1 Correct answer
If Adobe WERE to change the Crop Tool to work on layers as you suggest, unless it was done in such a way that somehow the default behavior was retained as it is now, there would be a big re-learning curve for a lot of existing/expert Photoshop users, who expect the Crop Tool to work on the entire document. I'm sure that would be troublesome.
No need to touch the Crop Tool.
Just add a Crop Layer Tool to the existing button collection of Crop Tool/Slice Tool/Slice Select Tool.
Explore related tutorials & articles
18
Replies
Howdy.
acresofgreen: It seems to me that you are not asking HOW to crop a layer, but suggesting a new program feature which would add that functionality to the crop tool's repertoire.
I agree. And like Noel I think I understand where the OP is coming from.
When you use the Marquee Tool to make a selection, inverting the selection and deleting is fine, except that unlike the Crop Tool, the Marquee Tool will not let you adjust the selection once you release the mouse. To adjust it, you have to select Transform Selection. Furthermore, any layer pixels extending beyond the canvas are not deleted, which could cause problems later. These are little things, but they add up. So I think a feature request is a good idea. And it might not affect the legacy behavior of any tool.
In the meantime, you can make your own Crop Layer Tool. It uses a simple action. A layer mask is created, adjusted, and applied. When invoked, the action adds the mask, unlinks the mask, and chooses the Transform Tool. Then it pauses for you to make your crop. The first thing you see looks pretty much like Crop Tool. Except that the boundary of the layer is selected instead of the canvas. Note that the layer mask is selected.
Drag it just like the Crop Tool. You are transforming the mask, which crops the layer. And you see a live preview, effects and all.
When satisfied, hit Enter to accept the crop. The action then applies the mask. The result is below. The layer has been cropped.
With Actions in Button Mode and a keyboard shortcut assigned, the Tool/Action is accessed with as much ease and used the same as the Image Crop Tool.
Below is the action.
How to make the action.
Start recording.
1. Ctrl+Click on the layer thumbnail.
2. Click on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the layers palette.
3. Click on the link between mask and layer thumbs to release the link.
4. Select the Transfrom Tool (Ctrl+T). The layer mask should still be selected. Drag boundary to a new position. Doesn't matter where. It will need to be reset after the action is recorded. Hit enter.
5. Right Click on layer mask thumbnail and select Apply Layer Mask.
Stop recording.
Now go back to step 4, Transform. Set it to conditional (highlighted above). This will make it stop so you can make your crop. Next, double click on the command. This will select the Transform Tool. In the options bar set the scale percentages highlighted below to 100%,
This is necessary because Actions won't record a null transformation. But once recorded, you can reset to the original state. And if the mask isn't at 100% we won't see the whole layer when the action stops for the crop.
This may sound like a lot, but it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to set up the action following the above instructions. And for that small investment, you have a Layer Crop Tool which works just like any other tool. You select it with the mouse or keyboard shortcut, make your adjustment, then hit enter.
FWIW.
Peace,
Lee
Hi, emil emil.
I crop the selected layer by making a selection, pressing Ctrl + J to create a new layer with the selected pixels, and then deleting the original layer.
I'm a big fan of Ctrl+J. And like you, I'm finicky about extra steps. I got tired of deleting the original layer and deleting "copy" from the end of the new layer name. Being lazy like I am, I made an action to do it in one click. It is below. As you can see the first step is your trusty Ctrl+J. In fact, this action was the starting point for the Crop Layer action above.
1. Ctrl+J Copies the selection to a new layer.
2. Alt+[ Selects the source layer.
3. Ctrl+T Transforms the layer, scale 1%. Why? Instead of deleting the layer, we are going to merge the copy down into it to preserve the name. But if there are pixels lurking outside of the canvas, they will be retained. Transforming to 1% insures all the pixels will be within the canvas for the next steps.
4. Ctrl+A Selects the canvas.
5. Deletes the pixels. Now there are no pixels outside the canvas.
6. Alt+] Selects the copy layer.
7. Ctrl+E Merges the copy down, retaining the original name.
I showed all the keyboard shortcuts because when recording actions, it is best to avoid using your mouse when you can. Actions won't record many mouse events. And in the case of selecting layers, selecting a layer with the mouse records the layer name. And it won't run on a layer with a different name. So it's useless. Unless you are only going to use it on layers with that name in the correct stacking order and state. (Of course, you can use your mouse to make menu selections. But there are a few that won't record. But you can add them using Add Menu Item in the Actions flyout menu.)
