution — not an on-screen approximation.

Choose the output format on export

Export the cropped result as JPG, PNG or WebP with an adjustable quality, independent of what format you uploaded.

No pixel data thrown away outside the crop

Whatever is inside the selection stays at full source resolution — cropping never resamples or softens the pixels you keep.

Guide

How do you use the Image Crop?

  1. 1

    Upload your image

    Drag and drop any image file, or click to browse. A default centred selection appears automatically.

  2. 2

    Choose an aspect ratio, or leave it free

    Pick 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 or 3:2 to constrain the crop shape, or use "Free" to drag any rectangle without a fixed ratio.

  3. 3

    Drag the selection on the image

    Move and resize the rectangle directly on the preview. The exact pixel dimensions of your current selection are shown next to it.

  4. 4

    Pick the output format and quality

    Choose JPG, PNG or WebP. PNG has no quality slider since it's lossless; JPG and WebP use a 10–100% slider.

  5. 5

    Crop and download

    Click Crop image, review the result and its file size, then download it.

Formula

How is image crop calculated?

Output width = round(selection width fraction × source width); output height = round(selection height fraction × source height)

Where:

selection width fraction, selection height fraction
The proportion of the image width and height covered by your dragged selection, each between 0 and 1
source width, source height
The uploaded image's real pixel dimensions, independent of how large it displays on screen
output width, output height
The exact pixel dimensions of the cropped file you download

The simple version

The selection rectangle you drag is tracked as a fraction of the image — for example, "starting 10% from the left, covering 40% of the width." When you crop, that fraction is applied to the image's actual pixel dimensions, not to however large the preview happens to look on your screen. Drag a box covering the left half of a 3000px-wide photo, and you get exactly 1500 pixels of width in the output, regardless of your monitor or window size.

Examples

What does it look like in practice?

Cropping a portrait to a square avatar

Input

4000×3000 photo, 1:1 preset selected, positioned over the subject's face

Result

2250×2250 (the largest square that fits the selection area)

The 1:1 preset locks the selection to a perfect square while you drag it; the exact pixel size depends on how large you make the box, not just the preset ratio.

Cropping a wide photo to 16:9 for a video thumbnail

Input

3024×4032 portrait-orientation photo, 16:9 preset selected

Result

3024×1701

The 16:9 preset constrains the selection's shape; since the source is taller than it is wide, the widest 16:9 box that fits uses the full width and a proportional height.

Free-form crop to remove a distracting edge

Input

1920×1080 screenshot, free-form selection removing a 200px sidebar from the left

Result

1720×1080

Free mode has no ratio constraint — the output dimensions are exactly whatever rectangle you drag, rounded to the nearest pixel.

Accuracy

How accurate is it?

Crop coordinates are tracked as fractions of the image and converted to exact pixels against the source's real resolution when you crop — not against the size of the preview shown on screen. The tool draws only the selected pixel region onto a new canvas at that exact size, so no resampling happens to the pixels you keep.

  • The dimensions shown next to your selection while dragging are the real output pixel dimensions, calculated live — what you see is what you get.
  • Exporting as JPEG flattens any transparency in the cropped region onto solid white, since JPEG has no alpha channel — this applies even if your source was a PNG or WebP with transparency.
  • The minimum crop size is 2×2 pixels; the tool will not let you export an unusably tiny selection.
  • Cropping does not resample or soften the pixels inside the selection — the only quality loss comes from whichever lossy format (JPG or WebP) you choose on export, controlled by the quality slider.
Details

What should you know before using it?

Available aspect ratio presets and typical uses:

PresetCommon use
FreeNo ratio constraint — drag any rectangle. Best for removing an unwanted edge or object.
1:1Square — profile photos, Instagram posts, app icons.
4:3Standard photo and older monitor ratio — presentations, printed photos.
16:9Widescreen — video thumbnails, banner images, presentation slides.
3:2Classic 35mm camera ratio — common for DSLR and mirrorless photo exports.
Applications

When should you use a image crop?

Because the image crop runs entirely in your browser, it suits work you would not want to hand to a third-party server — client files, unpublished drafts, anything under an NDA. These are the situations people reach for it in most often.

Social media and profile photos

Platforms with square or fixed-ratio avatar requirements need a specific crop, not a stretched resize — the 1:1 preset here handles that directly.

Removing unwanted elements from a photo

A distracting object at the edge of a frame, a visible sidebar in a screenshot, or excess background around a subject — free-form cropping removes exactly the area you don't want.

Creating consistent thumbnails

Cropping a batch of photos to the same 16:9 or 4:3 ratio before use in a gallery or video keeps the visual layout consistent across all of them.

Preparing images for a fixed layout slot

A hero banner or card image with a fixed aspect ratio needs the subject framed correctly, not stretched — crop to that ratio first, then resize to the exact pixel dimensions needed.

Open the Preparing images for a fixed layout slot
FAQs

Frequently asked questions

How do I crop an image to a specific pixel size?
Drag the selection roughly to the area you want, checking the live pixel dimensions shown next to it, then fine-tune the edges until it reads the size you need. If you need exact pixels rather than an approximate drag, crop close and then use the Image Resizer afterward to hit the precise dimensions.
What is the difference between cropping and resizing an image?
Cropping removes part of the image and keeps the rest at its original resolution — nothing inside the selection is stretched or squeezed. Resizing keeps the entire image but changes its overall pixel dimensions, which can distort the image if the aspect ratio changes. Crop to remove unwanted area; resize to change overall size.
Can I crop an image to a square?
Yes — select the 1:1 preset before dragging your selection. It locks the crop box to a perfect square while you position and resize it over the part of the image you want to keep.
Does cropping reduce image quality?
No, cropping itself doesn't resample or soften the pixels you keep — it simply selects a rectangular region at full source resolution. Any quality loss comes only from the export format you choose: JPG and WebP apply lossy compression at your chosen quality, while PNG stays lossless.
What happens to transparency when I crop and export as JPG?
It gets filled with solid white, since JPEG has no alpha channel. If your source has a transparent background and you need to keep it, export the crop as PNG or WebP instead.
Can I crop to a widescreen 16:9 ratio for a video thumbnail?
Yes — select the 16:9 preset before dragging your crop area. The selection box will constrain itself to that ratio as you resize it, so the exported image is exactly 16:9 regardless of the source photo's original orientation.
Is my photo uploaded to a server when I crop it?
No. Cropping happens entirely in your browser using the Canvas API — the image is never sent anywhere.
Security

Is the image crop safe to use?

This tool runs entirely inside your browser. Your text, files and settings are processed on your own device and are never uploaded to our servers — there is nothing for us to store, log or leak. You can confirm it yourself: open your browser DevTools, switch to the Network tab, and use the tool. You will not see an upload request. It also means the tool keeps working if your connection drops mid-task.

No account required No file storage HTTPS everywhere
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