How to crop a photo to 3:4

A 3:4 portrait crop is one of the most common photo shapes: taller than it is wide, with a width to height ratio of 3:4. It is the portrait form of the 4:3 shape many phone cameras shoot, and the shape of 3 x 4 inch prints. The steps below crop any photo to 3:4 in your browser on ImageTool.us, with no upload and no signup.

1. Step 1: pick a photo and keep the original

Start with the photo you want to crop — any common format works (JPG, PNG, or WebP). Keep a clean copy of the original before you begin: cropping removes pixels, and the cut-off parts are not in the downloaded copy, so the only way to get the full photo back is to start over from the original. The original on your device is never changed; the tool only makes a new cropped copy for you to download.

2. Step 2: open the tool and upload your photo

Open the Crop to 3:4 tool and upload your photo — click to choose it, or drag and drop it onto the page. The original appears in the preview on the left. Nothing is uploaded: the file stays on your device and the work happens in your browser.

3. Step 3: pick JPG or PNG, then click Crop to 3:4

Choose the output format first: JPG is the default and suits photos you will share or post, because the files are smaller; PNG keeps a lossless copy and keeps transparency, but the files are larger. Then click Crop to 3:4. The tool cuts the largest 3:4 shape it can from the center of your photo, at the photo's original resolution — nothing is stretched and nothing is resized. The result appears next to your original so you can compare them before saving. If your photo is already 3:4, it is returned unchanged.

4. Step 4: check the preview and save the result

Look at the sides before you download: on a landscape photo, the crop cuts from the left and right edges, and on a tall photo, it cuts from the top and bottom. Make sure your subject is still fully in the frame and nothing important was cut off. When you are happy with it, tap Download below the result to save the new copy — it is called cropped-3x4.jpg or cropped-3x4.png, depending on the format you picked.

What 3:4 is

3:4 is a portrait ratio: for every 3 units of width, the photo is 4 units tall. It is the portrait form of the 4:3 shape that many phone cameras shoot by default, turned on its side. You meet it everywhere: 3 x 4 inch prints, portrait photos, ID and passport-style headshots, and phone wallpapers. It is taller than a square but not as tall and narrow as 9:16, which makes it a comfortable middle ground — upright enough to feel like a portrait, but wide enough that a subject does not feel squeezed. A few examples of what the crop produces: a 4000 x 3000 px photo becomes 2250 x 3000 px, a 1920 x 1080 px photo becomes 810 x 1080 px, and a 2000 x 3000 px photo becomes 2000 x 2667 px.

When 3:4 is the right ratio

3:4 suits portraits, headshots, and prints first of all — a single person fills the frame naturally, with room above the head and below the shoulders. It also works well for product photos, book covers, and phone wallpapers, where a slightly tall frame looks better than a square. It is a poor choice for wide scenes: a landscape or a group photo loses a lot from the sides, and the result can feel cramped. For those, a landscape ratio such as 4:3 or 16:9 keeps more of the scene. And if the photo is meant for a social feed, check the platform first — some feeds prefer square or 4:5, so crop to the ratio the platform actually shows.

Keep the subject in the center

The tool crops from the center of the image, so the middle of your photo is what survives. Before you crop, check where your subject sits: if the person or object is in the middle, the crop will keep it. If the subject is off to one side — a person standing at the left edge of a wide photo, for example — the center crop may cut them off entirely. In that case, crop the photo in the Image Editor first, where you can choose which part to keep, and then run the result through the 3:4 tool. The same rule applies to tall photos: a very tall photo loses its top and bottom, so check that heads and feet are still in the frame before you download.

Other crop ratios on ImageTool.us

3:4 is one of several portrait ratios on the site, and the right one depends on the photo. Crop to 5:4 is wider and closer to a square, which suits prints and portraits that need a little more width. Crop to 2:3 is taller and narrower, the classic portrait ratio for full-body shots. Crop to 4:5 sits between 3:4 and square and is the ratio many social feeds show. Crop to Square makes a 1:1 photo for profile pictures and feeds — the square crop guide explains when a square works best. For any other ratio, the Image Cropper handles 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 3:2, 2:3, 4:3, 5:4, and 4:5. If the photo needs to be a specific size in pixels rather than a ratio, use the Image Resizer after cropping, and the Image Converter if you need a different file format afterward. For the differences between formats, see the JPG vs PNG vs WebP guide.

Honest limits

• Cropping removes pixels. The result is never larger than the original — a small photo stays small, and a wide photo becomes narrower. If you need a bigger image, cropping cannot help; it only cuts away.
• Center crop only. The tool always cuts from the center of the image; it does not let you choose which part to keep. If your subject is off-center, crop it in the Image Editor first.
• Very wide photos lose a lot from the sides. A panoramic or very wide landscape can lose half its width to reach 3:4, and the result may feel cramped. A landscape ratio suits those photos better.
• The crop cannot be undone from the downloaded file. The cut-off parts are not in the copy, so check the preview before downloading and keep your original if you may want a different crop later.
• 3:4 is a shape, not a size. The tool keeps your photo's original resolution, so the pixel dimensions depend on the photo you start with. If you need exact pixels — for example, 900 x 1200 — resize the cropped result afterward.

Common mistakes

• Cropping a photo with the subject at the edge — a center crop cuts the sides first, so a person standing at the left or right edge can disappear. Check the preview, or crop in the Editor first.
• Forgetting to keep the original — if you want a different ratio later, you need the full photo. Keep it before you crop.
• Using 3:4 for a wide group photo — the sides get cut and people at the ends vanish. A landscape ratio keeps the whole group.
• Downloading without comparing with the original — the preview sits next to the original for a reason. Check that the subject is fully in the frame before you save.
• Expecting the crop to enlarge the photo — cropping only removes. A small photo stays small, and no crop can add detail that was not there.

Quick checklist

• Original clean copy kept before cropping.
• Subject in the middle of the photo, so the center crop keeps it.
• Format picked: JPG for sharing, PNG for a lossless copy or transparency.
• Preview checked: subject fully in frame, nothing important cut off at the sides, top, or bottom.
• Downloaded as cropped-3x4.jpg or cropped-3x4.png.
• Need exact pixels afterward? Resize the cropped result with the Image Resizer.

Your images never leave your device on ImageTool.us: every tool runs entirely in your browser. No upload, no signup, no watermark.