What software do you use to crop photos? Looking for something easier than Paint / Photoscape

Connecticoin

I got to believe there is an easier way to crop coin photos than what I am doing: 1. Use Paint to Crop a square around the coin and re-size. 2. Use Photoscape to get a white or black background on the photo (usually white).

This process is not too awful, but the cropping in Paint can be tedious and one needs a very steady hand.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Panda4456

I just use my phone. I am using an iPhone.

Kurisu

Gimp. Basically it's Photoshop.
You'll be able to find tons of tutorials.
It's free and open-source and available on a bunch of platforms.
gimp.org

seanq

I think you can still download an old version of the Adobe CS suite direct from the manufacturer, they released it years ago to lure people into purchasing the newest version. I have been using the same version of Photoshop for probably ten years.

Sean Reynolds

yosclimber

I use Paint when I want to paste and crop a screen shot.
To crop accurately, I use View/Zoom In first, then move my cursor to the lower right corner and note the X and Y coordinates.
Then I use the left menu and Properties, and enter those X and Y coordinates.

I believe you can probably use PhotoScape to do both the rectangular crop, and the circular crop.
I don't use PhotoScape, though, so I don't know for sure.
[Edit to add:]
Here is a youtube tutorial, showing how to do a rectangular crop in PhotoScape X:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHJJzPmIM4A

[Edit:]
I use Irfanview to do most rectangular crops, and see @brocmitchell's post below to do a circular crop with it!

I use GIMP to do the circular crop, but it requires several steps. I believe PhotoScape is probably easier for this.
But I use GIMP because I use it to overlay text on photos, so I use it for this as well.

Bigtree

I use Circle Crop on my iPhone. I think it costs $1 or $2. I’d tried a free app previously (Round Photo, I think?), but found that Circle Crop worked better for coins.

bronzemat

https://www.photopea.com/

It's like photoshop, but runs within your browser. It's free. I use it all the time.

Herb_T

I use my iPad or iPhone, easiest. But I also have Photoshop if I want to get fancy…..

Mr_Spud

I use Xircle. It does nothing else but crop circles, but is super easy to use and you end up with all your circular coins a standard size.

LanceNewmanOCC

@Connecticoin said:
I got to believe there is an easier way to crop coin photos than what I am doing: 1. Use Paint to Crop a square around the coin and re-size. 2. Use Photoscape to get a white or black background on the photo (usually white).

This process is not too awful, but the cropping in Paint can be tedious and one needs a very steady hand.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

nothing wrong with looking out for a new program but if paint and photoscape are causing grief, you may not be doing it correctly for just doing cropping. i've done tens of thousands or maybe even over 6 figures of images between the 2 and there is no way i would be doing it if it wasn't quick, easy and effective.

i don't crop around a coin in paint. i use ctrl + a to select all, move to upper left corner, sometimes you have to use the +/- and the full size buttons under view but you can shortcut them to have them visible w/o going to view.

photoscape for round crop is probably even easier and quicker.

ms paint (not the new version), photoscape and paint.net is what i've used for my entire stint in numismatics.

using ctrl + a, c, v etc is a must for expediting.

NOW, some of that shadowing background stuff, layering, digital albums may push paint.net to its max?

whatever you do, show us!

WaterSport

I use ACORN by Flying Meat. Very easy to use and GREAT video tutorials.

WS
https://flyingmeat.com

TurtleCat

@Kurisu said:
Gimp. Basically it's Photoshop.
You'll be able to find tons of tutorials.
It's free and open-source and available on a bunch of platforms.
gimp.org

I’ve never heard anyone call gimp easy to use. Lol. It’s powerful but not easy.

derryb

Picasa3

ElmerFusterpuck

My Canon Camera came with something called Digital Photo Professional. Lots of features but I really like the cropping feature: set the crop as 1:1 ratio, pick the height or width in pixels (like 3400 for silver dollars) and bam, drag that square over to where I want to crop.

Kurisu

@TurtleCat said:

@Kurisu said:
Gimp. Basically it's Photoshop.
You'll be able to find tons of tutorials.
It's free and open-source and available on a bunch of platforms.
gimp.org

I’ve never heard anyone call gimp easy to use. Lol. It’s powerful but not easy.

I didn't say it was easy to use

In fact I was going to add that unless you already know Photoshop basics Gimp might be too much imaging tool lol.
Instead I mentioned tutorials since the goal is to do some specific things.

@Connecticoin already knowing some imaging basics would likely learn everything in an hour or two with the right tutorials.

...It's a cheat for me since I've been a Photoshop expert (even Adobe certified a few times) since about '92

Broadstruck

I do everything with PhotoScape.

