One photo, two compositions: plan a square and a wide banner

Write down two independent deliverables

Imagine a photograph of a handmade ceramic mug on a table. You need a 1200 × 1200 square and a 1200 × 628 wide graphic. These are example deliverables, not universal platform requirements. Check the destination’s current specifications before using the numbers. Save the untouched 4000 × 3000 original separately from both exports.

The square may show the mug and its handle closely. The wide version may need additional table space for a surrounding page layout. Record the subject that must remain visible, including the handle, rim and any label. If a crop cannot retain those features, choose another source or a composition with padding instead of stretching the object.

Calculate the square from the original

A centered square can use the full 3000-pixel source height. Its left offset is (4000 − 3000) ÷ 2 = 500 pixels; its top offset is zero. Enter Left 500, Top 0, Width 3000 and Height 3000 in the crop tool. Inspect the preview before applying: mathematical centering does not guarantee that the subject is centered.

Download that crop and open it in Resize. With proportions preserved, reduce it to 1200 × 1200. The scale factor is 1200 ÷ 3000 = 0.4. Use a descriptive name such as mug-square-1200-v1.jpg so the file’s role is clear when another export is open beside it.

Source: 4000 × 3000
Square crop: left 500, top 0, width 3000, height 3000
Scale: 0.4
Final square: 1200 × 1200

Return to the source for the wide version

Reopen the original rather than the square download. One exact whole-pixel crop for a 1200:628 ratio is 3600 × 1884. A centered placement has Left 200 and Top 558 because (4000 − 3600) ÷ 2 = 200 and (3000 − 1884) ÷ 2 = 558. Dividing both crop dimensions by three gives the requested banner.

Move the rectangle if the handle falls outside it, keeping its width and height unchanged. Browser image processing distinguishes the selected source rectangle from the destination dimensions; MDN documents these separately. Changing the selected scene and changing the number of output pixels solve different parts of this task.

Source: 4000 × 3000
Wide crop: left 200, top 558, width 3600, height 1884
Scale: 1/3
Final banner: 1200 × 628

MDN: source crop rectangles and destination image dimensions ↗

Compare the two downloaded compositions

Place the outputs side by side at their intended display size. Check whether the mug still reads as the same product, whether a circle looks round, and whether the crop accidentally removes a meaningful feature. Inspect a smaller preview as well: an image can be sharp at full size while its subject becomes unclear in a compact card.

Only then optimize bytes if the destination requires it. Compare the compressed version with its same-dimension predecessor. If a target-size operation also reduces dimensions, recheck the deliverable. Keep the two approved filenames and crop coordinates with the original; a future revision can then repeat the composition without guessing.

1. Confirm each destination’s exact dimensions.
2. Crop the square from the original and resize it.
3. Reopen the original for the independent wide crop.
4. Check subject, proportions, downloaded dimensions and bytes.
5. Retain the original and the two approved export records.