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Rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is a rule of thumb for composing visual art: divide the image into nine parts with two vertical and two horizontal lines.
Rule of thirds, schematic. Shapes are drawn for illustration.
What the sources say
| Point | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Placement | Place subjects off to one side rather than in the middle | Cambridge in Colour |
| Intersections | The four line intersections are sometimes called power points | Wikipedia |
| Horizons | Align a landscape horizon with the upper or lower third line | Cambridge in Colour |
| Origin of the term | John Thomas Smith wrote the term down in 1797 | Wikipedia |
| Evidence | A 2014 study found the rule plays only a minor role, if any, across large sets of paintings and photographs | Wikipedia |
| Breaking it | The rule can be broken, for example for symmetry | Cambridge in Colour |
For wall art
For a photo you plan to print, check the main subject survives the crop to the print's shape; the crop-loss pages show how much edge each shape trims.
Where the sources stop
Wikipedia reports the 2014 finding that the rule plays only a minor role across large sets of paintings and photographs, while Cambridge in Colour treats it as a useful guide. Both views are shown.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Rule of thirds (fetched 2026-11-12)
- Cambridge in Colour: composition, the rule of thirds (fetched 2026-11-12)
Figures from these pages are paraphrased; each page was fetched and read on 2026-11-12. Where two sources differ, both are shown.