Scaling in a particular direction?

[ladlon]

Is there currently a way to specify the direction you'd like something to scale at?

As an example, if I paint a triangular shape and then rotate it at some non-specific angle (by eye)... but then decide I want to make it taller, the only thing I seem to be able to do is scale it vertically or horizontally, aligned to the page (as opposed to in the direction the triangle is now pointing).

Is there any ay to specify an axis for the scale actions?

If not, please consider this a feature request!  :)

[thomaso]

Have you tried the "Cycle Selection Box" button before scaling? Depending on the selected handle when dragging with/without this button pressed it may result in an altered triangle. Also modifier keys influence the scaling result.

[ladlon]

Hi, thomaso.  Unfortunately, none of that helps my situation.

For items isolated in a layer (where you are essentially rotating ALL of the contents of that layer, it probably works, as APhoto remembers the rotation you did, and keeps the transform gizmo aligned to that.

What I am referring to is (for example) adjusting a section of a pixel layer.

As a specific example, let's say I paint a person who has their head tilted to the left.  I decide I want the eyes to be wider, so I lasso select them, but when I go to scale them ('horizontally'), the transform gizmo only allows me to scale vertically (relative to the canvas) or horizontally ( relative to the canvas)... whereas what I would want is to have the 'north' of the transform gizmo aligned with the 'north' of the character's eyes... some way for me to rotate the transform gizmo so it too is tilted the same way as the head, so I can to a horizontal stretch (relative to the HEAD, not the screen).  Since the head was painted tilted, APhoto has no concept of how tilted the head is, unlike a layer that you rotated, which it could remember the transform of.

One thing I thought MIGHT work, is to rotate the entire canvas so that the top of the head was oriented 'north', and then use the transform gizmo (with the assumption that it orients based on the computer screen.  Unfortunately, that's not the case, as it seems to be oriented to the CANVAS, not the viewport.

A simple fix to it would be the ability to rotate the transform gizmo manually to align it to the orientation of the target item.

But, I wanted to see if there WAS actually a way to do this already, and I wasn't aware of it....

[thomaso]

I understand. The Move Tool limits the user by its rectangular shape and 4 handles/edges. – For more scaling flexibility you can...

1. lasso-select (w. feather)
2. copy/paste as new layer
3. choose the Warp Tool
4. stretch its edges/corners separately
5. merge both layers

[carl123]

The Liquify Persona can also be used for stuff like this - just takes a bit of getting used to

[ladlon]

Hi, guys.  Ya, I use the warp tool and liquify, and those certainly would work (...although they can be tricky for things that will reveal any unevenness in the scaling, such as something with a grid), plus they don't allow for precise numeric amounts... but, ya, much of the time, either of those methods would work.  I was just wondering/hoping the regular transform gizmo would allow for manual asignment of the axis.

Okay, I'll submit it as a suggestion.  No huge issue... just something I run into a few times.

Thanks for your input!