SANJIESAN LICENSING / Image-format examples
A square crop removes more than an aspect-ratio label suggests
A partner asks for a square thumbnail from a portrait illustration. “Just crop it” sounds minor until a character’s important feature disappears. Consider an invented image 2400 pixels wide and 3600 pixels high. The numbers here are a layout exercise, not specifications for any Sanjiesan asset or a supplier requirement. Keep the original reference intact while preparing the comparison.
Calculate the centred square
Keeping the full 2400-pixel width gives a 2400 by 2400 square. The difference in height is 1200 pixels; a centred crop removes 600 from the top and 600 from the bottom. Draw those boundaries over a copy and inspect what they contain. The arithmetic describes the crop, not whether it is artistically acceptable. A feature inside the removed region remains important even if the resulting thumbnail is perfectly square.
Compare a moved crop with a new layout
Move the same-size square within the original and identify what is gained and lost. If no position preserves the necessary relationship, compare a separate square composition using cleared elements, with any new work explicitly proposed. Do not stretch the character to fit the square. Keep the actual picture boundaries visible so reviewers can distinguish a crop choice from newly invented background or a changed pose.
Inspect the intended small presentation
View the chosen adaptation at the proposed thumbnail size alongside its destination text. A feature that survives the crop may still be too small to carry the introduction. Record the selected crop reference and what it preserves, then keep other sizes as separate pending tasks. This worked example provides a repeatable way to discuss the decision without pretending that one square solves every future channel or device.