A fixed square without changing proportions
The cropper keeps a 1:1 frame and moves your original behind it. Cropping removes material outside the frame; resizing changes how many pixels represent the chosen area. Neither action stretches a rectangular face into a square.
Start from an original with enough space around the subject. If the top of the head or another required detail is already missing from the original, moving the crop cannot recover it. Retake the source instead of adding invented background.
Position, zoom and reset do different jobs
| Control | What it changes | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Drag the image | Moves the square's selected source area horizontally or vertically. | The subject is off-center but the current scale is useful. |
| Zoom | Uses a smaller region of the original for the same output frame. | You need tighter framing and have enough source detail. |
| Recenter | Centers the image without changing zoom. | You moved too far and want a centered starting position. |
| Reset zoom | Returns to 100% zoom and centers the image. | You want to start the crop again from the largest available square. |
Check what zoom does to resolution
Consider a 1200 x 800 original. At 100% zoom, the crop uses an 800-pixel-wide square. At 200% zoom, it uses roughly 400 source pixels across, then enlarges them to the fixed 600 x 600 output. The resolution check warns about that enlargement; the output dimensions alone do not prove that the source was sharp enough.
Choose the loosest crop that satisfies your actual framing instructions. For a document photo, compare your composition with the receiving authority's guidance rather than relying on the oval as automatic face detection.
Common framing problems
The head is cut off
Try reducing zoom and moving the image. If the required area still does not fit at 100%, use a source taken from farther away. The cropper cannot extend or replace the original background.
The subject looks too small
Increase zoom gradually and watch the source-resolution message. If you need a very tight crop from a small original, start with a higher-resolution photo rather than repeatedly enlarging an export.
The photo is sideways
This cropper does not include a rotation control. Rotate the original in your device's photo app, keep a copy of the unedited original, then upload the correctly oriented version.
The frame changes after rotating the phone
The interface resizes while preserving the selected source region. Check the new layout before downloading, especially if you are still adjusting the image with touch.
From crop to file or print
The preview is the selected 600 x 600 square. The single-image download encodes that selection as JPEG; the print download repeats it six times on a 1200 x 1800 sheet. Use the converter guide for input-format details or the printing guide for physical scaling.
Photos are processed locally, and the tool makes no background changes or cosmetic edits in any mode. The privacy policy separately explains ordinary page and tool-event analytics.
The guide is manual, not a compliance certificate
Passport and visa workflows can impose their own head-size, pose and background requirements. The cropper does not recognize or certify a face. Use the preparation checklist and verify the official instructions for your application.