Rule of thirds что это
Rule of Thirds in Photography: The Essential Guide
The rule of thirds is perhaps the most well-known “rule” of photographic composition. Use it carefully, and you’ll take some truly stunning images.
But what actually is the rule of thirds? Is it really that helpful? And when can you break the rule for a great result?
In this article, you’ll discover everything you need to know about the rule of thirds. And by the time you leave, you’ll know how to use it like a pro.
Let’s dive right in.
What is the rule of thirds?
The rule of thirds is a compositional guideline that breaks an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so you have nine pieces and four gridlines. According to the rule, by positioning key elements along the gridlines, you’ll end up with better compositions.
Here is a visualization of the rule of thirds:
And to follow the rule, simply use the gridlines to position essential compositional elements.
So when shooting a flower, you would place its stem along the right or left vertical gridline:
And when shooting a sunset, you would place the horizon line along the top or bottom horizontal gridline.
(Note that your camera may actually offer a grid overlay, which you can activate in the menu; that way, you don’t have to imagine the rule of thirds. Instead, you can see it as you look through the viewfinder!)
The rule of thirds also identifies four power points at the center of each gridline intersection:
Here, you can position points of interest, such as a head (when shooting a portrait), a flower (when shooting a still life), or the eye of a pet, as shown in the image below:
As you can see, using the rule of thirds isn’t actually complicated. That’s what makes it so powerful – it’s a simple way to improve your compositions, and it requires literally zero art training or photographic experience.
I will say right up front, though:
Rules are meant to be broken, and just because you ignore the rule of thirds doesn’t mean that your composition is uninteresting or bland or otherwise bad. Despite its name, the rule of thirds is a guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule. You can absolutely create beautiful compositions without using the rule of thirds.
Also keep in mind that it’s just one composition technique among many. There are plenty other “rules” and guidelines worth considering, such as symmetry, the rule of odds, triangular compositions, and more.
At the same time, the rule of thirds is an excellent way to get started with composition. It consistently produces great results, and even professional photographers use it all the time in their work. Plus, as a wise person once told me: if you intend to break a rule, you should always learn it first. That way, you can make sure you break it as effectively as possible.
Why is the rule of thirds useful?
Now that you know how to follow the rule of thirds, it’s important to understand why it matters and what exactly it can do for your photos.
Really, the rule of thirds is about two things:
First, by positioning key elements at rule of thirds intersections or gridlines, your photo becomes more balanced. Your key elements create visual interest in a third of the composition, while also balancing out the empty space in the remaining two-thirds. This looks great and feels right to the viewer.
Second, compositions that include key elements smack-dab in the center of the frame often feel very static and boring. There’s nowhere for the viewer’s eye to wander; instead, the viewer looks at the shot, sees the subject at its center, then leaves.
But the rule of thirds encourages dynamism, where the viewer sees a key element off to the side, then takes a visual journey throughout the rest of the image.
A rule of thirds composition provides a more engaging photographic experience.
Also, the rule of thirds draws on the way humans naturally view images. Studies show that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points rather than the center of the shot – so the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image.
When to use the rule (with examples)
By now, you should know that the rule of thirds is useful pretty much all of the time. As long as you have distinct compositional elements to work with, you should consider applying the rule.
For instance, in landscape photography, you can position the horizon along the top horizontal gridline:
Also note how another key compositional element – the structure on stilts – is positioned at the upper-right power point of the frame. Thanks to this, the whole shot feels balanced and dynamic.
In portrait photography, you generally want to position the subject’s body along a rule of thirds gridline:
And it’s also a good idea to place the head of your subject at one of the intersection points (and the eyes, which are a natural point of focus for a portrait). In the photo below, the tie and flower also offer a secondary area of interest, and they’re aligned with a second intersection point:
In wildlife photography, you can align the subject’s head (and eye) with a power point:
And in flower photography, subjects look great when the stem follows a rule of thirds gridline and the petals sit atop a power point:
Quick tips for working with the rule of thirds
While it’s easy to use the rule of thirds in your compositions, it may take a little time and practice for the rule to become second nature.
Try to get in the habit of asking two questions for every photo you take:
That way, you can determine your points of interest, then you can immediately place them along a rule of thirds gridline or power point.
And your composition ends up beautifully balanced.
Also, if you fail to use the rule of thirds in a shot, it’s not the end of the world. After all, you can always crop your photos later on! (Just make sure to keep the gridlines in mind when editing.)
