Photoshop: Select item and crop it directly
Photoshop: Select item and crop it directly
Accepted Answer
In order to crop to a specific layer there are three different methods that I would use:
Duplicate the desired layer to a new file by Right Clicking on the layer in the Layers Panel, selecting
Duplicate Layer
, changing the document toNew
. Once you go into the new document you can selectImage > Trim
, and selectBased on Transparent Pixels
(keep everything checked forTrim Away
. (you can do this in the same file as well, but it does require you to hide all other layers, which can be exhaustive.)Another solution is to do the Ctrl+Click trick on the layer, specifically on the thumbnail of that layer. Then just go to
Image > Crop
. This is the quickest way to do it, but you have to make sure layers behind the object are hidden. If you set your Crop Tool to a keyboard shortcut then it's really just a quick Click and Keyboard Shortcut and you're done.The last possibility is a special trick I use for any items that are all the same size. For example if I have a mobile device screen that I want to save as an image without the environment displayed around it. You can make a rectangle shape overlaid on top of the screen and quickly do the same Ctrl+Click on the layer thumbnail and Ctrl+C afterwards. The rectangle shape layer ends up being a tool but doesn't contribute to the visuals themselves, so make sure that layer has 0% transparency or is just simply hidden at the time of the cropping.
Popular Answer
If you're asking about cropping an individual object on a layer, then no, there's not a direct way to do that. Photoshop crops the entire canvas, not individual layers. There are indirect ways, though, both of which you can make into a one-click Action.
Method 1:
Ctl-click on the layer thumbnail in the Layers Panel to create a selection of just that object.
Click the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel to create a mask that reveals only the object.
Unlock the mask from the layer (click the chain-link icon between the thumbnail and the mask.
With the mask selected (not the pixel layer), press Ctl-T to enter free transform mode.
Your free transform will now act like a crop mask for the layer.
Method 2:
Ctl-click the layer thumbnail as before to create the selection.
Convert the selection to a path (Paths panel flyout, "Make Work Path")
Create a vector mask:
Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path
Your path is now a vector mask that you can work with either using Free Transform or all the vector tools in the toolbox.