Want to cut an image to size or cut objects out of pictures? Find out here how to crop and cut out an image in Paint 3D and do both with style and keyboard shortcut.
First, Bring Out the Scissors When the Forsythias Bloom
Then, lay hand and sharp edge on your roses.
The forsythia’s yellow Springtime bloom is a traditional signal for rose gardeners to begin pruning their plants. The goal, of course, is to remove dead wood, get rid of branches that are growing astray and let light as well as air into the rose’s center.
Want to prune your pictures (not only of roses) on Windows right in Paint 3D? I think I see metaphorical forsythias bloom:
How to Cut Out an Image in Paint 3D
Using MS Paint? How to crop in Paint
Time needed: 5 minutes
To cut an image to a selection using Paint 3D:
- Click Crop in the image’s toolbar.
The icon: The toolbar icon looks like this: .
Paint 3D keyboard shortcut: You can also press Ctrl Shift X to engage the cropping tool. - Use your mouse and the selection handles to highlight the part you want to crop from the image (in 2D).
Keeping proportions: Hold down the Shift key while dragging a corner handle to maintain the selection’s aspect ratio or check Lock aspect ratio in the sidebar.
Quick aspect ratios: Select a common image format under Choose your framing.
How big? You can check the current size of selection in pixels using the sidebar. - Click Done under Crop in the Paint 3D sidebar.
No “Done”: If you do not see the full Paint 3D sidebar, click the Crop icon in the minimized sidebar.
Keyboard shortcut: You can also press Enter.
How to Cut an Object in Paint 3D
To easily cut an object from Paint 3D:
- Select the object you want to cut or eliminate from the picture, creation or scene.
Select magically: Select just about anything in a photo easily using Paint 3D Magic select.
Select in 3D: To select a 3D shape, 3D text or a sticker, make sure Select is enabled in the toolbar and click it. - Press Ctrl X.
You can now paste the cut object or selection into another image—or into another application, of course.
How to Cut Out an Image in Paint 3D: FAQ
Can I switch the common formats from portrait to landscape?
No, not directly.
(Note that some formats are available for easy picking in both landscape and portrait, e.g., 16:9 and 9:16.)
To switch from a portrait format to landscape and vice versa:
- Select the desired format.
- Now switch the framing to Custom.
- Uncheck Lock aspect ratio.
- Manually switch the values under Width and Height.
Here’s how: Copy one value, type over the other and then paste what you copied for the other dimension.
Can I crop circles in Paint 3D?
No and yes.
While you cannot directly crop non-rectangular shapes, it is possible to crop a circle in Paint 3D with a bit of trickery.
(How to cut out an image tested with Paint 3D 6.2305–6.2405; first published April 2018, last updated August 2024)