By the way, if you want to start practicing the rule of thirds immediately, you can always pull up old photos and do some test cropping. See what impact it has on your photos; you might be impressed by the results.
Breaking the rules: should you do it?
As I explained above, it is possible to break the rule of thirds and end up with beautiful photos.
In fact, sometimes you can end up with an even stronger composition by ignoring the rule. So while I encourage you to learn the rule of thirds, once it’s ingrained, experiment with breaking it.
One of my favorite times to break the rule of thirds is when photographing symmetrical subjects. If you’re photographing a succulent or flower from above, the symmetry looks even more striking when perfectly centered in the frame:
This shot of a corridor is also roughly symmetrical, which increases the composition’s intensity:
And note that an image can both break and follow the rule of thirds at the same time. For instance, while the image above is mostly symmetrical, a key element (the man playing his cello) is positioned at an intersection point.
Learn the rule of thirds. Then break it. And above all, have fun!
Final words
Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about the rule of thirds, when to use it, and when to think about breaking it.
So start practicing! And watch as your compositions improve.
What is the Rule of Thirds? Definition and Examples in Film
W hat is the rule of thirds? Even if you’re a newbie photographer or filmmaker, you’re probably at least vaguely familiar with one rule of thirds definition or another.
The rule of thirds is an effective way to frame the elements in your scene so that the resulting image is much more visually captivating. Like most other filmmaking “rules,” it’s not really a rule at all—more of a golden guideline. Still, if you don’t know how to define rule of thirds before you break it, the intentionality of your work may be lacking.
It’s also an incredibly easy rule to try out: Any level photographer or cinematographer can use it. First, let’s define it by showing you some rule of thirds examples, then explore how it’s used in film.
Rule of Thirds Definition
Defining the Rule of Thirds
A rule of thirds definition in five minutes
Rule of Thirds Definition
What is the Rule of Thirds?
The Rule of Thirds is the process of dividing an image into thirds, using two horizontal and two vertical lines. This imaginary grid yields nine parts with four intersection points.
When you position the most important elements of your image at these intersection points, you produce a much more natural image. It is also suggested that any horizon is placed on either the top horizontal line or bottom horizontal line.
Off-center composition is pleasing to the eye because it’s typically where the eyes go first. When there is a subject or object off center, it also gives viewers the ability to interact with that space between them. This allows for interpretation and conversation between the subject and the background, as opposed to a fully centered subject.
The Rule of Thirds is a way to:
The imaginary rule of thirds grid can be seen below. Notice the most critical elements fall on the lines or where the lines intersect. Also, notice that the horizon in the rule of thirds grid sits on the top horizontal line. Placing your elements on or near these intersecting points on the rule of thirds grid can create a visual conversation between them.
Beautiful Scenic Composition (Capture Landscapes)
There is often a richer dynamic between subject and object. In the video below, you’ll find a breakdown of some rule of thirds that can be applied to your work in either film or still photography.
Photography Principles
And in this video, you’ll find more Rule of Thirds examples and to learn how to break the rule with purpose:
More Examples for Cinematic Composition
What is the Rule of Thirds for Filmmakers?
Rule of Thirds Examples in Cinema
So, we’ve unpacked some rule of thirds photography examples. But filmmaking takes rule of thirds composition considerations to a whole other level.
That’s not necessarily because it’s more difficult in one medium or another, but because it’s more time consuming and particular. Of course, films are motion pictures. So, a film camera is especially responsible for engaging audiences and directing their eyes.
The best shots in cinema are the ones whose composition reflects the story they’re telling. And the emotion and tension of any given scene is enhanced with intentional subject and object placement.
In this respect, rule of thirds film techniques have many more factors to consider than rule of thirds photography techniques. Just as actors’ movements are often captured with a static camera, characters who remain still are often captured with a camera that’s constantly in motion. (Often, both of these are happening at once in one sequence.)
To explore just what is the rule of thirds’ complex role in filmmaking, watch this video on how such films as Mission Impossible: Fallout, The Avengers, and The Notebook, use it to keep audiences engaged throughout manhunts, love scenes, and everything in between.
How to use, and break, the rule of thirds.
Get the basics of this composition guideline, and exceptions to it, to help improve your photography.
“It’s not really a rule. It’s more of a guideline or best practice,” photographer and designer Shawn Ingersoll says of the rule of thirds.
Does every successful photo follow the rule of thirds? Definitely not. But every skill or art is built on certain foundations, and understanding and mastering them are important for improving your abilities. Repetition is king when it comes to honing foundational skills. Practice leads to muscle memory and building trust in your eye, which eventually becomes an instinct for what works and what doesn’t in photography.
