We have all grown “photo crazy” these days thanks to growth of social media sites and technology around the globe. Talk about the likes of Instagram and those memes on Facebook and Twitter that we all love. No wonder, photo editing apps are now a norm around as everyone wants to be part of the “photo revolution”. That said, you may want to crop or edit your photos on your mac and you are perhaps wondering which apps you can use. Well, this article is just for you as we will be teaching you how to crop photos on mac for free using a number of cool options built into your mac. Start taking some notes!

How to crop photos with Photos App on Mac

For starters, you can crop and edit your photos on Mac using a Photos App for Mac. You will simply need to update your mac to any Mac OS X from Yosemite and later to use this amazing native app.

Learn how to crop your pictures in the Mac Photos app. You can drag the edges to redefine the cropping area and then reposition the picture inside the new area. You can also rotate or auto-rotate the image and the crop will adjust automatically to not leave any blank space in the corners. Cropping is non-destructive, so you can always revert to the original photo or export it. Download PhotoPad photo editing software for Windows/Mac to easily edit digital photos. Resize, crop, touch up or add any number of effects to any image. PhotoPad lets you easily remove red-eye and blemishes, enhance colors, crop photos and more. Get Started with your Photos Today. In addition to basic margin-cropping, you can also crop pictures to specific shapes and aspect ratios, or crop picture fills inside a shape (in Office for Mac and in Office 2010 and later). 1:32 Office can help with you with basic image editing as illustrated in the video above, but for more advanced tasks, you may need a dedicated image.

Crop

This is an app that can help you keep your photos organized while you can also edit your photos in a non-destructive fashion. As for the former, photos app for mac organizes your photos, videos, memories, favorites, people, and more in a library.

You can also do more with the photos app for mac including playing slideshows, sharing photos (via iCloud, mail and social media) and editing your photos.

Talking of editing, let’s look at some of the crop maneuvers you can do with this free photo editing app for mac.

How to Crop a Photo As a Rectangle on Your Mac

Cropping your photos using the Photos App for Mac is quite easy. Just double click on the photo you want to edit and click on Edit on the upper right corner of the app’s window. If you want to edit a photo in another folder, then you will simply need to import the photo by clicking on File>Import to open the photo. Once you have clicked on Edit, you will get a range of editing options. Make sure the crop Icon located at the left part of the editing panel is set to square or a rectangle. If it is not a rectangle or a square just click on the arrow on the arrow next to the box to toggle.

Then click on any part of your photo and you will get a rectangular or square outline-drag into expand depending on the area you want to be covered in your new photo. You can resize using the blue dots that appear at the corners and sides of your cropping outline and once you have got your area, click on the Crop button at the top of the menu and you are good to go.

How to Crop a Photo into a Circle on Your Mac

Cropping your photos into a circular shape is pretty much the same as doing in a rectangular way. The only tweak, in this case, is to select Elliptical Selection in the Crop Icon. Again, after selecting this, click on your photo drag your cursor around the photo. A crop outline will appear in a circular shape having blue dots that you can use to resize the crop area any way you want to.

How to crop photos with Preview App on Mac

Apart from using the Photo App for Mac to crop photos, you can also use the underrated Preview App to crop your photos. This tool is available for any mac users so even the earliest versions of Mac owners can use it. Let’s look at how you can crop your photos using the preview app for Mac:

Step 1: Open Your Image

The first thing you would want to do is open the image you want to edit on the preview app

Step 2: Crop Your Image

  • Start editing your image by clicking on the Editor Toolbar found on the right side of the toolbar as shown:
  • Pick the type of selection type you want, be it Rectangular Selection, Elliptical Selection, Lasso Selection or Smart Lasso.
  • Draw your desired shape on the photo then scale to fit in with the part you want to crop
  • Once you are happy with the selection, click on command+ K or simply go to Tools>Crop

Step 3: Save Your Photo

The last step is to save your photo to your desired location. Click on the File menu and choose Save or Save As. It’s that simple!

If you are editing lots of photos then you would want to use shortcuts to speed up the process. Check out how the steps get simpler with shortcuts:

Steps to Crop Images on Preview Using Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Select the image you want to edit in finder then hit Command+O. (NB: This will work of Preview is the default image app)
  • Your section tool will automatically be active so just draw the rectangle and resize to cover the area you want to crop
  • Again, just click on Command+K
  • Lastly, Save using Command+S

Steps to Crop Images Using Photos For Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

You can also simplify the process of editing photos on Photos app for Mac

  • Press on Return to open your photo in editing mode
  • Adjust the photo using cropping
  • Press on C or Command-3 to crop the photo

Wrapping Up

You do not necessarily need to go for the third party apps to crop and even apply some edits to those coveted photos on your Mac or phone. Mac already has some inbuilt photo editing apps you can take advantage of. It’s just a matter of knowing how to use them and you can start enjoying them for free!

Hot Articles

Photos in macOS Catalina has an immersive, dynamic look that showcases your best photos. Find the shots you’re looking for with powerful search options. Organize your collection into albums, or keep your photos organized automatically with smart albums. Perfect your images with intuitive built-in editing tools, or use your favorite photos apps. And with iCloud Photos, you can keep all your photos and videos stored in iCloud and up to date on your Mac, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and even your PC.

A smarter way to find your favorites.

Photos in macOS Catalina intelligently declutters and curates your photos and videos — so you can easily see your best memories.