Anyway emil, I know you are an experienced user. I made my reply so detailed for the benefit of any less experienced users who might be interested.
FWIW.
Peace,
Lee
acresofgreen: Thanks for confirming the practical utility of the action.
Mike: Thanks for prompting me to do something about a little thing that had been annoying me for a while.
Hi, Noel.
Thanks! When you're lazy, you gotta do something. 
So far as the custom button goes, it's already on my primary toolbar. I run my Actions Palette in Button Mode. It's like the regular toolbar only better. It's a toolbar on steriods. Below is my workspace. My Actions are bottom right and set to Button Mode. As you an see, it dominates the workspace. It's my most important palette after the Layers Palette. I use use it constantly.
Below is a closer look at a section of the actions. Most of them perform routine tasks, and replace two or three clicks with one. Some are complicated, but it doesn't matter. It's a button now. Click on it, and it goes. You can see they are grouped and color coded by similar function. You can also see the new Crop Layer Tool has been added to the yellow cluster.
Actions can perform long complicated sequences, but they really shine when put to work doing little things you do a lot. You can have different sets of buttons for different types of projects. You can rearrange them and color them to suit your needs. Including reshaping and resizing the palette. Below is my palette expanded to show all the actions. All invoked by one click.
Below is the palette set to different configurations. Dragging right or left adds or removes columns. Up or down removes or adds rows.
Anyway, in terms of function, the Actions Palette in Button Mode is a toolbar. And you can add as many buttons as you want to it.
Noel, as usual, my demo was geared to the full gamut of Forum users. But I'd like to thank you personally for your numerous contributions. I've learned a lot.
Hey JJ: I didn't notice the marching ant thing. I never tried the action on a layer that extended beyond all four sides. Fortunately, it's immaterial to the action.
Peace,
Lee
I knew about actions and button mode (I sell some commercial ones), but it's just not the same as being able to craft a custom tool and put it in the Tools panel.
I am mildly afflicted with a perceptual issue where things can sometimes be hidden from me in plain sight. If a number of similar things are placed near one another, somehow I reach some cognitive limit, the eyes glaze over, and I just don't see the individual item I'm looking for. Good examples would be long menus with a lot of entries or the list of actions in a large set. At that point I find it useful to find things alphabetically (sorted list), positionally (icons in certain places on the desktop or in a panel), or just look for differences in appearance (visually different icons).
Unfortunately, even though you can color the buttons in the Actions panel (in button mode), this doesn't seem for me to be *quite* enough visual differentiation. It would be nice to be able to associate icons or thumbnails with Actions in Photoshop full version, as can be done in Photoshop Elements.
Some people say they naturally associate colors with letters or numbers, but to me the colors seem utterly and completely disconnected from reading or recognition of particular items. I'm not color-blind, but if I had to say whether I respond to the colors of the positions, for example, of traffic lights, I'd have to say the lit position says more to me than the color. I have to think about it more when I approach an intersection where they've put the lights sideways.
Sorry, probably more than you ever wanted to know about my wacky brain.
-Noel
Hi, Noel.
I've got one of those wacky brains (as if it wasn't obvious). And I'm partially color blind. And the same problem with traffic lights. I have to be careful about the colors I choose for my buttons. And you're right, too many buttons is as bad as not enough. That's why I just run one row. And I only use the top half of that row routinely. Maybe ten buttons. But if they were real buttons, they'd be worn out by now. And after a while, my mouse hand gets trained to the button position and the colors are less important. And those ten buttons save me tons of time. But I was never suggesting anyone should operate with half their screen covered with action buttons. Even I'm not that wacky.
You have hit the nail on the head as to the drawbacks to this scheme. Since the buttons are ultimately identified by text, there is a limit to how small they can be. So they're too big. The palette takes up a lot of room. An icon would be smaller and easier to identify too.
I was sure you knew about Button Mode, so I was a little mystified about your previous post. Your last post solved the mystery. And now everyone knows more about two wacky brains than they want to know. 
Peace,
Lee
AdChoices