Lightroom Cropping without resizing?

WingsOfLovePhotoWingsOfLovePhoto Registered Users Posts: 797 Major grins
edited September 17, 2009 in Finishing School
Can you tell me if in Lightroom 2 There is a way to crop photos without resizing or changing pixels? If I have a full sized shot that is 2832 x 4256 and do an original crop just to bring something in closer or change the way it is framed why do the pixels have to change? Is there anyway to avoid that or is that just a pipe dream and I have to work much harder to get the composition right in the camera:D
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Comments

  • chris84chris84 Registered Users Posts: 21 Big grins
    edited September 15, 2009
    WingsOfLovePhoto wrote:
    Can you tell me if in Lightroom 2 There is a way to crop photos without resizing or changing pixels? If I have a full sized shot that is 2832 x 4256 and do an original crop just to bring something in closer or change the way it is framed why do the pixels have to change? Is there anyway to avoid that or is that just a pipe dream and I have to work much harder to get the composition right in the camera:D


    When you crop you are physically removing pixels to create the new composition. The only way to then get a larger image size would be to uprez the cropped image with a program like genuine fractals. If you started the process with more pixels (Like a D3x) you would have more flexibility to crop, but getting it right in camera is preferred.
  • Miguel DelinquentoMiguel Delinquento Registered Users Posts: 904 Major grins
    edited September 15, 2009
    Sandy,
    Sounds like you perceive a need for preserving as many pixels as possible. What's driving this need? Do you have a requirement for printing at a specific "large" size?

    M
    Eye In The Triangle Photography
  • adbsgicomadbsgicom Registered Users Posts: 3,615 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2009
    My impression of LR crop was it didn't mess with the pixels, it just tosses them. If you print the result to some specific size/dpi, then that's where the resize comes into play. Am I missing something here?
    - Andrew

    Who is wise? He who learns from everyone.
    My SmugMug Site
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited September 16, 2009
    Lighroom never tosses pixels!!

    But if you export an image from Lightroom as a jpg, and it has been cropped significantly from the original file, the jpg then subsequently exhibited in Lightroom will only possess the pixels remaining in the cropped file.

    To get all the pixels in the original file, just go back to the original file, prior to the editing done to it. In the Develop panel, go the the History column in the panel to the left of the main image, and slide the history slider back to Import, hit Command ( ctrl in Windows )+' and you will have a new original file unaltered ready to re-edit as desired, and your original file is still unchanged with your primary edits still available.

    You cannot crop an image down to 10% of its original size and still retain the same number of original pixels in the cropped image. Not happening.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • arodneyarodney Registered Users Posts: 2,005 Major grins
    edited September 17, 2009
    Cropping is independent of resolution in LR since you’re just specifying metadata instructions. Only when you export (or open in Photoshop) are those pixels you cropped out ‘removed’ and in export, you control the output resolution in your export presets.
    Andrew Rodney
    Author "Color Management for Photographers"
    http://www.digitaldog.net/
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited September 17, 2009
    arodney wrote:
    Cropping is independent of resolution in LR since you’re just specifying metadata instructions. Only when you export (or open in Photoshop) are those pixels you cropped out ‘removed’ and in export, you control the output resolution in your export presets.

    Maybe she's confused by the fact that when you crop in LR it automatically zooms the image to fill your display area back up. So maybe the OP interprets that as cropping and resizing?
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