Aspect Ratio Cropping for Commercial Printing

I am a new user of Adobe Creative Suite 2. I sometimes need to send image files to a low-priced commercial operation for production line prints. As everyone here knows, the aspect ratios of standard commercial print sizes are all different. A 3 x 5 is 1.666, a 4 x 6 is
1.5, a 5 x 7 is 1.4, an 8 x 10 is 1.25, a 12 x 14 is 1.17, etc. To
minimize the random hit-or-miss edge cropping that commercial printers must do to cope with this, I want to crop images myself so as to provide the commercial printer with files having the appropriate aspect ratio for the size print that I want them to produce. For example, if I want an 8 x 10, I need to crop the image so that its aspect ratio is 1.25.
I have been doing this by a painstaking trial-and-error method, but CS2 must offer an easy way to do it that I just haven’t been able to figure out yet. Nor can I find any "help" topic, tip or FAQ that explains how to do it.

I would be very grateful for any help in getting on the track.
Thanks in advance —

Al

I am a new user of Adobe Creative Suite 2. I sometimes need to send image files to a low-priced commercial operation for production line prints. As everyone here knows, the aspect ratios of standard commercial print sizes are all different. A 3 x 5 is 1.666, a 4 x 6 is
1.5, a 5 x 7 is 1.4, an 8 x 10 is 1.25, a 12 x 14 is 1.17, etc. To
minimize the random hit-or-miss edge cropping that commercial printers must do to cope with this, I want to crop images myself so as to provide the commercial printer with files having the appropriate aspect ratio for the size print that I want them to produce. For example, if I want an 8 x 10, I need to crop the image so that its aspect ratio is 1.25.
I have been doing this by a painstaking trial-and-error method, but CS2 must offer an easy way to do it that I just haven’t been able to figure out yet. Nor can I find any "help" topic, tip or FAQ that explains how to do it.

I would be very grateful for any help in getting on the track.
Thanks in advance —

"Al B" wrote in message

I am a new user of Adobe Creative Suite 2. I sometimes need to send image files to a low-priced commercial operation for production line prints. As everyone here knows, the aspect ratios of standard commercial print sizes are all different. A 3 x 5 is 1.666, a 4 x 6 is
1.5, a 5 x 7 is 1.4, an 8 x 10 is 1.25, a 12 x 14 is 1.17, etc. To
minimize the random hit-or-miss edge cropping that commercial printers must do to cope with this, I want to crop images myself so as to provide the commercial printer with files having the appropriate aspect ratio for the size print that I want them to produce. For example, if I want an 8 x
10, I need to crop the image so that its aspect ratio is 1.25.
I have been doing this by a painstaking trial-and-error method, but CS2 must offer an easy way to do it that I just haven’t been able to figure out yet. Nor can I find any "help" topic, tip or FAQ that explains how to
do it.

I would be very grateful for any help in getting on the track.
Thanks in advance —

Al,

You an achieve what you want with the crop tool. (C on the keyboard)You just have to input the width, height and resolution into the boxes on the options bar and voila, you can crop to the required ratio. You can use inches, pixels, centimetres et al as your units and the crop size can be saved a preset by clicking on the crop tool icon’s down pointing arrow that appeared on the option bar when you selected the crop tool. This will open a flyout showing the tool’s presets along with a right pointing arrow in the top right of the flyout. Hit this and you will be presented with a menu, at the top of which is "new tool preset". Select this and save the setting. You an make a preset crop tool for all your aspect ratios this way.

"Mike Hyndman" wrote in message

"Al B" wrote in message

I am a new user of Adobe Creative Suite 2. I sometimes need to send image files to a low-priced commercial operation for production line prints. As everyone here knows, the aspect ratios of standard commercial print sizes are all different. A 3 x 5 is 1.666, a 4 x 6 is
1.5, a 5 x 7 is 1.4, an 8 x 10 is 1.25, a 12 x 14 is 1.17, etc. To
minimize the random hit-or-miss edge cropping that commercial printers must do to cope with this, I want to crop images myself so as to provide the commercial printer with files having the appropriate aspect ratio for the size print that I want them to produce. For example, if I want an 8 x
10, I need to crop the image so that its aspect ratio is 1.25.
I have been doing this by a painstaking trial-and-error method, but CS2 must offer an easy way to do it that I just haven’t been able to figure out yet. Nor can I find any "help" topic, tip or FAQ that explains how to
do it.

I would be very grateful for any help in getting on the track.
Thanks in advance —

Al,

You an achieve what you want with the crop tool. (C on the keyboard)You just have to input the width, height and resolution into the boxes on the options bar and voila, you can crop to the required ratio. You can use inches, pixels, centimetres et al as your units and the crop size can be saved a preset by clicking on the crop tool icon’s down pointing arrow that appeared on the option bar when you selected the crop tool. This will open a flyout showing the tool’s presets along with a right pointing arrow in the top right of the flyout. Hit this and you will be presented with a menu, at the top of which is "new tool preset". Select this and save the setting. You an make a preset crop tool for all your aspect ratios this way.

Having trouble with my "C" key.

MH

Mike, your explanation is very helpful and I have created and am using an 8 x 10 preset now. I am taking a CS2 class at my local community college and I find that I can do the exercises that I am led through just fine. However, when I start to do something "real" with one of my own images, I am soon plunged into unfamiliar territory and start floundering. Thanks for helping me with the 8×10 problem which we have not yet covered in class.