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- There are two simple ways to crop and edit photos on an iPhone or iPad.
- You can crop a picture using the automatic or manual method. Both methods require using the built-in Apple Photos app.
- You can revert the crop and restore the original image by using the Revert tool in the Photos app.
There’s no question that the iPhone and iPad can take some gorgeous pictures with the built-in Camera app which offers plenty of features and design options to make every photo as beautiful as possible.
However, you may need to crop some of your photos for many reasons. Maybe you want to spotlight yourself in a group shot or exclude a friend from the image. Whatever the reason, you can easily crop and edit pictures using the Photos app on the iPhone and iPad.
There’s no need to download any photo editing apps whatsoever. With the built-in Photos app, you can crop, rotate, add filters, adjust brightness, or straighten any of your pictures. You can also revert any cropped pictures to their original version. Here’s how:
Crop automatically
- Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Choose the photo you would like to crop.
- Click the Edit located in the upper-right of the screen.
- Click the crop button located in the lower right of your screen. It’s shaped like a square with two arrows encircling it.
- Click the crop box button located in the upper right. it’s shaped like three squares in one.
There are other editing button options placed at the top and bottom of the image that allows you to adjust aspect ratio, brightness, lighting, or reduce red-eye — you can play around with them to get your desired image. You can also select whether you want a vertical or horizontal crop. Once you’re satisfied with the changes, click Done at the bottom right.
Crop manually
Another option to crop a picture on your iPhone or iPad is to manually press and drag the border of the image. Here’s how to do it:
- Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Choose the photo you would like to crop.
- Click the Edit located in the upper-right of the screen.
- Click the crop button located in the lower right of your screen — shaped like a square with two arrows encircling it.
- When you click on the crop button, a white square box will outline the image corners. Drag anywhere around the edges towards the area you would like to feature, and away from the unnecessary part of the image you’ll like to cut off.
When you drag the white outline around the corners of the image, a 3×3 grid will overlay it to help you better position the image. When you’re happy with your final image, click Done at the bottom right.
To revert to the original image: change the crop ratio back again to the original ratio, or depending on your iPhone version, you will see a new “Revert” option in the bottom right written in red. Click on Revert to cancel the crop and restore the original image version.
Crop pictures on iPhone FAQs
Answer to related questions people also ask:
What does the crop button look like on iPhone?
The crop button (icon) on iPhone looks like a square with two arrows circling it. To crop a picture manually, tap the crop icon, then press and drag the corners and edges of the photo to crop it.
How can I write on my iPhone photos?
To write on your photos on iPhone: Go to Photos and choose the picture you want > tap Edit > tap Markup > tap the plus button to add shapes, text, and more > tap Done > again, tap Done.
Why won’t my iPhone let me crop pictures?
Check to see if “Optimize Photos” is turned on. Navigate to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Optimize Photos. If it’s on, you won’t be able to edit pictures on your iPhone. You may need to edit your photos in iCloud instead.
How can I blur a picture on my iPhone?
You can use the portrait mode in the iPhone’s built-in camera app to blur the background of your picture.