Picture sizes in Publisher

[Erno]

It is very difficult to setup a picture size in Publisher. There is two variables: frame size and picture size. I can add dimensions to the frame size but it is impossible to add dimensions to the picture size by numbers or percentage. Blow my top. This should be a very simple and basic function. I can't change picture size as I want. I need a field to change every dimensions as I want, by millimeter, points, percentage. This is very-very basic but I can't even do it. 
I am willing to learn a new software but Affinity is overcomplicated, illogical. Okay, I am willing to learn even this system, if I can. But Serif doesn't bother itself to make a proper and useful documentation. When I bought this software I thought it is much better than Adobe. Now I feel to be very frustrated because there is not an allround course or tutorial, there is not a normal documentation.
Affinity is just a big promise but not a big revolution and as far as I see the creators do not really care about their customers' opinion.
Sorry, I don't want to be offensive but I am frustrated and very close to give up the whole Affinity Suite. Unfortunately I can't get refund.

The attached section is totally useless. 

[Old Bruce]

Try using the Transform panel instead.

[Erno]

As I wrote, you can't modify the picture as I want, fexible way inside the frame  

[walt.farrell]

1 minute ago, Erno said:

As I wrote, you can't modify the picture as I want, fexible way inside the frame  

You can select the picture (not the Frame) and use the Transform panel. If that doesn't give what you want, perhaps you could explain the problem further.

[Erno]

Thank you Walt, but to be honest I can't realise how

[MikeTO]

Hi Erno.

To select the image inside a picture frame: Using the Move tool, double-click the picture frame or hold ⌘ (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows) and single click the picture frame. A bounding box and size handles will appear around the image to indicate that it is selected.

You can also do this with the Layers panel - expand the picture frame by clicking the caret on its left and then click the image layer inside of it.

Once you've done either of these, you can use the Transform panel to scale the image within the picture frame by percentage of absolute values.

This will be covered in the next version of my free manual for Publisher. You can download the current version now for 2.3 but the 2.4 version will have an Images chapter.

Cheers

[Erno]

Hi Mike,
Thank you very much for your kind help, I really appreciate it.
Also, I thank you very much for the guide, I will use it.
The only problem that it is exactly the problem I mentioned: overcomplicated and illogical. I don't know if it is in the documentation at all. Without your help I wouldn't know it. Affinity progammmers and sales guys should think about a customer care revolution because the present is terrible.

[Aurea Ratio]

6 hours ago, Erno said:

It is very difficult to setup a picture size in Publisher. There is two variables: frame size and picture size. I can add dimensions to the frame size but it is impossible to add dimensions to the picture size by numbers or percentage. Blow my top. This should be a very simple and basic function. I can't change picture size as I want. I need a field to change every dimensions as I want, by millimeter, points, percentage. This is very-very basic but I can't even do it. 
I am willing to learn a new software but Affinity is overcomplicated, illogical. Okay, I am willing to learn even this system, if I can. But Serif doesn't bother itself to make a proper and useful documentation. When I bought this software I thought it is much better than Adobe. Now I feel to be very frustrated because there is not an allround course or tutorial, there is not a normal documentation.
Affinity is just a big promise but not a big revolution and as far as I see the creators do not really care about their customers' opinion.
Sorry, I don't want to be offensive but I am frustrated and very close to give up the whole Affinity Suite. Unfortunately I can't get refund.

The attached section is totally useless. 

That pop out could be more useful, yes.

I didn't use InDesign for quite some time now (years) but to illustrate what you are used to which does make more sense to me, is this. I also struggled understanding what happened and what was what in Publisher v2 a few months ago, working with images.

 

[bbrother]

On 2/11/2024 at 9:55 PM, Erno said:

The only problem that it is exactly the problem I mentioned: overcomplicated and illogical. I don't know if it is in the documentation at all.

The Image Frame tool works differently than in InDesign, but I disagree with your opinion that it's over-complicated and not logical. There are many things that are not intuitive and designed with wrong concept in APub but the Image frame tool doesn't count to them.

Despite all doubts to the quality of the documentation, again that tool is well described.

Picure Frames (APub docs)↓

https://affinity.help/publisher2/en-US.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Media/pictureFrames.html&title=Picture frames

 

Edited February 12 by bbrother
updated documentation link to point to V2

[Erno]

Thank you Brother

I think all features to setup and modify an object - in this case a picture - should be in one place, instead of three. But like I said, I can accept it and I am willing to learn it with pleasure if there was a proper documentation. But even you sent a 1.10 version (that I thank you again).
I think this is the biggest problem. It's okay that some feature misses from Affinity and works a different way. That's fine, no problem, even if I think that something is silly. But there is no documentation and Affinity should pay attention people (and there are many!) that come from Adobe. They are the main target group and if Affinity helped them then this Suite would be more popular, I guess. Despite all the annoyances and difficulties, I still think it is a very good software. It is a great pity that Affinity neglects its customers so much.

[Pšenda]

4 minutes ago, Erno said:

But even you sent a 1.10 version (that I thank you again).

Since you didn't specify which version you were interested in, a link to the base/original version was apparently provided, saying that it is very easy - note the number 2 in the link, to edit the link for version 2.

https://affinity.help/publisher2/en-US.lproj/pages/Media/pictureFrames.html

[Erno]

Thank you Psenda for the new link, thank you for your help.

One more question. What is the reason that a picture in a Picture Frame behaves totally different than a drag-and-drop picture? If I drop a picture on and not insert I do not have the same properties as a Picture Frame picture  

[MikeTO]

24 minutes ago, Erno said:

One more question. What is the reason that a picture in a Picture Frame behaves totally different than a drag-and-drop picture? If I drop a picture on and not insert I do not have the same properties as a Picture Frame picture  

A picture inside a picture frame and a picture placed directly on a page have the same properties, the only difference is that one is inside a frame and other is not.

[Erno]

17 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

A picture inside a picture frame and a picture placed directly on a page have the same properties, the only difference is that one is inside a frame and other is not.

Thank you very much Mike. Although I still don't understand why is it necessary  And thanks once more for your useful Manual.

[MikeTO]

3 minutes ago, Erno said:

Thank you very much Mike. Although I still don't understand why is it necessary  And thanks once more for your useful Manual.

A picture frame is better for laying out a document in advance of placing pictures. Also you can place a picture frame on a master page and fill it with a different picture on each page.

But if you don't want to use picture frames you don't have to - just place your pictures directly on the page.

In one book that I'm writing every single image is in a picture frame and in another almost eery image is not in a picture frame - different tools for different purposes.

Cheers

[bbrother]

7 hours ago, Erno said:

But there is no documentation and Affinity should pay attention people (and there are many!) that come from Adobe.

I updated the link to point to the curreent V2 release. I agree that the documentation could be better written.

 

7 hours ago, Erno said:

One more question. What is the reason that a picture in a Picture Frame behaves totally different than a drag-and-drop picture? If I drop a picture on and not insert I do not have the same properties as a Picture Frame picture

Picture gives you more control when creating layouts. Think about it like a window for nam image. 

• You can reduce the size of the window and then not all parts of the image will be visible through it.
• You can draw an Image Frame to fill the available space in the layout, place an image in it and scale the image relative to the size of the frame, which is much easier than placing the image by it self and scale it. It gives you a better control over proportions (width vs height vs scale factor)

Once you start to use picture frames yo will figure out the pros and cons. It's the matter of practice.

[Erno]

Thank you Brother