This article explains how the Cropping dropdown on a face-placement photo layer controls whether the photo bleeds past its frame or is clipped to a fixed crop rectangle — and how the crop box, face-target box, and max content line work together.
Two modes: Show full photo vs. Crop to box
When a photo layer uses face placement, its size and position are driven entirely by the face-target box and max content line — not by the layer frame. Because the photo is scaled to align faces rather than to fill a fixed rectangle, it may be wider or taller than the layer's visible area. The Cropping dropdown lets you decide what happens at the edges:
- Show full photo — the photo is not clipped. It bleeds past all four sides of the layer frame. What's visible is determined by z-order (layers above mask whatever they cover). Use this when the design's surrounding artwork naturally crops the photo, or when you want to let the subject fill as much of the canvas as face math requires.
- Crop to box — the photo is clipped to a crop rectangle that you draw directly on the canvas. Only the portion of the photo inside that box shows. The rest is invisible regardless of what's above or below.
To change the setting, select the photo layer, then find the Cropping dropdown in the properties panel (it appears below the fit mode when Top Fill is active).
The crop box: a fixed canvas rectangle
When you choose Crop to box, Templified places a crop rectangle on the canvas. This rectangle is fixed in canvas space — it does not move or resize when a different photo lands in the layer. Think of it as a window cut into the canvas: the face-placed photo slides under that window, keeping the face pinned, while anything outside the box stays hidden.
You can drag the crop box's edges and corners directly on the canvas to set exactly which portion of the photo shows. Common uses:
- Showing only the upper body of an athlete (cutting off background below the waist).
- Framing the face tightly in a tight headshot slot while the face-target box controls alignment.
- Matching the crop to a decorative mask or frame element at a pixel-precise location.
How the face stays pinned while the body shifts
Face placement calculates the scale and position of each photo so the detected face lands in the face-target box. The crop box is then applied on top of that positioned photo. The result:
- Every photo — regardless of how the athlete was framed at the shoot — is scaled and shifted to put the face in the same spot.
- The crop box then reveals only the portion of each photo that falls inside it.
Because different photos have different amounts of body below the face (a waist-up crop vs. a full-body shot), the portion of each photo visible inside the crop box will differ — but every subject's face will be in the same position at the same scale. This is by design: face placement makes faces consistent; it does not make bodies consistent.
The three overlays coexisting
When both Crop to box and Face placement are active, you'll see three overlays on the canvas at once:
| Overlay | What it controls | Fixed or movable? |
|---|---|---|
| Face-target box | Where the face lands and how large it appears | Drag to reposition; resize handles to change size |
| Max content line | Ceiling for the photo's content (no hair or arm above this line) | Drag up or down |
| Crop box | The fixed window that clips the positioned photo | Drag edges and corners to resize |
To edit the face-target box and max content line, click Edit face placement in the properties panel. The crop box is always visible and selectable on the canvas when Crop to box is active, even when face-placement editing mode is off.
If the overlays overlap and make it hard to see, zoom in. The face-target box and max content line disappear from the canvas when you exit face-placement editing mode, leaving only the crop box visible.
Choosing between the two modes
| Situation | Recommended mode |
|---|---|
| The design has frames, artwork, or layers above the photo that naturally mask the edges | Show full photo |
| You need a precise, consistent crop rectangle that holds regardless of which photo is dropped in | Crop to box |
| Every subject photo has a similar framing (e.g., all waist-up) and you want to let the photo fill naturally | Show full photo |
| Source photos have inconsistent framing and you want to hide the variable lower body | Crop to box |
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