Vector crop tool and crop at all do not work correctly in Publisher 2.6 beta

[anto]

Vector crop tool does not work correctly in Publisher 2.6 beta

 

[MikeTO]

This is an enhancement, not a bug, but I don't see it listed in the beta notes.

In 2.5.7, selecting an image, document, or text object cropped with the Vector Crop tool showed the cropped outline (regular bounds) while selecting a vector object (shape or path) cropped with the same tool showed the un-cropped outline (base box).

In 2.6, all types of objects work consistently and now the un-cropped outline (base box) is shown when selected. If you want to see the cropped outline (regular bounds), you can choose Select > Cycle Selection Box. Affinity will momentarily show a helpful tooltip to indicate whether you're seeing the base box or regular bounds.

Cheers

[anto]

29 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

This is an enhancement, not a bug, but I don't see it listed in the beta notes.

 

It's all Serif's nonsense, not an improvement. Why do I need this empty frame? If I have a lot of such objects, how can I manage them on the page if it's full of lines?

Every version breaks something.

[anto]

They broke everything. To crop an image, I get the entire frame. Why????

 

 

[MikeTO]

6 minutes ago, anto said:

They broke everything. To crop an image, I get the entire frame. Why????

While you can crop a picture with the Vector Crop tool, I think it's better to use a picture frame for that purpose.

We all have different opinions, but I prefer the way it is now in 2.6 because it makes more sense to me. However, I can understand why you might think this is worse.

[anto]

6 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

you can crop a picture with the Vector Crop tool

I get the same thing. Half a white rectangle.

6 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

it makes more sense to me

What is clearer? Maybe I'm missing something?

What does the white rectangle on the side tell me? And what is it for?

[anto]

It doesn't work properly. If you select Auto-Select -- Default, some right-hand side is highlighted.
When you select Auto-Select --- Objects, the picture itself is selected. And the picture's borders are completely different. So what is selected by default when the rectangle is internal to the image? And where are the left, top and bottom bounding box? Why is it limited to the rectangle on the left, since the picture is larger?
What does it highlight?

 

[Ron P.]

15 minutes ago, anto said:

What does the white rectangle on the side tell me? And what is it for?

There's no white rectangle. That's the bounding box for your image. Cropping is non-destructive. Here's a short screen video showing there's no white rectangle. It's your page below/behind it.

[anto]

1 minute ago, Ron P. said:

There's no white rectangle.

Let's call them ghost lines. 
Watch my previous video. These ghost lines don't mean anything at all. They're just a distraction.

[Ron P.]

29 minutes ago, anto said:

Let's call them ghost lines. 

They're not ghost lines. They are bounding box lines.

 

30 minutes ago, anto said:

These ghost lines don't mean anything at all. They're just a distraction.

Yes they do have meaning. For example snapping. Distraction? That's an opinion, your opinion. Others may or may not have the same.

[anto]

6 minutes ago, Ron P. said:

They're not ghost lines. They are bounding box lines.

 

Yes they do have meaning. For example snapping. Distraction? That's an opinion, your opinion. Others may or may not have the same.

You didn't watch my last video. You don't know what these lines limit.

[Ron P.]

1 hour ago, anto said:

You didn't watch my last video.

Yes I did.

[GRAFKOM]

I also consider this a bug. I crop the image to make it easier to manipulate. Now in the beta version it is difficult to precisely rotate and move a cropped image or graphic.

If it stays like this, unfortunately I will not decide to update to version 2.6.

There are still a few bugs in the new beta version that SerifCanva does not seem to intend to fix.

[anto]

4 minutes ago, GRAFKOM said:

Now in the beta version it is difficult to precisely rotate and move a cropped image or graphic

It's good that you saw this problem. I haven't seen it yet.  It's not that it's hard. It's impossible. Rotate this image by 30 degrees.
It seems that version 2.6 with such gross errors will be useless.

 

 

 

[anto]

Impossible to export Selection Area (only image) after crop.

[MikeTO]

2 hours ago, anto said:

It's good that you saw this problem. I haven't seen it yet.  It's not that it's hard. It's impossible. Rotate this image by 30 degrees.

1 hour ago, anto said:

Impossible to export Selection Area (only image) after crop.

Both of these are easy, although one step more than in 2.5.

