[Arabela Espinoza]: Sometimes the perfect edit isn't changing what's inside your photo, it's creating more space around it.
Generative Expand in Lightroom gives you the creative flexibility to reframe your shots without ever leaving the app.
Hi, I'm Arabela Espinoza, a creative photographer and Adobe Live regular.
In this tip, I'll show you how to use Generative Expand to seamlessly extend your images, refine your compositions, and adapt your photos for different creative needs.
Add new space around your original scene
Let's start with this bridal portrait.
I really love the image, but the framing feels a little tight.
I'd love to see more of the dress at the bottom, and give the image a little more breathing room on the right.
To do that, I'll select the crop tool, and at the top of the panel, turn on Enable expand.
I'll also unlock the aspect ratio so I can adjust each side independently.
To give myself a little more room to work with, I'll zoom out using CMD or CTRL, plus the minus key.
First, I'll extend the bottom of the crop to reveal more of the dress.
For this area, I'll use Firefly Fill or Expand.
For areas that are less complex, Content-Aware Fill can be a great choice.
I'll click Generate.
Generate in sections to keep the added detail sharp
Lightroom gives me 3 variations to choose from.
If none of them work, I can select Generate more to create 3 new options.
I like this one, so I'll select Keep.
Now I'll tackle the right side separately.
Doing this in smaller sections helps maximize the resolution of each generation.
I'll extend the crop until the edge of the mirror is no longer cut off, and select Generate once more.
And there we go.
That gives the image just the extra space it needed.
Transform a horizontal photo into a vertical image
Now let's try something completely different.
This portrait was captured horizontally, but I want to turn it into a vertical image for social media.
I'll select the Crop tool, turn on Enable expand, select a new aspect ratio, and press the X key to quickly switch the crop orientation from horizontal to vertical.
I'll zoom out with CMD or CTRL, plus the minus key, then extend the crop to add a little more space above the subject.
Compare variations to find the best match for your shot
I'll select Generate, and Lightroom gives me a few options.
These all work pretty well, but I think this one is my favorite.
This works especially well because the background is already soft and out of focus, so there's no complex detail for Firefly to recreate.
Generative Expand is one of those tools that can completely change how you think about cropping and compositions.
Give it a try on one of your own images and see how a little extra space can open up entirely new creative possibilities.
I'm Arabela Espinoza, thanks for watching, and happy editing.
Note: Stock assets provided are for practice purposes only. See terms.
What you’ll learn
Add new space around your original scene
With Enable expand turned on in the Crop panel, you can expand a tightly framed photo beyond the original image boundaries to restore important details, like the bottom of a dress or the edge of a background element.
Generate in sections to keep the added detail sharp
Unlock the aspect ratio to extend the crop box on just the side that needs it. Expanding and generating one side of the crop at a time gives each generation more resolution, which results in better quality for the generated area. The Firefly Fill & Expand method is best for most Generative Expand uses, while Content-Aware Fill can work well for areas with simple and uncomplicated detail.
Transform a horizontal photo into a vertical image
A horizontal photo doesn't automatically work for a vertical post or story on social media. Turn on Enable expand, choose the desired aspect ratio and press X on the keyboard to change the crop orientation to vertical. Extend the top and bottom of the crop box to add new space above and below the original image area.
Compare variations to find the best match for your shot
Each generation returns three options rather than a single result. In the Variations section, click the arrows to review each of the three generations and choose the one that works best. If you don’t like the initial results, select Generate more to create three new variations.
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