How does the crop tool work?

Forum|Forum|5 months ago
November 25, 2025
2 replies
588 views

Is there a web page or video explaining how the crop tool works now? I have it set it a ratio (16:9) for video production. I want to use my cursor to draw the general area I want the crop to be. I think this is how Photoshop crop used to work in the past. Now, when I try to use my cursor to draw the area, Photoshop crops wrong and I have to keep undoing. It's extremely frustrating as I'm needing to crop specific areas of dozens of newspaper articles for a docuseries I'm an Assistant Editor on. Please help, this is driving me nuts.

macOS

Correct answer KazuT_G

@Conrad_C wrote:
...you can make the Crop tool work the old way by choosing Use Classic Mode from the Set Additional Crop Options menu (the gear) in the options bar. However, if you use Classic mode, the Crop tool will become inconsistent with how cropping works in other current Adobe photo and video software.

That Classic Mode is the ticket! Thanks!

I'm cropping old newspaper scans from the 1800s from newspapers.com, so the images are giant and illegible at first. Being able to do the "Classic Mode" behavior of selecting a specific area is the easiest way for me to do what I need to do.

E

ExUSA

Legend

Adobe has help pages and tutorials online, and there are loads of videos on YouTube.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/tool-techniques/crop-tool.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/desktop/crop-resize-transform/crop-straighten/crop-photos.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmUgzZ5rw9g

Conrad_C

Community Expert

How does it “crop wrong?”

Is what you’re getting different than what the demo shows below?

I used the following basic steps:

1. Set Ratio to 16:9 (which you said you already do).

2. Adjust crop rectangle handles as needed. To recompose the image within the crop box, drag inside the crop box.

3. Commit by clicking “Done” in the contextual task bar. (Or, it works just as well to commit by pressing the Enter/Return key, or clicking the ✔︎ (check mark) button in the options bar when it’s visible).

It should be as simple as that.

The main change in how it works is that when you drag inside the crop box, instead of repositioning the crop box over the image, the image is repositioned under the crop box. This change was made several years ago.

If those simple steps aren’t working, you can make the Crop tool work the old way by choosing Use Classic Mode from the Set Additional Crop Options menu (the gear) in the options bar. However, if you use Classic mode, the Crop tool will become inconsistent with how cropping works in other current Adobe photo and video software.

KazuT_GAuthorCorrect answer

Inspiring

@Conrad_C wrote:
...you can make the Crop tool work the old way by choosing Use Classic Mode from the Set Additional Crop Options menu (the gear) in the options bar. However, if you use Classic mode, the Crop tool will become inconsistent with how cropping works in other current Adobe photo and video software.

That Classic Mode is the ticket! Thanks!

I'm cropping old newspaper scans from the 1800s from newspapers.com, so the images are giant and illegible at first. Being able to do the "Classic Mode" behavior of selecting a specific area is the easiest way for me to do what I need to do.

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