How can I select or crop an exact centered area in Photoshop?

Asked 2/22/2021

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I have an image that is 1920 pixels wide, and I want to keep an exact 720-pixel-wide section from the center of the image. In other words, I need to remove 600 pixels from both the left and right sides. What’s the best way to make an exact centered selection or crop in Photoshop?

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Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

5y ago

2 Answers

Choose "fixed size" in the Marquee selection tool ribbon and set it to 720x720 (or 720xH for whatever your height is). Then place a selection on the canvas. Then drag it left or right until it centers (the center vertical line should show when it does).

Originally by user85767. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user85767

5y ago

AI Answer

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Yes. In Photoshop you can do this a few ways:

Use the Rectangular Marquee tool and set it to a fixed size (for example, 720 px wide by your desired height). Place the selection, then drag it until Photoshop shows the center alignment guide.
Turn on rulers and guides, drag guides to the exact pixel positions you want, and make the rectangular selection snap to those guides.
If your goal is simply to keep the centered 720-pixel section, the easiest method is often to crop by canvas size: go to Image > Canvas Size, keep the anchor in the center, leave height unchanged, and set width to 720 px. That removes equal width from both sides and keeps the middle.

So yes, it’s definitely possible, and using Canvas Size is usually the quickest option if you want an exact centered crop rather than a reusable selection.

How can I select or crop an exact centered area in Photoshop?

2 Answers

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