Why Cropping Matters: The Rule of Thirds
Cropping isn't just about making an image smaller; it's about composition. The most powerful principle in photography is the Rule of Thirds. Imagine your image divided into a 3x3 grid. By cropping your image so that the subject aligns with these grid lines or their intersections, you create a more balanced, engaging photo.
Our tool provides built-in aspect ratios like 16:9 (YouTube Thumbnails, TV), 1:1 (Instagram, Avatars), and 4:3 (Classic Photo) to help you hit these targets perfectly without guesswork.
Understanding Image Formats
Choosing the right export format is crucial for web performance:
| Format | Best Use Case | Pros | Cons |
|---|
| JPG | Photos, Real-life scenes | Smallest file size, widely supported | Lossy compression (artifacts), no transparency |
| PNG | Logos, Text, Graphics | Lossless quality, Transparency support | Larger file sizes |
| WEBP | Modern Websites | Superior compression & quality mix | Older browser support (becoming rare) |
SEO & Performance
Resizing images is the #1 way to speed up a website. An unscaled 4000px wide photo from a DSLR can be 10MB+. By resizing it to 1200px (standard web width) and compressing it, you can reduce text into 100KB — a 99% saving.
Did you know? Google emphasizes Core Web Vitals, specifically Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). serving properly sized images is the easiest way to improve your LCP score and get better SEO rankings.