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The idea of the Rule of Thirds: Divide your photo or layout into three
equal parts horizontally and vertically. This is best done using four lines
drawn like a tic-tac-toe board. Place the focal point (the most important
part of the photo/layout) along one of these lines, or, for even more
impact, at an intersection of these lines.
Artists and photographers have used the Rule of Thirds for centuries,
because the resulting composition is pleasing to the eye, and it gives
the subject more emphasis than if it is right in the middle of the photo,
canvas, or, for our purpose, a layout.
Part 1: Using the Rule of Thirds to crop a photo.
Here is the photo I want to crop.
I first decided what the focal point of the photo is. Usually, the
focal point is the subject's eyes. I drew a grid onto my photo
by using the GRID Custom Shapes Tool in Photoshop (It's the last
shape on the list.) Or you can use your mind's eye to imagine
a tic-tac-toe board on your photo.
Find the Custom Shape of the Grid using Photoshop 7 and other versions
of PS. Draw the grid by clicking near the top corner of the photo. Click
and drag the grid shape down and diagonally across the photo. All lines
should be equally spaced apart. Now there is a border on the grid. I
made the grid big enough so the border doesn't show on the photo.
In this photo, her face is smack in the middle and she is very far
away. Let's crop in real close.
Crop the photo using the Rule of Thirds. Now the eyes are lined up
with the top third line, and her tongue (which is important because
I am going to scrap a layout about tasting snowflakes) is in the right
third of the composition.
Remove the grid by dragging the grid layer into the Trash Can shown
at the bottom of the Layers Palette. Save your cropped photo with a
new name so you don't overwrite your original photo.
Note: To use the Rule of Thirds when taking your photographs, imagine
the tic-tac-toe board of lines in your viewfinder (or LCD screen, if
digital). Place your subject (namely their eyes) on one of these lines
or intersecting lines. Take your picture. This is called In-Camera Cropping.
Note: Breaking the Rule of Thirds is okay. Sometimes breaking this
rule can be freeing and inspiring. You, as the artist, can make that
choice.
Part 2: Using the Rule of Thirds to build a layout.
Let's use the Rule of Thirds on a layout. I've got my background
ready and have drawn out the grid. Since the photos are the important
part of our layouts, we want to emphasize them by placing them on one
of these lines. I think I will use the bottom third of the layout, but
I'm going to bend the rule a little. Instead of only placing my
pictures along that line, I've decided to center a big grouping
of my photos, the title, journaling and embellishments along the bottom
third line.
As you can see, the bottom line goes directly through the center of
my grouping. I've circled, in red, the whole grouping of photos,
embellishments and words which has become the powerful focal point of
the layout.
Experiment with the Rule of Thirds. Find the important item or focal
point that you want to emphasize. Place it along one of the lines or
intersecting areas using the tic-tac-toe grid as a guide. Endless possible
layout compositions are awaiting you.
Layout by Sarah Batdorf
Tutorial written by Sarah Batdorf
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