In 4:3, preserving meaning matters more than centering a face
`crop-4-3-classic` appears in education decks, editorial explainers, and document screenshots. The 4:3 frame is tighter than 16:9, so "subject centered" can still remove semantic edges: chart legends, axis labels, timestamps, side gestures, and place names. For informational visuals, losing these edges creates factual ambiguity even when sharpness is excellent. Another trap is downstream recrops toward square cards, which can cut the remaining context again. Treat narrative assets differently from decorative ones: preserve labels and references first, then adjust subject prominence. At scale, define minimum readable text height and edge-preservation thresholds, then QA in actual publish dimensions. Thin lines and tiny labels that look fine in source resolution often fail after client-side downscaling. Good 4:3 cropping is a reading decision, not just a layout decision.
4:3 crop workflow
- On `crop-4-3-classic`, mark non-negotiable regions like labels, legends, and notes.
- Validate readability at final display size, not only source zoom.
- Export narrative and decorative variants to reduce reuse mistakes.