How to Crop and Expand Images Using AI in Photoshop

Adjusting your images to fit specific aspect ratios is crucial for prints, social media, and various digital formats. Photoshop’s tools, combined with generative AI, simplify this process by enabling you to expand the image as needed.

Coming to you from Aaron Nace with Phlearn, this comprehensive video covers how to crop your images to precise ratios and use generative fill to add missing parts seamlessly. Nace begins by walking you through the Crop Tool, emphasizing settings that ensure you can always revert your changes later. He advises unchecking “Delete Cropped Pixels,” which retains the original data for future adjustments. For images that need resizing beyond their original dimensions, the “Generative Expand” setting is key. This feature uses AI to fill in gaps, creating a natural extension of your image.

A standout feature of this tutorial is its demonstration of generative AI to fill areas when expanding a crop. For instance, if you’re creating a square or 16×9 ratio and parts of the canvas lack content, Photoshop generates realistic additions based on your existing image. Nace showcases examples where backgrounds and edges are extended seamlessly, making it possible to create new compositions without compromising the subject. This capability proves particularly helpful for adjusting compositions for platforms like Instagram Stories, where vertical 16×9 crops are often required.

The flexibility of custom ratios is another highlight. Beyond preset options like 4×6 or 5×7, you can input any dimensions you need directly into the Crop Tool. If the AI doesn’t automatically fill blank areas, Nace demonstrates how to use tools like the Rectangular Marquee in combination with generative fill to address gaps. This ensures you can create polished outputs even when working with unconventional crops or incomplete edges. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Nace.