AUandAG

Have used photoscape for years and it's free.
bob

Unknown

This content has been removed.

WilliamF

Lunapic, free online program that is very easy to navigate and turn out great looking photos in

thebeav

Rectangular or square cropping can't get any easier than with 'Irfanview'.

silverpop

i use photoscape v 3.7 for all my photos

Connecticoin

Thanks for the suggestions! I will try several of these and let you know what I think works best.

AUandAG

@WilliamF said:
Lunapic, free online program that is very easy to navigate and turn out great looking photos in

Welcome William!

bob

BAJJERFAN

@thebeav said:
Rectangular or square cropping can't get any easier than with 'Irfanview'.

+1

also imgur.com offers editing in addition to hosting.

ctf_error_coins

Full version Photoshop

Walkerfan

I used to use PhotoBucket but now I like PhotoScape.

brocmitchell

@yosclimber said:

I use Irfanview to do most rectangular crops, but it does not do the circular crop.

It isn't intuitive but there is a way to do it! For quick edits I'd say this is the way to go and probably the answer to this thread. I made a quick video (without narration) and added it YouTube. The video description (click Show More) has step-by-step written instructions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiYXFhSkVH8

For sake of ease, here are the instructions to avoid having to click through to Youtube:

1. Open the image in Irfanview
2. Use the select tool to make a tight square selection around the coin.
3. Press CTRL+Y to crop the image.
4. Click Image, Select "Add Shadows, Shapes, Rounded Corners..."
5. Select "Circle" then click OK.
   NOTE: You can also select a different background color by clicking "Choose", selecting from the Basic Colors, then click OK, OK.

ChrisH821

Windows' built in photo editor.

yosclimber

@brocmitchell said:

@yosclimber said:

I use Irfanview to do most rectangular crops, but it does not do the circular crop.

It isn't intuitive but there is a way to do it! For quick edits I'd say this is the way to go and probably the answer to this thread. I made a quick video (without narration) and added it YouTube. The video description (click Show More) has step-by-step written instructions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiYXFhSkVH8

For sake of ease, here are the instructions to avoid having to click through to Youtube:

1. Open the image in Irfanview
2. Use the select tool to make a tight square selection around the coin.
3. Press CTRL+Y to crop the image.
4. Click Image, Select "Add Shadows, Shapes, Rounded Corners..."
5. Select "Circle" then click OK.
   NOTE: You can also select a different background color by clicking "Choose", selecting from the Basic Colors, then click OK, OK.

Thanks!! So much faster than using GIMP for this!

After trying it myself, I found this feature was added to IrfanView in 2019 (version 4.53).
I was using version 4.44 from 2017, so I downloaded the latest version (4.60).
I had to set the Shadow size to 0 in step 5. It was default 15 or something.
Works great - thanks!

emeraldATV

First I close my left eye, then my right eye, Then I go to the computer...
What was the question ?
Whatever works to your liking.

jackpine20

@Bigtree said:
I use Circle Crop on my iPhone. I think it costs $1 or $2. I’d tried a free app previously (Round Photo, I think?), but found that Circle Crop worked better for coins.

Thank you for this! I just downloaded Circle Crop. This app is so simple to use ... so much easier than Photo Cropper that I have used and abandoned. No tutorial is needed with Circle Crop.

LanceNewmanOCC

@ChrisH821 said:
Windows' built in photo editor.

are you talking about the basic default image viewer/basic editor that comes with windows or the more advanced one that only comes with the silverlight download? - the one from silverlight has the edit, organize, share link (top left) to click for access that contains adjust exposure, color, straighten photo etc. that also keeps a backup by default in the "originals folder" accessable through the revert to original link (top right) then into settings?

ChrisH821

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

@ChrisH821 said:
Windows' built in photo editor.

are you talking about the basic default image viewer/basic editor that comes with windows or the more advanced one that only comes with the silverlight download? - the one from silverlight has the edit, organize, share link (top left) to click for access that contains adjust exposure, color, straighten photo etc. that also keeps a backup by default in the "originals folder" accessable through the revert to original link (top right) then into settings?

The Silverlight one apparently, I didn't know there was a different one. Pretty basic and does what I need since I don't use circle crop.

LanceNewmanOCC

@ChrisH821 said:
The Silverlight one apparently, I didn't know there was a different one. Pretty basic and does what I need since I don't use circle crop.

thanks for posting the image. that isn't the photo viewer/editor from silverlight i mentioned. these options are probably why i never settled into a more comprehensive image editor though i've downloaded and tried most of what is mentioned here. it just boils down to comfort level and familiarity.

