How can I crop an image in Photo without it cropping the whole canvas?

[smellyapple]

Whenever I use the crop tool to crop an image it crops/resizes the whole canvas as well - am I using the wrong tool? I've searched on the in-app help section but it doesn't give me the answer I need.

I'm still kind new to the software so I might have missed something.

[GarryP]

The Crop Tool in Photo always affects the whole image; the Crop Tool in Designer will only crop the layer you have selected.

In Photo, if you want to crop a layer, one way to do it would be to create a transparent Rectangle which is the same dimensions as your original layer (at the same position as the original layer), then put the original layer inside the Rectangle, then use Lock Children (on the Context Toolbar) to get the application to allow you to resize the Rectangle “wrapper” without resizing the child (image) layer.

See attached video.

There will probably be other/better ways.

Note: This is generally called “clipping”.

[Pšenda]

9 minutes ago, smellyapple said:

Whenever I use the crop tool to crop an image it crops/resizes the whole canvas as well

But that's the point of the "crop" tool - just like paper photos were cut with a cutter.
If you need to place a smaller photo on a larger paper, use Place, Move Tool, Transform Panel, Crop + Copy / Paste, or Clipping to Rectangle Shape, etc.