How can I center text (or image) within a selected area?!?

[Handtype]

Hello:

 

I really like what Affinity is aiming to accomplish and I like it (can't say I love it yet), but I gotta say this: I'm *SOOOO* frustrated by Affinity's anemic Help.

 

All I want to do is to center text or image within a SELECTED area, not the ENTIRE image. I cannot seem to accomplish this at all. Every time I try, the image is center across the ENTIRE image. No, no, NO! (As far as I can tell, there's only the Align feature via Arrange.)

 

Yes, I can see that if I move the image, center guide lines (horizontal or vertical) appear when needed, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want to be able to create a temporary marquee area for text or a smaller image to be centered.

 

This is very easy to do in Photoshop.

 

1. Click on Layer (image or text, doesn't matter).

2. Create a selected area using Marquee Tool anywhere on the image.

3. Click on Move Tool.

4. Six alignment options appear on the task bar. Click one.

5. DONE.

 

Why isn't this similar capability in Affinity Photo?!?  

 

I really would like to kiss Adobe good-bye, but if Affinity Photo doesn't have this feature, I'll have to stay with Photoshop and forego Affinity.  It's that much of a deal-breaker for me.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A_B_C]

Hi Handtype,

 

and welcome here …  :)

 

What you are asking for, should indeed be possible, as far as I can see … but the function seems to be buggy. I took the liberty to file a bug report here:

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/14129-photo-align-to-selection-bug/

 

Cheers, Alex  :)

 

EDIT Unfortunately it is not possible to align to pixel or raster selections at the moment. The Align to Selection just works as it does in Designer, as Chris pointed out in response to my report above. So it might be a good idea to post this as a feature request …

[Handtype]

I'm following up on this ESSENTIAL feature. In fact, the lack of this feature in Affinity Photo (it seems that I can center text but the text is centered across the ENTIRE image, which is *not* what I want) is keeping me from using Affinity Photo full-time. I have to keep using Photoshop as a result of this lack of feature.

 

I can't honestly recommend this program to other people because this is such a basic feature, and not being able to center text within a specific selected area on the image is a major letdown. Please fix.

 

And if it's already fixed, I hope that it'll be a straightforward solution. I cannot find the answer to this issue in Affinity Photo's own help.

 

Thank you.

[Fixx]

ehem... You can draw a text frame anywhere you want and set text centered in paragraph panel. And you can modify the size of the frame any time.

[Handtype]

Unfortunately that's not what I'm seeing. 

 

If I start a new text line, the entire image becomes the text box. Most maddening.

 

I even tried search "text frame" in Help. Nope. 

[Handtype]

Also, it still does NOT center a block of text (just the box itself) within a specific selected area.  Centering text inside a box is one thing; centering something within a specific area is another. It's the latter I'm interested in. Thanks.

[carl123]

Centering text inside a box is one thing; centering something within a specific area is another. It's the latter I'm interested in. Thanks.

 

Rather than using a selection and trying to align to that (which does not work) just create a temporary quick shape rectangle where you would have created the selection.

Move your text on top of the rectangle, select both the rectangle and your text frame and then use the align tools to position the text precisely within the rectangle.

Then just hide or delete the rectangle when done.

[Handtype]

Hi again ...

I *still* haven't been able to center an object within a selected area. I *almost* HATE Affinity Photo because of this inability to do so.

I've even bought the Affinity Photo Workbook to see if I can resolve this issue. The solution seems to be right there on page 331, but again, it does NOT work. I cannot seem to align text (or even an object) within a specified area on the image.

As for Carl123's suggestion above, I tried doing that. NOPE. Does not work!!!

Can someone please provide a SIMPLE and CLEAR solution to this problem? Screen captures might prove helpful.

I'm attaching three screen captures to give you an idea of what I want to do in Affinity Photo, but this is what I can do in Photoshop.

The first image shows where I can create guidelines anywhere on the image.

The second image shows a second layer (white circle).

The third image shows that I can center the white circle within the boxed-in guidelines, using both vertical and horizontal center.

This is SO maddening because I simply cannot accomplish this in Affinity Photo, and I sure don't want to support Adobe ...

Thanks.

[R C-R]

On 12/18/2016 at 10:52 PM, Handtype said:

Centering text inside a box is one thing; centering something within a specific area is another.

You should be able to center text on any guide quite easily as long as snapping is enabled & the "Snap to guides" option is enabled. Note that snapping is to the guide itself, not to the space between multiple guides. See for example the attached snap text.afphoto file. Use the Move tool to change the location of either the Artistic or Frame text objects. As the text nears one the guides it should snap to it.

