We can use APIs or libraries in PHP for smart image cropping.

Use an API for Smart Cropping

We can use a pre-built API like Filestack.

You can learn about using API for Smart Image Cropping for Social Media in this article I wrote recently.

Smart Image Cropping for Social Media: Enhance Your Visual Content

I have also added a PHP code snippet for uploading an image and Smart Cropping with an API below:

PHP Code Snippet for Smart Cropping with Filestack API

<?php
// Replace with your Filestack API key
$apiKey = 'YOUR_API_KEY';

// File to upload
$filePath = 'path/to/your/image.jpg';

// Filestack upload URL
$uploadUrl = "https://upload.filestackapi.com/api/store/S3?key={$apiKey}";

// Use cURL to upload the file
$ch = curl_init($uploadUrl);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, [
    'fileUpload' => new CURLFile($filePath),
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$httpCode = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
curl_close($ch);

if ($httpCode === 200) {
    $responseData = json_decode($response, true);
    $fileHandle = $responseData['handle'];

    // Filestack smart cropping URL
    $smartCropUrl = "https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/smart_crop=width:400,height:400,mode:face/{$fileHandle}";

    echo "Uploaded successfully. Access your smart-cropped image here:\n";
    echo $smartCropUrl;
} else {
    echo "File upload failed. HTTP Code: $httpCode\n";
    echo "Response: $response\n";
}
?>

Steps Explained:

Upload the Image:

• Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your Filestack API key.
• Provide the file path of the image to upload.

Get the File Handle:

• After uploading, the API response includes a unique file handle ($fileHandle).

Generate Smart Cropping URL:

• Use the file handle in the Filestack smart cropping URL: smart_crop=width:400,height:400,mode:face

Access Cropped Image:

• The final URL will provide a cropped version of the image, focusing on faces.

Using API is convenience and we can ensure the accuracy and scalability.