Cropping removes the parts of a screenshot that distract from your message. It can turn a desktop capture into a focused bug report, isolate a chart for a presentation, or remove a blank border around a picture. In the lightingshot editor, you drag a rectangle around the area to keep. The crop takes effect as soon as you release the pointer.

This is a manual crop workflow. You choose the boundaries visually; this release does not provide a numeric width field, preset aspect ratios, or automatic subject detection. Image processing happens locally in your browser.

Decide what the reader still needs

Start by naming the subject of the screenshot. For a chart, keep the title, axes, units, and relevant legend. For an error message, keep the message and enough interface to show where it appeared. For a support request, a small section of the application may be more helpful than either the full desktop or a very tight crop of one unexplained button.

Leave a little space around the target, especially if you plan to add a text label. Cropping directly against a character or icon can make the result look accidental. Conversely, an empty sidebar or unrelated browser tabs rarely help someone understand a small interface issue.

Crop your image step by step

  1. Import the original. Open the editor, select 导入图片 (Import image), and choose your local screenshot. If you have unsaved work in the current canvas, export it first: importing a new file replaces the canvas and its edit history.
  2. Fit the image on screen. Use 适合窗口 (Fit to window) at the lower right to see the picture's width. For a very tall image, scroll through the workspace to inspect the section you want. The zoom controls affect your view rather than the exported dimensions.
  3. Select the crop tool. Click 裁剪 (Crop) in the left toolbar. Start at one corner of the area to keep, then drag to the opposite corner. The dashed rectangle shows your selection while you drag.
  4. Release to apply. On pointer release, the canvas becomes the selected region. The minimum selection is five pixels in both width and height. A click or a very small drag does not create a valid crop.
  5. Correct the result if needed. Click 撤销 (Undo) to restore the previous image and try again. 重做 (Redo) reapplies the crop when available. You can also crop a cropped image again to trim another edge.
  6. Export a separate file. Select 导出图片 (Export image), give the result a distinct filename, choose a format, and select 下载文件 ↓ (Download file). Open the saved file to check the boundaries.

Crop first when you can

If you already drew an arrow or label before cropping, the visible annotations within the selected region become part of the cropped picture. They still appear in the export, but the crop combines those pixels into the new base image. Undoing the crop restores the earlier image and annotation history. For a predictable sequence, crop first and add annotations afterward.

For example, to share one section of a dashboard, first keep the chart and legend, then draw an arrow at the unusual data point. That avoids cutting off a label you carefully positioned earlier. You can add more marks after a crop without needing to import the picture again.

Cropping, zooming, and image quality

A crop keeps the source pixels inside your selection; it does not invent additional detail. Zooming in makes those pixels larger on your screen without making small text sharper in the downloaded image. If the original screenshot is too low-resolution to read, capture the relevant section again at a useful size rather than relying on editor zoom.

Choose PNG when sharp interface edges and labels matter. Exporting a crop as JPEG introduces JPEG compression to the output. An A4 PDF is available when you need document pages, but those pages contain pictures. See PNG, JPEG, or image PDF for the practical differences.

When a crop is not enough

Cropping only removes content outside the selected rectangle. A private email address inside the useful section still needs attention. Use 遮盖 (Cover) for an opaque block, then inspect the exported copy using the private-information checklist. Your original image remains sensitive.

The editor checks an imported image before it lets you crop: the file must be no larger than 40 MB, with no side above 32,000 pixels and no more than 80 million pixels in total. An oversized original cannot be made acceptable by selecting Crop after the import has already failed. Make a smaller source capture or prepare a smaller image first. The help page has the current import and export troubleshooting steps.