Focus on your best shots.

Photos emphasizes the best shots in your library, hiding duplicates, receipts, and screenshots. Days, Months, and Years views organize your photos by when they were taken. Your best shots are highlighted with larger previews, and Live Photos and videos play automatically, bringing your library to life. Photos also highlights important moments like birthdays, anniversaries, and trips in the Months and Years views.

Your memories. Now playing.

Custom Crop Tool

Memories finds your best photos and videos and weaves them together into a memorable movie — complete with theme music, titles, and cinematic transitions — that you can personalize and share. So you can enjoy a curated collection of your trips, holidays, friends, family, pets, and more. And when you use iCloud Photos, all edits automatically sync to your other devices.

The moment you’re looking for, always at hand.

With Search, you can look for photos based on who’s in them or what’s in them — like strawberries or sunsets. Or combine search terms, like “beach 2017.” If you’re looking for photos you imported a couple of months ago, use the expanded import history to look back at each batch in chronological order. And in the My Albums tab, you’ll find your videos, selfies, panoramas, and other media types automatically organized into separate albums.

Fill your library, not your device.

Crop Photo Macbook Preview

iCloud Photos can help you make the most of the space on your Mac. When you choose “Optimize Mac Storage,” all your full‑resolution photos and videos are stored in iCloud in their original formats, with storage-saving versions kept on your Mac as space is needed. You can also optimize storage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, so you can access more photos and videos than ever before. You get 5GB of free storage in iCloud — and as your library grows, you have the option to choose a plan for up to 2TB.

Make an edit here, see it there. When you make changes on your Mac like editing a photo, marking a Favorite, or adding to an album, they’re kept up to date on your iPhone, your iPad, and iCloud.com. And vice versa — any changes made on your iOS or iPadOS devices are automatically reflected on your Mac.

All your photos on all your devices. iCloud Photos gives you access to your entire Mac photo and video library from all your devices. If you shoot a snapshot, slo-mo, or selfie on your iPhone, it’s automatically added to iCloud Photos — so it appears on your Mac, iOS and iPadOS devices, Apple TV, iCloud.com, and your PC. Even the photos and videos imported from your DSLR, GoPro, or drone to your Mac appear on all your iCloud Photos–enabled devices. And since your collection is organized the same way across your Apple devices, navigating your library always feels familiar.

How To Crop On Mac

Resize. Crop. Collage. Zoom. Warp. GIF. And more.

Create standout photos with a comprehensive set of powerful but easy-to-use editing tools. Instantly transform photos taken in Portrait mode with five different studio-quality lighting effects. Choose Enhance to improve your photo with just a click. Then use a filter to give it a new look. Or use Smart Sliders to quickly edit like a pro even if you’re a beginner. Markup lets you add text, shapes, sketches, or a signature to your images. And you can turn Live Photos into fun, short video loops to share. You can also make edits to photos using third-party app extensions like Pixelmator, or edit a photo in an app like Photoshop and save your changes to your Photos library.

Crop Photos For Macbook Pro

  • Light
    Brilliance, a slider in Light, automatically brightens dark areas and pulls in highlights to reveal hidden details and make your photo look richer and more vibrant.
  • Color
    Make your photo stand out by adjusting saturation, color contrast, and color cast.
  • Black & White
    Add some drama by taking the color out. Fine-tune intensity and tone, or add grain for a film-quality black-and-white effect.
  • White Balance
    Choose between Neutral Gray, Skin Tone, and Temperature/Tint options to make colors in your photo warmer or cooler.
  • Curves
    Make fine-tuned contrast and color adjustments to your photos.
  • Levels
    Adjust midtones, highlights, and shadows to perfect the tonal balance in your photo.
  • Definition
    Increase image clarity by adjusting the definition slider.
  • Selective Color
    Want to make blues bluer or greens greener? Use Selective Color to bring out specific colors in your image.
  • Vignette
    Add shading to the edges of your photo to highlight a powerful moment.
  • Editing Extensions
    Download third-party editing extensions from the Mac App Store to add filters and texture effects, use retouching tools, reduce noise, and more.
  • Reset Adjustments
    When you’ve made an edit, you can judge it against the original by clicking Compare. If you don’t like how it looks, you can reset your adjustments or revert to your original shot.

Bring even more life to your Live Photos. When you edit a Live Photo, the Loop effect can turn it into a continuous looping video that you can experience again and again. Try Bounce to play the action forward and backward. Or choose Long Exposure for a beautiful DSLR‑like effect to blur water or extend light trails. You can also trim, mute, and select a key photo for each Live Photo.

Add some fun filters.

Organizing Photos On Macbook Pro

With just a click, you can apply one of nine photo filters inspired by classic photography styles to your photos.

Crop Photos For Twitter

Share here, there, and everywhere.

Use the Share menu to easily share photos via Shared Albums and AirDrop. Or send photos to your favorite photo sharing destinations, such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also customize the menu and share directly to other compatible sites that offer sharing extensions.

Crop Photo Mac Preview

Turn your pictures into projects.

Making high-quality projects and special gifts for loved ones is easier than ever with Photos. Create everything from gorgeous photo books to professionally framed gallery prints to stunning websites using third-party project extensions like Motif, Mimeo Photos, Shutterfly, ifolor, WhiteWall, Mpix, Fujifilm, and Wix.