[HVDB Photography]

Hi Handtype,

-> make sure that in Snapping Manager Snap to Guides is checked
-> go to Guides Manager and set your guides (one can choose between percent or pixels)
-> drag the object over the guide lines until both horizontal and vertical lines change colour

see the video attachment
 

 

2017-12-19 10-31-56.mov

[Handtype]

Quote

 

HVDB Fotografie:

I appreciate your taking the time to show me how it can be done. Your instructions online and the video have helped but it seems rather cumbersome when you must think in terms of math and equal measurements. It seems incredibly counterintuitive after having worked in Photoshop for so long. So I can't just simply create a temporary rectangle (or highlighted selection) and then click on the object where I want to center within that highlighted section, BUT I must first calculate the center horizontal/vertical points/guidelines for the temporary rectangle/highlighted selection *before* I can move the object into that area so I can have the green/red lines showing me where it's centered? Oh, crap. I'd have to use a calculator just to do this?!?

Again, this seems SO counterintuitive, especially when it's been demonstrated via Photoshop that I don't need to think about creating middle guidelines in the first place. There's got to be a more simple method than which has been demonstrated in Affinity Photo.

Thanks again either way.

[firstdefence]

Forgive me, but I cannot see your logic nor your frustrations with this problem, firstly, Affinity Photo (AP) is not Photoshop so expecting AP to do what Photoshop can do is not being very realistic, even if you consider this feature to be an essential one. While most people describe AP as a Photoshop killer, it is far from being that, AP is in it's formative years in carving out a niche for itself as Affinity Photo.

Photoshop has had decades; almost three decades in fact, to refine it's feature set and be the "tour de force" it is today, even then people still gripe at Photoshops lack of "something" so I think its unfair of you to have a small "rattle out of the cot" moment because AP doesn't do what you want it to do and condemn it as not recommendable.

As for the problem, on the Photoshop side, surely you need to know where the 4 guides are going to go and consequently need to work all out all four co-ordinates for the guides and then go through your Photoshop centring process to centre the object in that given area, this seems to be making work, not streamlining it. Why don't you just use 2 guides and the centre control point of the object in Photoshop to do the same thing but in less steps, in fact why use guides at all?

Whether in Photoshop or Affinity Photo, knowing that the top left of the image is X:0 Y:0 it seems a very simple and short process to do a bit of math to place an object exactly where you want it using any of the objects control points with the easiest points being the centre or top left. Even after adding 2 guides it still seems a shorter route to your method in Photoshop, If this is to be a repeatable event with the same size image you can easily make an asset to just drag and drop, that would even be faster than an Photoshop Action.

I know you want to create an area to centre an object but I just don't get that logic, a reason as to why you would use your four guides method + the centring steps instead of a two step co-ordinate method would help in understanding your thinking and maybe help you with a better process all round

 

Side question: Forum Grinch, why aren't there any Christmas Emoticons

[R C-R]

10 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Why don't you just use 2 guides and the centre control point of the object in Photoshop to do the same thing but in less steps, in fact why use guides at all?

I wondered about this too.

 

11 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Whether in Photoshop or Affinity Photo, knowing that the top left of the image is X:0 Y:0 it seems a very simple and short process to do a bit of math to place an object exactly where you want it using any of the objects control points with the easiest points being the centre or top left.

To make it even simpler, expressions can be entered into the Transform panel, so for example entering "sw/4.1" for the x coordinate moves it precisely to the right by that decimal fraction of the document spread width, with an accuracy of around 8 or more decimal places.

[A_B_C]

Honestly, I don’t understand precisely what the problem is. Handtype, if you don’t want to do any math, use any expressions or alignment guides, why don’t you just do what carl123 suggested earlier? Have a look at my video:

• In order to center the pink star in the area indicated by your guides (note that the guides in my video are from your screen shot and not part of my document), use the Rectangle Tool and create an auxiliary rectangle covering exactly the intended area. You can also create an auxiliary layer from any pixel selection.
• Now move the star inside your rectangle or pixel layer, select both (Move Tool, Shift + click), and use the Alignment Buttons from the context toolbar of the Move Tool.
• Finally, delete your auxiliary rectangle or layer.

Is there a reason to *hate* or *almost hate* Affinity Photo because of this simple procedure? 

Cheers, Alex

 

Center.mov

 

[JimmyJack]

Furthermore..... your original Marquee question is doable as well .

 

On October 19, 2015 at 9:16 PM, Handtype said:

..........

This is very easy to do in Photoshop.

 

1. Click on Layer (image or text, doesn't matter).

2. Create a selected area using Marquee Tool anywhere on the image.

3. Click on Move Tool.

4. Six alignment options appear on the task bar. Click one.

5. DONE.

 

Why isn't this similar capability in Affinity Photo?!?  