“The more you do it, the more it gets ingrained into your head.”
“If you are tuned in to the imagery we see around us, I feel like you sort of absorb [the rule of thirds] even if you can’t put your finger on it,” photographer, author, and instructor Khara Plicanic suggests. “But it’s incredibly helpful for people who are starting out and need a practical tool to help them with their composition.”
What is the rule of thirds?
The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots.
If you imagine dividing a photo, or even your camera’s viewfinder, into nine equal zones using horizontal and vertical lines, that forms your rule-of-thirds grid — a setting you can select on most cameras and even on your phone.
“This might be a generational thing, but if you think of The Brady Bunch intro where you have the nine identical rectangles,” Ingersoll explains, “they’re all the same size and it’s three by three — three rows, three columns.”
That means the corners of the central square are the intersection points in your grid where you want to place the focal point of your shot. It’s called the rule of thirds, but you can think of it as giving you four crosshairs with which to target a shot’s important elements. This will help you balance your main subject with negative space in your shot to nail an effective photographic composition that will draw the viewer’s eye.
First-hand advice on using the rule of thirds.
Repetitious, practical use of the rule of thirds is the best way to understand it and hone your skills — at some point, the grid lines and their intersecting points will be ingrained in your brain. Until then, here are some photography tips from working professionals that can help steer your experimentation in the right direction.
1. Practice with your camera’s rule-of-thirds grid: “Turn it on so you can see what you’re doing as you’re doing it,” Plicanic suggests. “Eventually, you get a feel for it.”
2. Take a rule-of-thirds field trip: “Go to a park or somewhere and try to take ten good pictures that follow the rule-of-thirds model,” says wedding photographer Anna Goellner. “The more you do it, the more it gets ingrained into your head.”
3. Keep your eye on the eyes: “Choose where you want your point of focus to exist before you’re shooting. I’m always going for the eyes,” author and animal photographer Carli Davidson says.
Breaking the rule of thirds.
The rule of thirds may not be a hard-and-fast decree, but moving away from an artistic guardrail like this can be intimidating for a beginner. Here are a few examples of where and when experienced pros throw the guideline to the wind:
1. Fill the frame: “Filling the frame is really interesting — when there are parts of an image that aren’t necessarily fully in the frame, or when there’s a subject that’s very much in the foreground of the frame,” art director and photographer Alex Tan says. “I think those are areas where you can really throw the rule of thirds away. For example, I’ve transitioned lately to portraits of people that are perfectly centered.”
2. Pull back from your subject: “If your subject is going to be a really small part of the image,” photographer Derek Boyd suggests, “sometimes the best way to highlight them is to break the rule of thirds and put them almost dead center in the image.”
3. Try a different composition style: “Composing a photo in the shape of the letter Z creates a really nice flow because it’s how you naturally read a page,” photographer Sarah Aagesen explains. “The thought is that this draws you from left to right, and then down through the image and then back again.”
4. Take multiple shots: “Take a shot with your subject dead center, take one with them in the upper right, and one with them in the upper left,” Boyd suggests. “Even if you think you got it in the first shot, you should always take two or three more. You can pick which one works better later.”
Don’t worry, you can always fix it in post.
Getting the shot you want with the camera is ideal. It gives you more visual information on the scene. After the shoot is over, you can’t go back and recapture the exact same moment. But thankfully, with technology, you can always edit for a rule-of-thirds composition after the fact.
Your Essential Guide to Working with the Rule of Thirds
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Why are certain photos, designs, and layouts so pleasing to the eye? More often than not, the image follows the Rule of Thirds.
Infographic images used throughout by a SK.
The Rule of Thirds is one of the most well-known principles of composition in photography, art, and design. It’s a universally accessible way to frame an image, and it’s incredibly easy to follow. Whether you’re taking a photo, cropping an image, or designing a layout, the Rule of Thirds is a simple way to make anything look instantly more attractive. Let’s check it out.
What Is the Rule of Thirds?
To employ the Rule of Thirds, imagine a 3×3 grid on top of any image. You should align the key elements in the image according to this grid — at the “power points” where the lines intersect, or along and within the vertical and horizontal lines. You can also combine these two arrangements for complex images with layers of subjects.
When you arrange elements against the grid, the image transforms into a holistic composition, creating a hierarchy of subjects and balance between elements of the layout.
Let’s look at an example. In the photo below, where does your eye naturally land?
