Crop a picture to a specific size with Paint.Net

Posted on:  11/10/2018
Crop a picture to a specific size with Paint.Net

To make an image a specific width and height, say 200 x 150, you can use a free program called Paint.Net. Paint.Net will allow you to crop the image and use a fixed ratio. This is handy for profile pictures. Google may require 1000 x 1000. The ideal Facebook profile photo size is 360 x 360 pixels. The ideal LinkedIn profile picture size is 400 x 400 pixels. 

As the YouTube video below shows, you can't just resize an image that is 2,900 x 2,400 to 360 x 360. This is why fixed ratio cropping is needed. 

Steps to crop using fixed ratio in Paint.Net

  1. Drag or open an image in Paint.Net. We are going to resize an image to 250 x 180.
  2. Click the rectangle Select in Tools. The keyboard shortcut is the letter S.
  3. Change normal to fixed ratio.
  4. Adjust the width and height and drag on your image.
  5. Select Image - Crop to Selection. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + X.
  6. Select Image - Resize. Make sure Maintain Aspect Ratio is checked. Type in your width and the height will be correct automatically. Click OK and File - Save As. Name the new file.

YouTube Video of Cropping an image to a specific size

Chris Menard

Chris Menard is a Microsoft Trainer (MCT) and works as a full-time Trainer at BakerHostetler - one of the largest law firms in the US. Chris runs a YouTube channel with 900+ technology videos that cover various tools such as Excel, Word, Zoom, Teams, Gmail, Copilot, Google Calendar, and Outlook. To date, the channel has helped over 20 million viewers. Menard also does 2 to 3 public speaking events yearly, presenting at the Administrative Professional Conference (APC), the EA Ignite Conference, the University of Georgia, and CPA conferences. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://chrismenardtraining.com/linkedin or watch his videos on YouTube at https://chrismenardtraining.com/youtube.

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