Recognise independent scaling
If width and height are forced to a target independently, their scale factors can differ. Faces can become wider or taller, and circular objects can become elliptical. The image may touch all four edges of the frame, but that does not make the placement geometrically faithful.
A matching aspect ratio allows one scale factor to serve both edges. When the ratios differ, use fill to select a matching region or fit to keep the entire image inside the frame. Both preserve the relative proportions within the scene.
Select a region with the right shape
Consider a 4000 × 3000 photo and a landscape 10 × 8 inch frame. Fill selects 3750 × 3000 pixels. The selected rectangle has the required 5:4 shape and can be placed at 375 PPI in both directions without stretching.
The original width has 250 pixels beyond the selected region. Centre it to remove 125 pixels on each side, or move the crop toward an important subject. Repositioning decides where the loss occurs; it does not create additional width or change the frame ratio.
Position the crop with a purpose
Check a few concrete details: the top of a head, the ends of a group, a signature, and the line of a horizon. Keep the most important content inside the retained rectangle. A pleasing centre in the original file is not necessarily the best centre for a new frame.
Use the position controls if dragging is difficult or imprecise. Review the full preview after each meaningful adjustment. The numerical crop percentage tells you how much area is removed, but it cannot tell you whether the removed portion contains the subject.
Use borders when every edge matters
The complete 4000 × 3000 image can fit inside the same frame at 10 × 7.5 inches. The remaining half inch of height becomes quarter-inch borders above and below when centred. The image has 400 PPI, and its proportions remain unchanged.
Decide whether those borders belong in the exported raster or in the page layout. An image-only export and a complete-frame export serve different purposes. For a transparent PNG, also check how the receiving application displays or prints transparent areas.
Return to the original for another format
A crop made for one frame may remove material that a later frame would need. Keep the original file and save the parameters separately. When switching from 8 × 10 to 8 × 12, start from the original rather than cropping the 8 × 10 export again.
PrintLilt does not expand a scene beyond the file or repair missing edge content. If neither fill nor fit gives the composition you want, choose another ratio or physical size. The goal is a deliberate, understandable result, with the subject’s proportions intact.