Photoshop Crop Image To Circle Tutorial

How to Crop Images in a Circle Shape with Photoshop

Tired of cropping your photos as rectangles and squares? Larn how easy it is to crop images as circles with Photoshop, and how to save the circumvolve with a transparent background then the image looks bang-up in a blueprint or on the spider web! A pace-by-step tutorial for Photoshop CC 2021 and earlier.

When cropping images in Photoshop, nosotros normally think of rectangle or squares. That's because the Crop Tool in Photoshop has no other options. Just who says nosotros need to use the Crop Tool? Photoshop makes it just every bit easy to crop images using pick tools. And to crop an paradigm in a circle, the Elliptical Marquee Tool is all nosotros need.

In this tutorial, I show you how to ingather images equally circles, and how to save the circle with a transparent background so you tin can place it in any pattern or upload information technology to the web!

I'thousand using Photoshop 2021 simply you can follow along with any contempo version.

Here'south what the image cropped in a circle will look like when nosotros're done, consummate with transparent corners so it will work on any background:

How to crop an image as a circle in Photoshop

The final outcome.

Allow'southward become started!

How to ingather an image into a circle shape

Step one: Open up your paradigm

First by opening your paradigm into Photoshop. I'll use this image from Adobe Stock:

The original image that will be cropped into a circle in Photoshop

The original image. Photograph credit: Adobe Stock.

Related: How to get your images into Photoshop

Step 2: Unlock the Groundwork layer

In the Layers panel, the image appears on the Background layer:

Photoshop's Layers panel showing the image on the Background layer.

Photoshop's Layers console.

Before cropping the image to a circle, the Background layer needs to be converted into a normal layer. That's because the areas around the circle will need to be transparent, and Background layers do not back up transparency.

To convert the Background layer to a normal layer, merely click on its lock icon. If y'all're using an older version of Photoshop and clicking the lock icon does not piece of work, printing and agree the Alt (Win) / Pick (Mac) fundamental on your keyboard and double-click on the Background layer:

Unlocking the Background layer by clicking the lock icon in Photoshop's Layers panel

Clicking the lock icon.

Photoshop renames the Background layer to "Layer 0" and we're fix to crop the paradigm into a circle:

The Background layer has been converted to a normal layer

The Background layer is now a normal layer.

Step 3: Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool

Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the toolbar. Past default, the Elliptical Marquee Tool is hiding behind the Rectangular Marquee Tool. So you'll need to right-click (Win) / Command-click (Mac) on the Rectangular Marquee Tool so cull the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the menu:

Selecting the Elliptical Marquee Tool in Photoshop's toolbar

Selecting the Elliptical Marquee Tool.

Stride 4: Describe a round choice outline

Click on your image and begin dragging out an elliptical selection outline. To forcefulness the selection outline into a perfect circle, press and concur the Shift central on your keyboard as yous drag.

Don't worry virtually getting the circumvolve'southward location within the prototype exactly right. Nosotros'll move it into position in the next stride. For now, merely brand sure the circle is big enough to surround the expanse you desire to go along.

When you're washed, release your mouse button and so release the Shift central. Make sure you release your mouse button commencement, and then the Shift key, or the selection outline will snap back into a freeform elliptical shape:

Dragging a circular selection outline around the area I want to keep.

Press and concord Shift and elevate out a circular selection outline.

Pace five: Reposition the option outline

To reposition the selection outline around your subject field, click inside the outline and elevate it into identify. Hither I'one thousand moving it to center the woman's confront within the circle. This is the area I desire to keep. The rest of the image outside the circumvolve will be cropped abroad.

Note that in the screenshot beneath, the magenta line running from top to bottom through the image is only ane of Photoshop's Smart Guides, telling me that the selection outline is at present vertically centered in the document. Smart Guides disappear when you release your mouse push:

Centering my subject within the circular selection outline in Photoshop

Click and elevate the circular selection outline into place.

Footstep six: Invert the selection

The only problem is that nosotros've selected the area within the circle, when what we really need is to select everything exterior the circle, since that'south the area we want to crop abroad.

To prepare that, invert the pick by going upwards to the Select menu in the Menu Bar and choosing Inverse:

Choosing Inverse from the Select menu in Photoshop.

Going to Select > Changed.

Step seven: Delete the image exterior the circle

Then with the selection inverted, delete the expanse around the circle by pressing the Backspace (Win) / Delete (Mac) key on your keyboard. The deleted area is replaced with a checkerboard design which is how Photoshop represents transparency.

If the deleted area becomes white instead of transparent, or Photoshop opens the Fill dialog box, information technology'south most likely because you forgot to unlock the Background layer back in Step 1:

Press Backspace (Win) / Delete (Mac) to delete the image around the circle.

Press Backspace (Win) / Delete (Mac) to delete the image around the circle.

Nosotros don't need our selection outline anymore, and then remove it by going up to the Select menu and choosing Deselect:

Choosing the Deselect command from the Select menu in Photoshop.

Going to Select > Deselect.

Footstep 8: Ingather abroad the transparent areas

To ingather the image around the circle and trim away the transparent areas, go upward to the Image card and choose Trim:

Choosing the Trim command from the Image menu in Photoshop.

Going to Image > Trim.

Then in the Trim dialog box, cull Transparent Pixels at the superlative, and brand sure that Top, Bottom, Left and Right are all selected at the bottom:

Selecting Transparent Pixels in Photoshop's Trim dialog box

The Trim options.

Click OK to close the Trim dialog box, and Photoshop instantly trims away the surrounding transparent areas, leaving united states with our image cropped as a circle.

Since the corners are transparent, any background nosotros place the prototype onto volition show through the corners while the image in the circumvolve remains visible:

An image cropped as a circle in Photoshop.

The prototype is at present cropped to a circumvolve.

Pace 9: Relieve the image as a PNG file

To proceed those corners transparent, we need to save the epitome in a file format that supports transparency. The JPEG format does not, but PNG does. And PNG is widely supported in spider web browsers, making it a great pick.

To save the image as a PNG file, go upwards to the File menu and choose Save As:

Choosing Save As from the File menu in Photoshop.

Going to File > Save Equally.

In the most recent versions of Photoshop, you'll exist asked if you want to save the file to your figurer or as a cloud document. Choose Salvage on your computer:

The Save on your computer or to cloud documents dialog box in Photoshop

Choosing the "Save on your computer" option.

And then in the Relieve Every bit dialog box, prepare the Format choice to PNG. Name your file, cull where y'all want to save information technology, then click Save:

Saving the cropped image as a PNG file in Photoshop's Save As dialog box

Saving the cropped image as a PNG file.

Finally, in the PNG Format Options, choose Smallest file size and and so click OK to salve the paradigm:

The PNG Format Options dialog box.

Saving the PNG file at the smallest size.

And there we accept it! That'southward how to crop an image in a circle in Photoshop! And that brings us to the end of our series on cropping images in Photoshop!

You tin leap to any of the other lessons in this Cropping Images in Photoshop series. Or visit our Photoshop Basics department for more topics!