1. Choose Select > Cycle Selection Box - the shortcut for this is easy, just press ;
2. Rotate or export the cropped object

[GRAFKOM]

Unfortunately, this idea of Serif does not make sense.

After cropping a photo or graphic, the size is not updated, only the original size of the cropped graphic or photo is displayed all the time.

Generally, this is a huge step backwards.!

It will be difficult to work normally with Affinity programs if it stays like this.!

[Meliora spero]

Haha, this looks like a contender for this year’s most useless “improvement.” In what context is it an improvement to highlight the area a designer has actively chosen to exclude from their layout, an area that no longer exists in their work? And yet, it gets displayed every time the object is selected. Customers are then forced to memorize all sorts of quirks about how Affinity behaves in different scenarios. This has serious enshittification potential and directly obstructs design workflows.

Try using hinting in the user interface instead of outline drawings reminiscent of late-90s open source, Serif. You already do this with text flow, showing that there’s more content to act on. But in this case, avoid using red - cropping is not an error, but an intentional user choice.

Usability isn’t about fumbling around.

[Affinity Info Bot]

An issue raised in this thread ("Allow bounding box of Vector Cropped areas to be hidden when using Move tool") has now been reported to the developers by the testing team (Ref: APL-1797). Thank you very much for reporting this issue to us.

[lepr]

On 1/1/2025 at 3:24 PM, MikeTO said:

This is an enhancement, not a bug, but I don't see it listed in the beta notes.

It is a change, but certainly not an enhancement. If not a bug, then an incredibly poor usability decision. Fewer types of object have the correct Base Box when 'cropped' (actually vector-masked) in the current 2.6 beta than in 2.4.2. (2.5.x is in the trash where it belongs.)

In 2.4.2, the Base Box is correct for 'cropped' Symbols, smart shapes, Curves, Pixels, Images and Documents.

In current 2.6 beta, the Base Box is correct for 'cropped' Symbols only.

 

[Latens]

One could group the (vector)cropped item and it will show the correct outline but it shouldn't be necessary to do so. 

2 hours ago, lepr said:

but certainly not an enhancement.

 

 

[ronnyb]

@anto @GRAFKOM @Meliora spero @lepr 

It's like the Lock Item "feature" which allows selection and deletion of locked items; it's not a bug, it's an "improvement..." Don't you love double-speak?

Why did they do this, you might ask? Well, after much thought and deliberation, Affinity's UI/UX expert came to the conclusion that people like to scratch their left ear with their right foot; that way the right hand is free to twiddle thumbs with the left hand while one wonders, what the heck is going on here?

[MikeTO]

For the record, I'm the one who said it was an enhancement - Serif hasn't commented one way or the other - so please don't blame Serif for my comment.

I thought it was an enhancement because 2.5.7 was inconsistent and 2.6 works consistently. But perhaps it's now consistently the way you don't like it. 🙂 

[Meliora spero]

1 hour ago, ronnyb said:

Why did they do this, you might ask? Well, after much thought and deliberation, Affinity's UI/UX expert

It appears they do not have one. I find it hard to believe, and until I see evidence of a newly hired individual - someone external to Serif, with a credible CV showcasing formal UX education, experience in developing software for both desktop and tablets, and a track record from large-scale projects, demonstrating the professional gravitas required for a commercial initiative of Affinity's scale (ideally, this would require at least two such individuals) - I can only assume, based on what I’ve observed so far, that the position has been filled internally by an existing employee who lacks the necessary qualifications.

For those of you who continue using Affinity, whether out of necessity or preference, I sincerely hope this assumption is incorrect. There is some substance in the recent job postings:

https://www.lifeatcanva.com/en/jobs/?orderby=0&pagesize=20&page=1&location=Nottingham

As for me, this evening, my personal machine is now fully synchronized with my work machine, now equipped with Adobe's full suite of products. It feels like stepping into a time machine - back to the future.

[EmT]

22 hours ago, Affinity Info Bot said:

An issue raised in this thread ("Allow bounding box of Vector Cropped areas to be hidden when using Move tool") has now been reported to the developers by the testing team (Ref: APL-1797). Thank you very much for reporting this issue to us.

As the post from @Affinity Info Bot shows, your feedback has been passed along to the development team. 

This forum is to discuss any new bugs or issues in the beta not to speculate on staff. 
Feedback has been received and noted, this thread has been locked to stop further detraction from the thread's purpose.