Figma Crop Images Explained - Perfect Your Visuals Effortlessly

Why should you crop images

• Improve composition and balance: Cropping enables you to align elements and guide the audience's attention efficiently within the frame. This results in symmetry and balance, ensuring that your visuals are structured and aesthetically appealing.
• Remove unwanted distractions or backgrounds: By filtering out unnecessary parts, you eliminate the clutter that draws the focus away from the key subject. This allows you to maintain a clean and professional look in your image or design.
• Highlight key subjects or details: Cropping enables you to zoom in on the most vital areas, which makes the subject more prominent. It improves overall clarity, ensuring that the audience immediately notices what matters most.
• Fit specific design dimensions: Different platforms require particular image sizes, so cropping ensures that your visuals fit perfectly without any distortion. In this way, your design remains consistent across all websites, social media platforms, and print materials.
• Enhance overall aesthetic appeal: A well-cropped photo appears more polished, professional, and visually appealing. Thus, it enhances the overall appearance of the project, thereby improving how audiences perceive your work.

There are numerous benefits of cropping images. One of the best tools for cropping images is Figma. Let's explore how to crop images in Figma below.

What is Figma

Figma is a powerful online design tool, widely used by professionals for creating user interfaces, prototypes, and collaborative design projects. It enables multiple users to work together in real-time, making teamwork smooth and effortless. One of its most practical features is cropping, which allows designers to adjust visuals accurately within frames for cleaner layouts.

Key features of Figma

• Adjustable frame cropping: Figma enables you to crop images within frames with ease by resizing or repositioning them. This will allow you to control how much of the image appears in the design, resulting in perfect adjustment and tones.
• Shape mask cropping: Figma enables you to crop images using various shapes, including circles, rectangles, or custom paths. This makes it perfect for profile pictures, thumbnails, and design mockups requiring unique visual styles.
• Quick crop adjustments with bounding controls: Figma offers intuitive bounding box handles, making it effortless to resize or crop images directly on the canvas. Thus, you can adjust the framing without opening any extra panels, ensuring efficient workflow.
• Real-time collaboration on cropped images: Figma offers team collaboration features, enabling multiple users to crop, resize, or reposition the same image simultaneously. This makes teamwork efficient and ensures that all design edits are updated quickly.

Method 1: Crop a standalone image

STEP 1
1. Select and highlight the image

To crop images in Figma, start by selecting the "Place image/video" option and choosing the image you want to crop. Ensuring that it's highlighted indicates that it is ready for customization.

STEP 2
1. Open the Fill settings panel

Head to the right-hand sidebar and locate the "Fill" section. Click on the image thumbnail to open the fill settings. Here, you can access the image adjustment options.

STEP 3
1. Switch fill type to crop

Within the Fill settings, click on the drop-down menu next to image preview and select the "Crop" option from the list. This will activate the cropping mode, enabling you to drag the edges or corners to adjust the visible portions of your image. Once satisfied with the final cropping, press the "Enter" button or click anywhere outside the image to apply the crop.

Method 2: Masking an image with a shape

STEP 1
1. Place the image and add a shape

To begin with, insert the image you want to crop onto the Figma canvas. Next, draw a shape, such as a circle, rectangle, ellipse, or custom shape, on top of the image. This will define the visible area of the cropping.

STEP 2
1. Send the shape layer to the back

Right-click on the shape and select the "Send to back" option. This will automatically move the shape layer behind the photo, ensuring proper stacking before applying masking.

STEP 3
1. Apply the use as mask tool

Select both the image and the shape together by clicking and dragging over them. After that, click the "Use as mask" icon from the top toolbar. Your image will then quickly crop to the shape's boundary.

STEP 4
1. Adjust shape and image

Double-click on the masked group to adjust either the image or the shape as required. You can reposition, reshape, and resize both elements for precise and high-quality results.

Method 3: Filling a shape with an image

STEP 1
1. Create and select a shape

Start by creating a shape on your Figma canvas with the "Shape" tools drop-down menu. You can select any shape, such as a polygon, rectangle, or circle, depending on your specific design needs.

STEP 2
1. Change Fill type to image

Once you have selected your shape, go to the "Fill" section on the right-hand design panel. Next, click the color box to open the pop-up panel and change the "Fill" type from Solid to Image. Click the "Choose image" option and upload your desired photo.

STEP 3
1. Adjust the image using crop

If you wish to reposition or resize the image within the shape, switch the "Fill" mode from "Image" to "Crop." Use the crop handles to drag and adjust the image's dimensions.

STEP 4
1. Resize and align shape

Close the pop-up panel and select the group that contains your image and shape. Carefully, drag the edges or corners to resize and align the shape with your design perfectly. This method yields a clean and precise image fill without the need for masking layers.

Method 4: Filling text with an image

STEP 1
1. Add and select text

Begin by selecting the "Text" tool in the Figma main toolbar. Next, click and drag to make a text box on your canvas. After that, type your desired text. Ensure that the text layer is selected before proceeding.

STEP 2
1. Change Fill type to image

From the "Design" panel on the right-hand side, go to the "Fill" section and click the color box. From the drop-down menu in the top-left corner of the pop-up, change Solid to Image. After that, click the "Choose image" button to upload or select the image.

