Crop digital photos to fit standard frames

Digital images are more square than rectangular, and they do not fit neatly into pre-made frames and other photo display items.

The aspect ratio dilemma applies to all the standard photo frame sizes.

An aspect ratio is simply the ratio between the width and height—the shape of an image. A square photo, for example, would have a 1:1 aspect ratio (width is the same as the height).

Most point-and-shoot digital cameras have a 4:3 aspect ratio—they are more square-shaped than rectangular.

But a 4" x 6" photo, in comparison, has a 3:2 aspect ratio. This aspect ratio, based on traditional 35mm photo film, has been the standard for decades.

If you printed a true digital image without changing its size, the closest measurement to 4" x 6" would be 4" x 5.3"—not good if you have a frame or album page with space for a 4" x 6" picture.

This same dilemma applies to all the standard photo frame sizes: 5" x 7" (7:5 aspect ratio), 8" x 10" (5:4), etc.

Examine your image before you crop—if you're worried about something being "cropped off" (like the top of someone's head), crop the image yourself rather than having it done automatically.

Cropping minimizes background distractions (like the wayward arm in this example) and creates a more powerful image.

A digital image will not fit into a standard 4" x 6" or other standard-size photo frame without some image resizing. And most photo printers and photo labs print in these traditional sizes.

The solution? Before you print your image you'll have to crop it slightly.

HP Photosmart photo printers or a photo service like Snapfish will automatically crop your photo before printing.

But not all photos are good candidates for automatic photo cropping. Look at your image. Is there plenty of room around your subject? Is your photo centered? If so, then the automatic cropping options should work just fine.

If not, an important part of your photo (like the top of someone's head) could be trimmed off when the photo is centered and automatically cropped.

If you don't have much space around your subject, or if your subject is off center, then you'll want to crop the photo yourself. There are several ways to crop a photo yourself:

• You can crop photos yourself in-printer with an HP Photosmart photo printer or All-in-One.
• "Drag and drop" images on your PC desktop using the HP Photo Print Gadget with Smart Crop for perfectly cropped photos.
• Crop your image using free Windows Live Photo Gallery software.

Snapfish gives you a choice: They will crop the image to a standard size for you or retain the shape of the original digital image.

Snapfish offers slightly resized prints in traditional photo sizes like 4" x 6", 5" x 7", etc. And they have a 4" × 5.3" ("True Digital") option that prints the photo with no cropping. It preserves every pixel of your photograph—it just won’t fit in a standard-size frame.

Now you can access Snapfish to upload, view, and print your photos directly from Web-connected HP Photosmart printers such as the HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One.

Learn more about printing from Snapfish using your printer at home—PC free.

Digital picture frames can crop your photos to fit its screen—or leave their original size intact.

Digital picture frames give you several photo presentation options:

• Select "ORIGINAL" (the default) to display pictures with their original properties (with their full height in normal aspect ratios). This means that many pictures may not fill the screen.
• Select "OPTIMAL" and pictures will enlarge to fit the screen.

Discover more uses and benefits of a digital picture frame.