Can't get rid of transparent space around image

[Rollobot]

Hi everybody

I scanned an image that I want to add text to, but first need to rotate it as it's slightly crooked. The trouble is after I do this I'm left with transparent (checked) space around the image that refuses to go away. I realize I must be making some sort of cardinal error in the process but being a new user of Affinity Designer aren't sure where I'm slipping up.

Here is what I've been doing:

Open image > create artboard > select move tool > deselect lock children > rotate image > select background layer > use vector crop tool to get rid of unwanted space around image > cut image > apply "New from Clipboard".

It doesn't matter whether I crop a little or a lot off the image, the transparent space persists around its edges. How do I stop this from happening?

Many thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

[Komatös]

Hi @Rollobot and welcome to the forums.

Since the Affinity programs themselves don't have a feature to automatically fill in missing areas after cropping, you have to do it by hand.

Affinity Designer, however, is quite limited here as far as post-processing pixel images is concerned. You also need Affinity Photo if you want to use the Pixelpersona.

Your workflow with Affinity Designer is, for me, way too time-consuming. It would be faster with the Crop Tool in Affinity Photo. Here you can straighten the image and crop it to the size you want. Then just fill in the missing areas with, for example, the clone tool.

[Rollobot]

Thanks for the reply, but I just paid $119 AUD for Affinity Designer, I can't afford a similar outlay for Affinity Photo.

 

[Rollobot]

I installed a free photo editor, which enables me to rotate and crop without any problem. That's all I need it to do. I purchased Affinity Designer to work primarily on comic books. A vector-based software is better for doing that. Anyway, problem solved, I suppose.

[GarryP]

I think you might have chosen the wrong technique to do what you want to do – it sounds a bit overly-complicated to me as I understand it.

Can you give us an example of what you start with and what you want to end up with?

Once we have a better idea of what you are trying to, someone should be able to come up with a ‘sleeker’ method.

[Dan C]

Welcome to the Affinity Forums @Rollobot!

8 hours ago, Rollobot said:

Open image > create artboard > select move tool > deselect lock children > rotate image > select background layer > use vector crop tool to get rid of unwanted space around image > cut image > apply "New from Clipboard".

It doesn't matter whether I crop a little or a lot off the image, the transparent space persists around its edges. How do I stop this from happening?

As above, if you could provide a sample image/Affinity document - or a screen recording showing the exact steps and results you're achieving, I'd be happy to make suggestions here

[firstdefence]

Try using a rectangle.

1. Overlay and rotate the rectangle to match the images skew and obviously fitting the rectangles edges to the images edges, well approximately.
2. On the transform panels R: input box input 0 and press enter to rotate the rectangle back straight, make sure lock children is unchecked.
3. Now you can create an Artboard with Size: Selection.

 

 

 

[carl123]

37 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

On the transform panels R: input box input 0 and press enter to rotate the rectangle back straight, make sure lock children is unchecked.

Wouldn't that undo the rotating (straightening of the image) the OP needed to do to the image, in the first place

(see first post, in this thread)

[KarinC]

4 hours ago, Komatös said:

 

Affinity Designer, however, is quite limited here as far as post-processing pixel images is concerned. You also need Affinity Photo if you want to use the Pixelpersona.

 

I don't own Photo but I am able to use Pixel persona in Designer.

[GarryP]

As requested above, if you can either show us (A) what you have and (B) what you want, or (C) a video showing your process, or (D) all three, we can probably advise better.

[R C-R]

7 hours ago, KarinC said:

I don't own Photo but I am able to use Pixel persona in Designer.

I own them all but @KarinC is right. Even if you do not own AP you still have AD's Pixel persona you can use. So one way to fill in around a rotated raster image would be to select its layer in the layer panel, use the Flood Select Tool (a.k.a. the magic wand) turn off Continuous in the Context toolbar, & click on the transparent area to select all of around the rotated edges. You could then use the Flood Fill Tool also with Continuous off to fill that area with a solid color of your choice.

(You may have to fiddle with the tolerance setting to exactly get the correct selection.)

Slightly more work to select the transparent parts than with AP's Select > Alpha Range > Fully Transparent but not too bad.

[NotMyFault]

20 hours ago, Rollobot said:

It doesn't matter whether I crop a little or a lot off the image, the transparent space persists around its edges. How do I stop this from happening?

The easiest way to get rid of superfluous edge pixels from Designer is via export to png:

• Select the area or layers you want
• export to png, set Area to selection only or selected area
• Open png to continue editing.

Unfortunately Design lacks some features of Photo, like crop (on Document/canvas), and merge visible. There are workarounds like above to achieve the same results via intermediate steps.

[R C-R]

13 minutes ago, NotMyFault said:

The easiest way to get rid of superfluous edge pixels from Designer is via export to png:

Not sure I would agree that is the easiest but it certainly is one way! 😆

14 minutes ago, NotMyFault said:

Unfortunately Design lacks some features of Photo, like crop (on Document/canvas), and rasterize and trim.

??? AD has that in both the Designer & Pixel Personas on my Mac. I just right-click on the layer in the Layers panel & there it is.

[NotMyFault]

True, merge visible is missing. (Not rasterize)

[Rollobot]

12 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

The easiest way to get rid of superfluous edge pixels from Designer is via export to png:

• Select the area or layers you want
• export to png, set Area to selection only or selected area
• Open png to continue editing.

Unfortunately Design lacks some features of Photo, like crop (on Document/canvas), and merge visible. There are workarounds like above to achieve the same results via intermediate steps.

That did the trick!

Exporting the image as a png, which is the format I wanted for the finished product anyway, and then opening and cropping the image may not be the most elegant solution, but it works and saves me having to use another program.

Thank you so much.

And thanks to all those who replied.