Enter Crop mode with K or via Photo > Crop. The mode displays the photo with the active tool’s overlay and that tool’s controls at the bottom of the window.

A row of tool buttons runs along the bottom edge. Click a button to switch tools. From left to right:

Crop mode toolbar showing aspect ratio, straighten, and perspective correction tools

Tool Function
Aspect Ratio Set crop ratio and adjust the crop rectangle. Covered below.
Straighten Level the image with a guide or an exact angle. See Straighten.
Vertical Perspective Correct converging verticals using two guide lines. See Perspective.
Horizontal Perspective Correct converging horizontals using two guide lines. See Perspective.
Full Perspective Correct perspective using four corner handles. See Perspective.
Manual Perspective Adjust perspective directly with sliders. See Manual Perspective.
Reset All Reset crop, straighten, and perspective. Disabled when nothing is modified.

The mode remembers the last-used tool and reopens to it in the next session.

The tools share a single crop and a single set of perspective settings. Switching tools does not discard work done with another tool.

Ratio Options

The ratio picker provides the following options:

Option Description
As Shot Original image proportions, no crop applied
Custom Enter a custom width and height ratio
Free Unconstrained crop, any proportions
Square 1:1

Standard ratios are available in Portrait and Landscape orientations:

Portrait: 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, 9:16

Landscape: 3:2, 4:3, 5:4, 16:9

When using a Custom ratio, width and height fields appear with steppers for fine adjustment.

When a ratio is selected, click the X button on the ratio to swap its dimensions (e.g. 3:2 landscape becomes 2:3 portrait).

Gestures

All crop adjustments are made via direct manipulation on the photo:

  • Move: drag inside the crop area to reposition
  • Resize: drag a corner or edge handle to resize the crop. Hold Option while resizing to resize from the center
  • Straighten: drag near the corners (outside the crop handles) to rotate

The cursor changes contextually to indicate the available gesture — a hand for moving, a rotation cursor for straightening.

Straighten

The Straighten tool levels the image. Drag the on-image guide onto a line that should be level — a horizon or a vertical edge — then click Apply Straighten, and Aphera calculates the angle. Until you move the guide, the tool shows a Move Guide to Straighten hint.

For an exact value, a text field displays the current straighten angle with 0.1-degree precision; the stepper increments or decrements by 0.1 degrees.

Reset Straighten clears the straighten angle.

Perspective

The perspective tools correct converging lines and other geometric distortion. There are three guided tools and one manual tool. The guided tools work by placing guides over the photo and applying the result; Aphera then calculates the rotation, lens shift, and shear needed to correct the image.

Perspective correction in action with guide lines overlaid on an architectural photo

Vertical Perspective

Corrects converging verticals (for example, building edges that lean inward). Two guide lines appear, one on the left and one on the right. Drag each line onto a feature that should be vertical.

Horizontal Perspective

Corrects converging horizontals. Two guide lines appear, one along the top and one along the bottom. Drag each line onto a feature that should be horizontal.

Full Perspective

Corrects perspective in both directions at once. Four corner handles appear. Position them on the corners of a feature that should be a rectangle.

Applying a Guided Correction

Until you move a guide, the tool shows a hint (for example, Move Guides for Full Perspective). Once you move a guide, two buttons appear at the bottom of the window:

  • Apply Perspective — calculates the correction and applies it.
  • Reset Perspective — clears the perspective correction and returns the guides to their default positions.

Manual Perspective

The Manual Perspective tool adjusts the perspective correction directly with sliders instead of guides:

Slider Function
Vertical Vertical lens shift
Horizontal Horizontal lens shift
Shear Shear correction
Aspect Desqueeze (horizontal stretch)

A Reset Perspective button clears all perspective settings. It is disabled when no perspective correction is applied.

Auto Crop

Auto Crop is a toggle in the editor’s context menu (right-click the crop panel). When on, the crop automatically tracks the perspective correction, keeping the frame filled with image as the perspective changes.

Orientation

The Crop tool includes an orientation button for rotating the image in 90-degree increments, correcting the overall rotation before fine-tuning straighten angle.

Crop tool interface showing the orientation button for image rotation

Rotation

Rotation rotates the image in 90-degree increments. Available in any mode via the Photo menu.

Shortcut Action
Cmd+] Rotate Right (clockwise)
Cmd+[ Rotate Left (counter-clockwise)

Leaving Crop Mode

Crop, straighten, and perspective edits apply live and are saved automatically — there is no separate confirm or cancel step. Use Cmd+Z to undo.

Shortcut Action
Return or K Back to Develop or the single-image view
Escape Back to Grid
Space Single-image view

Resetting Crop

Cmd+R resets the crop when in Crop mode. In other modes, Cmd+R resets Balance.

The editor’s context menu (right-click the crop panel) provides per-part resets:

  • Reset All — resets crop, straighten, and perspective.
  • Reset Crop — resets the crop rectangle and aspect ratio.
  • Reset Straighten — resets the straighten angle.
  • Reset Perspective — resets the perspective correction.

Each item is disabled when that part is unmodified.