Although the ocean takes up the largest portion of the photo and has the most striking color, most people will look at the beach hut first, which acts as an anchor to the whole composition. When we apply a 3X3 grid to the photo the beach hut falls at an intersection between two of the grid lines.
If we crop the image for Instagram, we can apply the same grid to the resized image and adjust the position of the beach hut to maintain the proportions.
Why Does the Rule of Thirds Exist?
The Rule of Thirds is mathematical in its makeup, but its real impact on the viewer is psychological. At a basic level, we find centrally positioned images to be very direct, even aggressive. By looking at a portrait of a person who is looking away from the camera, you can more comfortably observe the image and take in their appearance. If the person is looking directly into the camera from a central position, they are inviting you to make direct contact with their eyes. Even though this is essential in daily human interaction, and can make for portraits that are emotional and challenging, it doesn’t necessarily make for comfortable viewing.
In short, the Rule of Thirds makes images more comfortable for a person to look at, which relaxes the eye and creates a more inviting composition. By placing the contents of your image off-center, you are making the person immediately more receptive to your image. This is a fantastic technique if you want the viewer to process your whole image. It is essential whether you want the viewer to read a narrative in a photo or process the product, campaign message, and brand name in an advertisement.
Placing important elements centrally in a composition can look fine in the right context, but the Rule of Thirds has the unique ability to give images a universal appeal, making images appear better by simply positioning elements on the grid.
The specific origin of the Rule of Thirds is not entirely known, but the first time it carried that name was in the late 18th century by the English painter and writer John Thomas Smith. In his book Remarks on Rural Scenery, Smith makes some observations on a Rembrandt painting, The Cradle, remarking how “two thirds of the picture are in shadow.” He also comments on the necessity of having hierarchy and subject balance in an image, arguing how “two distinct, equal lights, should never appear in the same picture.”
While paintings pre-dating the 18th century often observe the Rule of Thirds, it was during the 19th and 20th centuries that artists came to employ the rule more deliberately and commonly in their work. Famous painters like William Turner and Salvador Dalí crafted incredibly beautiful masterpieces using this simple rule of composition as a foundation.
William Turner’s 1838 painting The Fighting Temeraire uses the Rule of Thirds in its composition. Note how the main subject of the painting, the group of boats, is positioned at an intersection on the grid, while the horizon lies roughly along the lowest horizontal grid line.
How Can I Apply the Rule to Photos?
The Rule of Thirds is a speedy shortcut to make your photos appear more polished and professional. When you look into the camera, imagine laying out a grid over the top of the view. The Rule of Thirds is a rough guide for creating attractive images—you don’t need elements to align perfectly with the grid lines, only approximately. Then imagine placing the main subject of your image over one of the line intersections. If you have a horizon line in your image, try to place it along either the top or bottom horizontal line of the grid. Shifting key elements off-center is also a simple shortcut for creating the effect.
You can apply the Rule of Thirds to any image, but certain styles of image especially benefit from the rule. Landscape shots are one such example. Placing the horizon along a grid line, and a subject at an intersection has an instant transformative effect on the composition. In this example, the horizon is along the top grid line, and the main subject is at the top-right intersection. This gives the image a sense of depth and magnitude, inviting you to observe the person first before taking in the beautiful skyline and the dramatic ice in the foreground of the picture.
In this shot the horizon line is along the lower grid line, with the main subject (the group of buildings) shifted off-center. The result? A sense of vastness and calm, with the moody sky and serene water creating a peaceful backdrop for the cityscape.
The Rule of Thirds also brings a narrative aspect to photos, which gives a new dynamic to photos of people or wildlife. In this image of gannets and dolphins feeding on sardines, the Rule of Thirds gives the composition a fascinating narrative, which makes the photo appear almost like a Renaissance street painting. The shoals of sardines sit along the top grid line, while the gannets and dolphins sit along the lower line. Most of the elements in the image sit off-center, but the gannet is at the lower-central intersection, making it into the main focal point of the layout.
Sardine Run by Greg Lecoeur, overall grand prize winner, National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2016.
If you want to include numerous elements in one photo, the Rule of Thirds can help you to assign hierarchy to the elements, inviting the viewer to look at one element first before casting their eye over other parts of the image, building up a whole picture.
This Sardine Run image is also a demonstration of the other style of images the Rule of Thirds can really help to enhance: shots that include action and movement. Because the rule means that parts of an image will get read as white space (not necessarily blank, but areas that act as a calm contrast to more prominent elements), subjects gain a feeling of dynamism, as they have the potential to move into blank areas of the image. Subjects aren’t “boxed in,” which helps images feel more cinematic and brimming with energetic potential. Try applying the Rule of Thirds to subjects that move, such as cars, dancers, or athletes, to really make the most of this added bonus.