STEP 3
1. Adjust the image inside the text

To crop images in Figma within the text, change the "Fill" mode to "Crop." Utilize the blue handles to adjust the placement and dimensions.

STEP 4
1. Refine text and alignment

Once the image looks fine, close the "Fill" pop-up. After that, you can edit the text content, alignment, and tone, while the image remains inside the text.

Figma is an excellent tool for cropping images. However, its main limitation is that it requires high system requirements and doesn't contain advanced editing and AI tools to polish the visuals. So, if you are seeking a feature-rich light-weight alternative for cropping and editing photos, CapCut is the best choice.

Lightweight alternative: Crop and edit images using CapCut AI

CapCut is a versatile video editing software, renowned for its powerful editing and AI-powered features. It is also an excellent tool for cropping and enhancing images, as it offers features such as AI design and a cropping tool to create attractive images. You can further enhance the photos with a variety of editing and AI-powered features, like background remover, inpaint, expand, remove, and upscale. Try CapCut today and utilize its advanced editing features to create picture-perfect images with a few clicks.

Key features

• AI design: Utilize CapCut's AI design feature to transform your text prompts into visually appealing images, leveraging AI engines like Seedream 4.0 and Nano Banana.
• Cropping tool: CapCut's built-in cropping tool enables precise resizing, trimming, and composition of images, ensuring perfect visuals.
• Editing tools: Enhance your cropped images with a variety of editing tools, like filters, effects, stickers, frames, and designs, to make them visually appealing.
• AI tools: Enhance your photos with AI tools, such as inpaint, expand, remove, and upscale, to make your designs more visually appealing.
• Multiple export formats: You can export the final image in various export formats, such as JPEG or PNG, ensuring compatibility across different platforms.

Steps to use CapCut for cropping and making attractive images

STEP 1
1. Access the AI design feature

First, open CapCut and select the "AI design" tool from the left-hand panel. Next, write a clear and detailed prompt of your image in the provided dialogue. Once satisfied with the picture, click the "Send" option to generate it.

STEP 2
1. Crop and enhance the image

Once the image has been generated, select the "Crop" tool icon to resize the image. Resize it as needed using the adjustment handles. You can also use the "Auto crop" option for automatic cropping.

Once cropped, click the tick to save the changes.

STEP 3
1. Export the AI-generated image

Once satisfied with the AI-generated image, click the "Download" option at the top of the screen. Next, click "Download" to download the image or "Copy as PNG" to copy it.

Top 5 design tips for cropping images

• Focus on the subject: Always ensure that the subject is the focal point when cropping out unnecessary areas. A well-centered subject focuses on its proper place. Use CapCut's cropping tool to center your subject easily.
• Follow the rule of thirds: Align the elements along the grid line for visual harmony and balance. This strategy adds depth and interest to your image. Using CapCut, you can enable the grid overlays for perfect composition.
• Maintain the aspect ratios: Avoid distorting your photo by keeping a consistent aspect ratio across different platforms. This ensures a consistent and professional look. CapCut's ratio presets allow you to maintain the exact ratio with ease.
• Eliminate visual distractions: Remove unnecessary objects or backgrounds that draw attention away from the key subject. A clean frame enhances impact and clarity. Utilize CapCut's background remover to remove unnecessary backgrounds and distractions with one click.
• Leave breathing space: Remember not to crop too tightly; leave some space around the subject for a natural and balanced appearance. It gives your design some breathing space. Using CapCut's adjustable cropping handles, you can ensure that the space feels just right.

Cropping images in Figma is essential for achieving precision, clarity, and visual balance in your design projects. This article discusses the benefits and the top 4 ways to crop images in Figma, including trimming a standalone image, masking an image with a shape, filling a shape with an image, and filling text with an image. Although Figma is an excellent tool for image cropping, its primary limitations are that it requires high system resources and lacks advanced editing features. If you are looking for a feature-rich, lightweight tool for cropping images, consider CapCut, which offers impressive features, including AI design, a cropping tool, and editing tools. Get CapCut now and utilize its advanced editing features to make captivating visuals with minimal effort.

FAQs

1
1. Does cropping affect image resolution or quality in Figma?

Cropping doesn't alter the original resolution of your image; it just hides the unwanted parts while keeping the file's native quality. However, scaling the cropped image too much can make it look blurry or pixelated. To maintain quality, always use high-resolution images. If you want to increase resolution or upscale your cropped images with AI, CapCut's "Upscale" tool is the best choice. You can further export the photo in high resolution of 8K.

2
1. How do I maintain the image proportions while cropping an image to a circle in Figma?

To maintain proportions while cropping images in Figma, hold the "Shift" button while resizing your shape or image. This will lock the aspect ratio, resulting in perfect symmetry when cropping to a circle. After that, you align the content within the circular frame accurately. For advanced shape editing and automatic proportion control, CapCut's AI design tool offers smart cropping with perfect alignment for various sizes.

3
1. Can I create a custom shortcut for cropping images in Figma?

No. Currently, Figma doesn't let users create custom shortcuts for cropping. You will need to access the "Fill" option, then "Crop" from the right-hand panel to manually trim the size. However, you can streamline your workflow with the help of Figma plugins or pre-set UI templates. For quicker cropping, CapCut offers a cropping tool that allows you to adjust the image size with adjustable cropping handles instantly.