 

It is.

 

This is very easy to do in Photoshop APhoto.

 

1. Click on Layer (image or text, doesn't matter). √

2. Create a selected area using Marquee Tool anywhere on the image. √

3. Click on Move Tool. √

4. Six alignment options appear on the task bar. Click one. With snapping enabled move your object within the marquee.

(4a. If the marquee is not immediately a snapping candidate, flick on Quick Mask.... It'll activate it as a candidate. (see vid))

5. DONE.

 

https://youtu.be/LGSLHhrn2DY

 

Edit: this works fine for shapes and text. Images are still a issue..... unless nested inside a shape.

 

[firstdefence]

Nice video and another tip added to the memory banks @JimmyJack

[A_B_C]

This is highly interesting, JimmyJack!

 

For it is actually very counterintuitive. You will have to enter Quick Mask Mode in order to make a pixel selection become a snapping candidate, and this new status of your selection will be preserved upon leaving Quick Mask Mode. Huh? I would consider this a bug. Furthermore, it only seems to work when “Candidate List” is selected as a snapping option. Very strange and very inconsistent. I bet this will change in the future … but it is definitely nice to know for the moment. 

[R C-R]

13 hours ago, JimmyJack said:

1. Click on Layer (image or text, doesn't matter). √

With JJ's amazing Quick Mask trick™ you don't even have to do that! Try this on an empty canvas (with a transparent background if you like):

1. Create the text or other object you want centered.

2. Click on the Move tool & deselect the object (so nothing is selected in the Layers panel).

3. Draw out the marquee.

4. Click on the Quick Mask button.

5. Click on the object & move it into the marquee. As long as snapping is enabled in Candidate List mode with the 'snap to object bounding boxes' & 'include bounding box mid points' options enabled, the object will snap into the desired location.

 

2 hours ago, A_B_C said:

For it is actually very counterintuitive. You will have to enter Quick Mask Mode in order to make a pixel selection become a snapping candidate, and this new status of your selection will be preserved upon leaving Quick Mask Mode. Huh?

It is not so counterintuitive once you realize that a marquee selection is not a pixel selection, which I think the above demonstrates quite well.

[A_B_C]

A marquee selection is not a pixel selection? But what does it select, other than pixels? Now I am confused … 

[R C-R]

36 minutes ago, A_B_C said:

A marquee selection is not a pixel selection? But what does it select, other than pixels? Now I am confused … 

Apparently, until or unless it is applied to something it just defines a (pixel?) area on the canvas. It can't be any more than that because it is possible to make a marquee (or freehand or Selection Brush) selection on a totally empty canvas, one that has no layers or pixels at all.

[JimmyJack]

Glad you all like it.... vid .

 

7 hours ago, A_B_C said:

This is highly interesting, JimmyJack!

 

I would consider this a bug.......I bet this will change in the future.

 

I thinks it's in a gray area between bug and quirky feature exploitation .

But I actually think we will see more of this. It's like the halfway point to having the ability to transform marquee selections into "paths"..... a feature we've (I've) been waiting for for a long time. 

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, JimmyJack said:

I thinks it's in a gray area between bug and quirky feature exploitation .

Regarding that & (4a. If the marquee is not immediately a snapping candidate, flick on Quick Mask...., have you worked out when the marquee does become a snapping candidate without having to exploit the Quick Mask quirk? In my experiments I noticed that sometimes this happened but I am not sure why.

 

Also, regarding the quirkiness of it, I noticed that when dragging out a marquee selection, its dimensions are shown in the Transform panel, & until some other tool is selected, it is possible to change its x,y,w, or h values in the Transform panel, including to fractional pixel values. If this is done on an empty canvas with no layers, the marquee disappears as soon as another tool is selected. However, if there is at least one pixel layer it does not disappear, even if no layer is selected in the Layers panel.

[Apocalypse612]

The guide selection method is cool, but it's not ideal, nor is that somewhat quirky Quick Mask method (that I personally couldn't get working in the latest version). We really two commands:
- Move to Center of X-Axis at Marquee Selection
- Move to Center of Y-Axis at Marquee Selection

I must also admit I find this to be a vital function. Can we get this implemented? This is going to hold me back from switching over to Affinity until then.

Thanks & Best Regards

Edited January 20, 2021 by Apocalypse612

[walt.farrell]

47 minutes ago, Apocalypse612 said:

I must also admit I find this to be a vital function. Can we get this implemented? This is going to hold me back from switching over to Affinity until then.

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

This topic is in the Questions section of the forum. If you have a request for a new function it needs to go in the Feature Requests part of the forums.