MasonG

I've used Lview Pro for just about forever. Ok- well, maybe for the last 20+ years. I tried GIMP and a couple others just for kicks, but I don't need to do a lot of fancy stuff and it didn't made sense to spend a lot of time learning a new program,

YQQ

ACDsee, by far for the money...it has everything... a 30 day free trial...
NO issue if you do not like it after that..
use it for at least 12 years..

bsshog40

I bought photoshop10 a long time ago. Couldn't really afford the upgrades but I've used it soo long that I don't see anything I would use in the newer versions. It does everything I need it to do.

retirednow

I use power point ... paste photo to side , crop edit add background etc and the save back to a picture

Cougar1978

I use my phone.

Connecticoin

OK, after some experimentation, here is what I am doing now:

1. Use Photoscape to crop a perfect square around the coin. This is made much easier than Paint with the centering guides - you get one corner set, then adjust the other 2 sides. Much quicker than what I was doing in Paint! (Honorable mention: in paint doing "ctrl-a" and moving the coin to the corner is quicker when using Paint, but Photoscape works better for me).

2. Then use Photoscape to crop out the circle within the perfect square.

3. Re-size image in Photoscape - you can re-size to stanard pixel sizes (like 700x700) with much less clicks than in Paint.

4. I still use Paint to crop and re-size slabs. Quicker than Photoscape for me.

Another advantage of Photoscape is you can move on to the next image to crop in just one click, instead of having to open the file in Paint which takes several clicks.

Thanks again for all your input, the new procedure will be a real time saver!

TwoSides2aCoin

I'm in the iPhone (Apple) group. As an example , here is cropping in process. Took a screen shot of the lightning caught last night, and selected "edit" on screen.

Problem is , I can't tak good pictures.
Beauty is , the process is at your fingertip.

Connecticoin

The phone cropper is great for everyday picutres taken with a phone.

I take my coin photos with a Canon SLR camera on a copystand, so It would be impractical to load photos to a phone, crop, then load them back to PC. Even if I did, the phone cropper would be less precise (at least for me, with my phone thumbs), plus I would still need to crop the circle out on the computer.

1630Boston

Believe it or not @Connecticoin
I use MS Word to create things like this.

LanceNewmanOCC

@Connecticoin said:
OK, after some experimentation, here is what I am doing now:

.
that sounds nearly verbatim what i do and have been doing for nearly my entire stint in numismatics. i do it because it is easy, quick and effective. i like creativity and trying new methods but nothing like the classics/staples.

LanceNewmanOCC

@1630Boston said:

.
i know some decent tips/tricks with word but i've not gone too far with it but i have to say, to accomplish that in word is impressive!

1630Boston

Thanks @LanceNewmanOCC

SonnyD

I'll use remove.bg free online to remove background on imagines from time to time

emeraldATV

Absolutly the best way, to apreciate you collection. Insert usb and start. Really don't need instructions.
Filters will keep you busy and included in the camera. Keep in mind very easy as there is no wrong way
unless you find your photo not to your liking.
Easly set up 5 min. ( A no brainer even)
COST: $25.00 us
1. micro camera, $20.00...on line
2. Dollar Store:
A metal paper towel dispencer...to use as a tower, (for your camera which is tubeular),
for up and down position as to get as much of coin or as little,(Thus MICRO)
This will cost you $ 1.00
Sponges...
To use as a soft , thick, sponge to keep your camera away from the tower to have space to move coin around
Note: you need to make... a stage... out of thick card board at the base of paper towel dispencer.
This will cost you $1.00
3. Lastly... A C clamp. We all know what that is right ?
If not its a hardware store item. Its a metal band with a screw adjustment for clamping
the tubelar camera on a paper towel dispencer with sponges to soften the clamping
This will cost you $ 1.36 , depending where you are. Lol
Here's the Heart of the set up:
Camera goes into your computer,Lap top or what ever, live photos are on your smart TV, THE BIGGER THE BETTER.
Also you need a USB standard cable from computer to TV , check distance for the best viewing and get the lenght needed
Cost: $ 7.00 - ?
No downloading at all.
Now the only extra cost could be New Fire Sticks @ whatever cost.
The other beautiful part of this is the fact you dont handle you collection unless its nessarey.

jayPem

jayPem

@emeraldATV said:
First I close my left eye, then my right eye, Then I go to the computer...
What was the question ?

Post of the year.

Connecticoin

@jayPem said:

@emeraldATV said:
First I close my left eye, then my right eye, Then I go to the computer...
What was the question ?

Post of the year.

Cost of coin to photo: 1 cent