Simple step-by-step instructions describing how to crop your photos including: what to cut off, what to keep and what never to crop.

Difficulty Level: Easy      Time Required: 1-2 minutes per photo

1. Begin by choosing the photos you wish to crop for your album page.
2. Determine how much of the photo is necessary to create focus and unify the theme of your page, i.e. you don't need that stranger that stepped into the picture of your children in the park.
3. Do not remove anything from your photo that has historical significance.
4. Choose a shape for the photo. Some ideas include: ovals, circles, hearts, and geometrics (including squares and rectangles).
5. Cut the shape using a circle or oval cutter, trace the shape from a template and use scissors, or use a paper trimmer to remove straight sections of the photo.
6. To remove harsh corners (if desired) use a corner punch to round them or add other corner details, or use decorative scissors to cut across the corner at a 45 degree angle.
7. Repeat these steps for each photo, keeping in mind the theme you have chosen for your page (possibly even a shape driven theme i.e. all ovals or circles).  
   

1. NEVER cut Polaroid photos; the chemicals in them will leak out and destroy the picture and your page.
2. You may choose not to crop Heritage photos, keeping them all exactly as they were handed down to you for scrapbooking.
3. Remember that the purpose of cropping is to create focus for the eye and to save room on each scrapbook page.