pixelHow to crop an image to an exact aspect ratio
Reviewed · PixelDesk practical documentation
To crop an image to a square, 16:9 landscape or portrait shape, choose an aspect-ratio preset in the crop tool. PixelDesk creates a centered rectangle that fits inside the source. Adjust its position, inspect the selected area and export a new copy.
Crop changes the area; resize changes the dimensions
Cropping removes pixels outside a rectangle. Resizing changes the pixel dimensions of a picture. If you need both, crop the desired composition first, then use the image resizer to create the final size. Keep your original so an unwanted crop is easy to undo.
Choose the ratio for your destination
| Ratio | Shape | Example pixel dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | Square | 800 × 800 |
| 4:3 | Landscape | 1,200 × 900 |
| 3:2 | Landscape | 1,536 × 1,024 |
| 16:9 | Wide landscape | 1,280 × 720 |
| 9:16 | Tall portrait | 720 × 1,280 |
| 4:5 | Portrait | 800 × 1,000 |
These are shape examples, not guaranteed requirements for any publishing platform. Check the dimensions required by your destination. A ratio alone does not prescribe the number of pixels.
Use the original for selection
- Open a still JPEG, PNG or WebP, or try the coastal sample.
- Choose the required Aspect ratio. The preset selects the largest centered rectangle of that shape.
- Adjust Left and Top to reposition it while keeping Width and Height unchanged.
- Switch to Live preview to inspect the selected content, then process and download.
You can draw directly on Original for a free rectangle. Drawing switches the preset to Free selection. The controls show the coordinates in source pixels; a displayed image can be smaller than the original, so a mouse movement is not a one-to-one pixel distance.
A square crop from the sample
The sample is 1,536 × 1,024. A centered square crop is 1,024 × 1,024, with Left at 256 and Top at 0. Moving Left toward 0 keeps more of the left edge; moving it toward 512 keeps more of the right. Coordinates and the full rectangle must remain inside the image.
Check edges and export deliberately
The live preview is scaled for speed. Create the result to check the actual output dimensions and fine details. Use PNG for lossless encoding of the decoded pixels, or JPEG or WebP with an appropriate quality. A crop cannot restore content outside the original frame.
If every edge matters, use Fit instead of Center crop in the resizer. Fit adds padding to accommodate a different output shape.
Try it with the sample