In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to remove white spaces from images easily using Photoshop. I am using Photoshop Creative Cloud for this lesson. This may not be an issue as this may be the same procedure as with the other Photoshop versions, if not slightly different.
This technique works for images that has some extra white or colored spaces in them. It may also be applicable for images that has transparent extended backgrounds. And while transparent backgrounds may seem ok since they would come out invisible anyway, they still consume space and it becomes more pronounce once they are accompanied by other objects because the invisible space would push them away, leaving what seem to be a gap. To fix such images, we resort to Photoshop’s Crop tool, but cropping requires us to encapsulate the picture with a Marquee. And to make sure they are cropped perfectly, it may require some patience when it comes to adjusting the Marquee box as a small miscalculation will leave some parts behind. This usually takes time, unless you’re an expert. Fortunately, there is an easy way, and this tutorial will teach us how to do it.
Let us have a sample image like the one below. The one we have here is a picture with extra white spaces at the top and bottom (ignore the additional black spaces we added to the picture. We only did that to reveal the white space, otherwise the white space will blend with this page’s background color). Sometimes, we may encounter a square (or a rectangle) image with extra black spaces on the edges instead, but let’s stick to this sample for now.
Usually, our first tendency when dealing with these images is to use the Rectangular Marquee tool for square or rectangular images or the Elliptical Marquee tool for circles and oblongs, then crop. But, these methods may require some precision and some hand control skills when it comes to adjusting the Marquee tool and enclosing the parts of the image we want to preserve, and because of that, it would be time consuming if we’re not very good at both.
To easily remove the spaces in Photoshop, instead of using the Marquee tool, let’s use Trim. To do Trim, look for Trim in Photoshop’s menu. Go to Image > Trim…
It will open a panel…
In the panel, either choose the “Top Left Pixel Color” or “Bottom Right Pixel Color” and just let the Trim Away options keep the default selected Top, Bottom, Left, Right options checked. Select OK to confirm the process.
The resulting image would be this…
Note however, that this procedure will only work if the extended spaces’ color is uniform and does not blend with the main image, otherwise it won’t work.
Now, what if the extra spaces are on the left and right like the picture below? What if it’s transparent?
Regardless of where the extra spaces are, as long as they are within the edges of the picture, the method we used would still work. But since this is a transparent space we are going to remove, we might select a different option on the Trim panel. To remove the space, go to Trim… then select “Transparent Pixels” from the panel. Trim away all sides, then select OK to confirm. The Transparent Pixels option only appears when there are transparent backgrounds involve.
The outcome is that the transparent background will be removed leaving only the picture of the wolf.
Another Method
There is another method to remove the spaces. Another way is using the automated crop and straighten photos method, which can be done by going to File > Automate > Crop and Straighten Photos. But personally, I find trimming more convenient and faster. The automation process creates a duplicate instead of directly editing the photo and sometimes it fails to replicate the Trimming process.
Finally, if the above methods fail because the extra space’s color is either not uniform or is blending with the main image, we have no choice but to use the Marquee Tool. However only for the top and bottom spaces. Instead of using the default Rectangular Marquee, switch to the Single Row Marquee Tool, which can be done by clicking and holding the left mouse button over the Marquee Tool icon. This will open a submenu. From the Sub menu, select Single Row Marquee tool (the line marquee tool).
With the Single Row Marquee Tool, we need to set two points of reference (Point A and Point B) to crop. To select point A with the tool, click the first row on the image that you want to start the cropping process from, then press and hold SHIFT button on your keyboard while using your mouse to pick the next point. See picture below:
When setting a point of reference, the Single Row Marquee Tool will create a horizontal line that spans across the image, dividing it. This is applicable if the extra space we wanted to remove are on Top or Bottom. For Left and Right extended spaces, the Single Column Marquee Tool should be the one we should use instead, as it will create a vertical line Marquee. Once the two points have been set, the tool will create a Marquee box that encapsulates the part of the image in-between the two points.
Once you have set the two points, go to Image > Crop to crop the picture. You can also do this with the shortcut keys ALT+I then P.
The portion of the image enclosed by the Marquee will be preserved while those outside will be cut off.
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