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Changing the Units of Measurement in the Info Panel in Affinity Photo


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Is there any way to change the units of measurement in the info panel from pixels to inches?

 

I am trying to size a selection to specific dimensions in inches. I photographed several pieces of fabric that I want to work with in AP. I measured each piece and wrote down the dimensions. Then I photographed the pieces up on a wall, each as a separate file. I then opened the files and selected the fabric and removed it from its background. What I want to do now is size each piece so that it's equal to its original dimensions.

 

I created a new document equal to the size of each fabric piece. What I t tried was to resize my selection so it is the same size as the new document with the intention of copying and pasting it into the new document. I can change the size of the selection once I paste it into a new layer (in the original document), but the info about the size of the selection is in pixels, not inches so I can't size it correctly. If I could create the selection at the right size, then it will paste into the new document with no borders and fill the entire space, which is what I want.

 

I looked at the Preferences and the items on the View menu, but I could not find anywhere to change these units. Can it be done in this program?

 

If I cannot change the units, is there any other way to accomplish what I'm trying to do, namely create images that are a specific size in inches?

 

Thanks.

Affinity Photo, V 2.3.1    Affinity Designer, V 2.2 Affinity Publisher, V 2.3.1

Mac Book Air, Sonoma, 14.2.1

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You can also change the units from the Context toolbar when the View Tool (hand) is selected. Quicker than going into the Document menu.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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That's right, but there the size isn't visible

 

It is visible there but only in pixels, regardless of the document units setting. However, for any object layer (pixel, image, vector, shape, etc.) selected with the Move tool its size will be shown in the Transform panel in the document units.

 

Using the Move tool & Transform panel together is a good way to resize items like in the OP's workflow.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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Thanks for all the suggestions. The last one, from R-C-R did the trick.

 

Now that I know I can resize my images in the right proportions, I'm also wondering if there is any scale tool that allows you to transform an object in a specific way. For example, once I resized one of my photos in my example, using the suggestions from R-C-R, and brought it into the new document in which I planned to manipulate it, it came in at a smaller actual size than in real life but in the correct proportions. That was fine since if it had come in in its actual size, it would have been too big for the screen. But it was smaller than I wanted it to be. At that point, I went into the Transform Panel, which was now reading in inches because it matched the Document units, and manually doubled one of the object's values. Since I had the lock on, the other value automatically resized properly. But doing this that way was a pain and required a calculator. What I was hoping for was a place where I could indicate that I wanted to scale the object up by 50% or any other desired number. I couldn't find that anywhere in the program. Does that capacity--to scale an object by a specific value, not a document-exist in the program?

Affinity Photo, V 2.3.1    Affinity Designer, V 2.2 Affinity Publisher, V 2.3.1

Mac Book Air, Sonoma, 14.2.1

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What I was hoping for was a place where I could indicate that I wanted to scale the object up by 50% or any other desired number. I couldn't find that anywhere in the program. Does that capacity--to scale an object by a specific value, not a document-exist in the program?

Yes, you can use expressions such as 150% in the transform panel

 

Look up Expressions in the help page for the various expressions you can use and the correct usage

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Great, thanks. I will do as you suggested and read the relevant help page. I'm glad to know this capacity exists.

Affinity Photo, V 2.3.1    Affinity Designer, V 2.2 Affinity Publisher, V 2.3.1

Mac Book Air, Sonoma, 14.2.1

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  • 4 years later...

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