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How to crop a case photo cleanly
If you want to compare multiple photos side by side like a case photo, it will be easier to compare if the composition, balance, and ratio of the photos are the same.
However, even if you intend to shoot with the image of a fixed composition and size to be used, there are many cases where you have to hurry to shoot, such as when the next treatment is scheduled immediately after the shooting, and after the shooting is over, I should have taken it more like this, "maybe I regret it.
Also, have you ever put a burden on your customers because you asked them to take multiple pictures, such as taking a close-up of a certain part in addition to taking the whole picture?
For various other reasons, you may only be able to take an unwilling composition. It will be false if you process the photo, but I will introduce a method to make the case photo that could not be taken well look beautiful by using trimming that can change the composition instead of processing.
Table of contents
Trimming allows you to leave only the parts you need
"Crop" is to cut out a part of an image (photo) and leave only the necessary part. Depending on the trimming, the impression of the same image will change. Cropping, which allows you to omit unnecessary information and narrow down to the part you want to convey in the image, is also effective for case photographs.
You may have heard the word "trimming" at dog "trimming salons". "Trimming" is sometimes called "cutting out" because dog trimming is used to cut dog hair.
Impression of an image that changes so much with trimming
By making full use of trimming, you can change the vertical and horizontal composition of the image, or cut out only the necessary part and intentionally use only a part of the original image.
You can change the composition
If you post the two case photos you want to compare on the homepage with the vertical and horizontal compositions disjointed, the page will be inconsistent and uncoordinated. This is because the aspect ratio of a photo has the effect of emphasizing the elements on the long side, and changing the aspect ratio of a photo changes the impression that the person viewing the photo has, even for the same subject.
However, even if the composition changes before and after the procedure, you can still align the composition by trimming as long as you take a picture so that the necessary parts are included without omission. Let's check with the following trimming example.
- Vertical composition photo to horizontal composition
- Horizontal composition photo to vertical composition
You can have photos with different compositions
- Slightly smaller and to the right
- Slightly large and close to the center
- Unify the above photos with the same position and the same ratio
Background information can be eliminated
If there is extra information in the background, the impression of the background may remain large, but it is possible to eliminate the extra information by trimming.
- Eliminate extra background from photos with a lot of background information
If extra information is reflected in the background in the case photo, trim the background so that you can see the difference before and after the procedure.
You can enlarge the part you need
If you shoot with a high-quality digital camera, you can crop and enlarge only a specific part. After taking a picture of the entire face, you don't have to take the close-up again, so it doesn't put an extra burden on the patient.
- By taking a close-up photo of your face, you can enlarge your eyes and use it.
Tips for trimming case photos by site
The optimum trimming method varies depending on the part. Also, depending on the trimming method, it is possible to focus on a specific part.
It depends on the case, but we will introduce the trimming method that "this looks beautiful" for each part.
Trimming the entire face
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- It's stuffy when the whole screen is a face
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- It is safe to have a margin (space) around the face
Trimming around the eyes
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- It is difficult to understand the points if there is space around the eyes
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- You can concentrate only on your eyes
Trimming the nose
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- If it is too high, your eyes will go to your nostrils.
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- Eyes go all over the nose
Trimming the mouth
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- I can imagine what it looks like, but I have eyes other than my lips
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- You can pay attention only to the lips
Extra: A good "blindfold" method (in the case of a nasolabial fold case photo)
In order to protect personal information, we will often publish case photos with hidden eyes. However, depending on how you blindfold, your eyes may become more noticeable.
For example, in the case of a case photograph of the nasolabial fold, if you trim the eye area, you can hide the eye area in a natural way and it will be easier to see the nasolabial fold.
Body trimming
The trick to keep in mind when cropping a body photo is to remove the "joints" and crop as shown in the figure below.
Trimming with joints creates an unnatural and uneasy composition. Be careful not to cut at "joints" such as the neck, elbows, and knees.
Introducing software and apps that can be trimmed
When trimming, you need special software (app for smartphones), but recently, the number of services that can be used for free on the Internet is increasing. Some software for PCs and smartphone apps can be used for free, so here are some popular ones.
In addition, from June 1, 2018, the medical advertising guidelines have been updated, and images with processed images or images with different shooting conditions before and after treatment fall under "hype" and cannot be posted. I will. Be careful not to perform any processing other than trimming.
Composition is also important to convey the intention in the image
On the homepage and Instagram, in addition to case photos, there are many opportunities to post everyday situations such as new machines and products, the situation inside the clinic, and the nice scenery you found on the go.
In that case, please do not post the photo you took as it is, but try using trimming.
The persuasiveness and image of a photo will change depending on how it is cropped.
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- 《No trimming》 Looks messy
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- << With trimming >> For a clean impression
If you compare the photos in the same clinic with and without cropping, you can see that the cropping makes the point of view fixed.
In addition to trimming, what kind of composition is important to convey the intention in the image.
Next time, I will tell you more about the specific composition.
Supervision: Photographer Miho Takeuchi