A post shared by Shutterstock (@shutterstock) on Nov 1, 2016 at 2:04pm PDT
Can I Apply the Rule to Other Designs?
You sure can! The Rule of Thirds doesn’t only work for photos; it applies to any layout to create balance and hierarchy. Whether you’re creating a magazine layout, a social media post, or a white paper, you can use the rule to strike the perfect balance between image, typography, and white space.
There are some great examples of the Rule of Thirds in print advertising in particular, where the need to draw the viewer’s attention to a particular product’s feature or brand message is especially pressing. Take a look at this example for a print ad for Vaseline.
“Smoother Paintings” print advertisement for Vaseline, by Kasia Grabek.
The Rule of Thirds applies here to great effect, drawing the eye immediately to the top-right intersection, where the woman in the painting is applying the product to heal the craquelure of her skin. You process this focal point first, before connecting that with the message the rest of the ad is communicating. In this manner, the Rule of Thirds acts like a sort of well-crafted joke — the punchline is the unusual and witty twist on an old painting.
In advertising, crafting a strong but concise narrative is key, enhancing the memorability of the ad and the brand. As with staged photos, the Rule of Thirds can also enhance the layout of digitally edited compositions. This print ad for McDonald’s relies on a series of individual elements in the image to make up a whole narrative, which gets support from the text at the bottom of the page.
Print advert for McDonald’s by DDB Finland.
Laying the grid over the top reveals how the horizon line is along the top line, with the cow and tires overlapping the intersections of the design.
This brand tweet from Heinz shows how the Rule of Thirds can also apply to social media images. Even with strict restrictions on space, the Rule can help create balance and direct the eye in a simple A-B-C format. Here, the product lies along the left-hand vertical grid line and is the most dominant element, while the tagline lies along the top horizontal line. The pineapples along the lower horizontal line completes the three-part narrative for this simple-yet-memorable tweet.
Our new Hawaii #HeinzBBQ sauce captures best of island BBQ—an enchanting flavor that is subtly sweet and balanced by a hint of smoke. pic.twitter.com/IISbAnoVtc
Because images tend to be the most dominant element on type-and-image layouts, you can use the rule to help your text headers compete for attention, guiding the reader to view the image, then the header, and finally the body text.
In this magazine layout, the two-page spread has been designed as a whole, with the Rule of Thirds as a guiding principle for the positioning of text and image.
Magazine spread designed by Grace Fussell.
It’s not only the direct eye contact of the model that leads you to look at her first — her eyes are also directly over the top-right intersection of the grid. Your eyes then naturally move to read the text header, which is off-center, lying across two grid lines.
Let’s look at how you can apply the Rule of Thirds to more text-based media, like brochures, brand guidelines, and white papers. Most of these sorts of documents involve two-page facing spreads, and it’s important to remember that you should apply the grid to the whole spread, as this is how the reader will view it. This brand guidelines document for consultancy firm Truth is a lovely example of how the Rule of Thirds can help to bring structure to a text-heavy layout.
On this spread, the infographic chart is the dominant element on the page, positioned at the right-hand grid intersections.
Truth brand guidelines by Mash Creative.
Here, the same technique applies, pushing the most prominent element off-center, and allowing for plenty of white space on the left page of the document.
Truth brand guidelines by Mash Creative.
In this spread, two headers receive equal prominence by moving them to the left and right thirds of the page. The white space at the center of the spread is not only practical, it also has a relaxing effect on the eye.
Truth brand guidelines by Mash Creative.
Try applying a simple Rule of Thirds grid to your text-based layouts to help structure the position of your headers and sub-headings. This is also useful for carrying across if you want to create a balanced, consistent look across multiple pages in a long document.
Feel Like Being a Rule Breaker?
That’s ok! Some rules are made to be broken — you just have to understand that by breaking the Rule of Thirds you’ll need to aim for an equally strong rule of composition in its place. For example, you might want to place a subject in the center of a photo to give it more prominence and impact, a common trait of portrait photography.
Image by Jacob Lund.
By doing this, you’re replacing the Rule of Thirds with a spotlight on the symmetry of the subject instead.
The Rule of Thirds is also only one technique for creating a great composition for your work. Some photographers like to use the Golden Ratio (also known as the Fibonacci Spiral) as a principle for structuring their work instead.