How do I crop an image in a PDF using Adobe Acrobat?

First, click 'Edit' in the top menu bar to show the editing options. Then, click on the image you want to crop. You will see a box around it. Select the 'Crop' tool. Drag the corners or sides of the box to define the new boundaries for your image. Click outside the image or press Enter to apply the crop. This removes the unwanted parts of the picture.

What is the difference between cropping an image and resizing an image in Acrobat?

Action What it does When to use it. Cropping Removes parts of the image from the edges, making the image smaller in content. When you want to cut out unwanted areas or focus on a specific part of the photo. Resizing Changes the overall dimensions (width and height) of the entire image, making it larger or smaller without removing content. When you need the image to fit a certain space on the page or change its display size.

If my scanned document image is crooked, how can I align it in Acrobat?

Open your scanned PDF in Acrobat and click 'Edit' in the menu. Select the crooked image. Handles will appear around it. Look for the 'Rotate' or 'Align' options in the editing panel. You might need to click a small arrow to see all tools. Use the rotation handles or specific align tools to straighten the image. You can often rotate by small degrees until it looks correct.

Crop And Align Photo in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Crop and center the album cover photo on page 1 so the subject's face sits on the left third…+

Crop and center the album cover photo on page 1 so the subject's face sits on the left third gridline and export the adjusted page as a high-resolution image for the cover layout.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

BImprove — “do it better”Make the cover photo feel intentional: crop to the left third, ensure no important detail falls…+

Make the cover photo feel intentional: crop to the left third, ensure no important detail falls on the trim edge, export a 300 dpi flattened TIFF, and include a before-and-after thumbnail in the proof so art director Mark Chen can confirm the alignment without opening the file.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF file containing the image you want to crop or rotate.
2
Select Edit PDF from the right pane.
3
Click on the image you want to crop or rotate to select it.
4
To crop: Click Crop Image in the secondary toolbar above the document.
5
Drag the handles on the image to define the crop area, then press Enter to apply the crop.
6
To rotate: With the image selected, hover near a corner handle until the rotate cursor appears, then click and drag to rotate the image to the desired angle.
Best practiceHolding the Shift key while rotating snaps the image to 45-degree increments for precise alignment.
7
Save the PDF to keep your changes.

In the appWith the API

You can undo image cropping or rotation immediately by pressing Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac).

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

AlignTo position an image so it is straight or in line with other items.ExampleYou can align the company logo to the center of the page with one click.

PixelA tiny dot of color that makes up a digital image.ExampleZooming in on a photo reveals the tiny red, green, and blue pixels that form the image.

Who does this

3 roles

Graphic DesignerMarketing SpecialistLegal Assistant

FAQ

about this task

First, click 'Edit' in the top menu bar to show the editing options.
Then, click on the image you want to crop. You will see a box around it.
Select the 'Crop' tool. Drag the corners or sides of the box to define the new boundaries for your image.
Click outside the image or press Enter to apply the crop. This removes the unwanted parts of the picture.

Action	What it does	When to use it
Cropping	Removes parts of the image from the edges, making the image smaller in content.	When you want to cut out unwanted areas or focus on a specific part of the photo.
Resizing	Changes the overall dimensions (width and height) of the entire image, making it larger or smaller without removing content.	When you need the image to fit a certain space on the page or change its display size.

Open your scanned PDF in Acrobat and click 'Edit' in the menu.
Select the crooked image. Handles will appear around it.
Look for the 'Rotate' or 'Align' options in the editing panel. You might need to click a small arrow to see all tools.
Use the rotation handles or specific align tools to straighten the image. You can often rotate by small degrees until it looks correct.

You would send an image to Photoshop for more detailed pixel-level edits. Acrobat is great for basic layout tasks like cropping, resizing, and rotating. However, if you need to fix colors, remove blemishes, apply complex filters, or make other fine adjustments to the actual pixels of the photo, Photoshop offers advanced tools for those specific tasks. It ensures higher quality and more precise image manipulation.

Aligning an object means to position it precisely on the page. This could be to make it straight, center it, or line it up with other elements like text or other images. It helps to create a neat and professional-looking document.

Crop And Align Photo

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help