Cropping Singapore

Since we could choose any photo we took with distracting elements, I decided to use one of the pictures that I took in Singapore that had some distracting elements. This shot is of the tops of the old colonial-style government buildings featuring the Arts House in the foreground and the main dome of The National Gallery of Singapore the next layer behind.

Originally, the shot was supposed to utilize the framing aesthetic. However, the framing elements (trees) just didn’t add to the shot — they distracted from the subject (the dome). So instead of having the dome framed by the trees, we are going to crop them out.


First, we need to select the crop tool and select the 1x1 Square Crop ratio to ensure a proportional crop.


This crop focuses the viewer’s focus on the dome and the interesting architecture surrounding it.

The next step is to add a Levels mask to the sky only. Adjusting the levels makes the sky more dynamic as clouds are more defined and blues are less grey. I used the brush tool to remove the mask from the buildings.


The last step was to add another Vibrance mask layer to just make the colors pop more. This was applied to the entire picture, not just the sky.


I think this final image is a much better representative of the interesting colonial architecture than the original uncropped photo. Of course, I do wish the photo featured more of the architecture, but unfortunately, the crop just couldn't allow for much more to be shown without also displaying the trees. However, with the adjustments of the crop, Levels mask, and Vibrance mask, I do think the photo has been improved!


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