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Rule of Thirds is a popular and simple concept, and some digital cameras have settings that create this for you by superimposing a grid over your camera lens.
When taking a photograph, we tend to ensure the main subject is dead centre, and it can look very effective; however, the Rule of Thirds encourages you to place the subject off centre, to the left, upper right - anywhere, but not right in the middle. Think of imaginary lines that divide your image into thirds, (the same as Naughts and Crosses game), both horizontally and vertically; you then place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect.
Paint Shop Pro’s grid feature (top menu View then Grid), will place a grid onto your picture, (as shown above); however, depending on the size of your image, you may need to experiment with the grid size.
There is a Rule of Third Grid Script available, (for Paint Shop Pro 8 9 X XI +) that places a perfect grid onto any sized photograph, and you can download it Here if you haven’t already got it. As well as using the overlaps, you can arrange areas into bands occupying a third, or place them along the imaginary lines. A good place to arrange subjects are; a third of the way up, a third of the way in from the left. Not so good areas to place your subjects are; right in the middle, right at the top, right at the bottom, or pushed away into a corner.
Using the Rule of Thirds concept helps produce nicely balanced photographs. Additionally, positioning objects relative to the edges of the frame prevents you from taking a photograph where the subject is surrounded by vast areas of wasted space.
Remember, the Rule of Thirds is not a rule, it is a concept, and don’t forget the old saying “rules are meant to be broken” - it is an idea, not a law - therefore, use it with discretion, and be creative.
If your digital camera has a Rule of Thirds filter, it superimposes a grid onto the lens, the grid is divided in to nine equal sized squares. However, if it does not, or you cannot apply the Rule of Thirds when you first take your photograph; don’t worry, you can import your image into Paint Shop Pro, and - with crafty cropping and applying the Grid or Grid Script - you can recreate the Rule of Thirds concept.
My Apply/Create Scripts tutorial will be uploaded at a later date.
Once you have cropped your photograph, you can make it slightly larger by using the Deform tool (or Pick tool for Paint Shop Pro X +), or by using the resize tool, from the top menu of Paint Shop Pro.
The following photographs were taken with the Rule of Third concept in mind.
Ben’s eyes are almost parallel with the bottom of the first third, therefore your eyes are drawn to his, making the image dramatic.
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The sky fills the upper two thirds (and a little more) in this photograph - drawing your eyes further into the image, making it more dramatic.
Have fun, and don’t be afraid to break the rules, experiment and make your own creative photography. Digital cameras allow you to take hundreds of images to practise with, and they don’t have to be processed; therefore, if you don’t like them, delete them and try
again.
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