Cutouts and Zooms in Affinity (either Photo or Designer)

[dave2017]

I have been trying to create images like the one shown in the attached file.

 

Essentially I want to select part of an image, and then process it - for example change the size, apply filters to it, etc., and then put the part back into the image.

 

Possibly it would be better to do this in Designer.

 

The particular example was done using Preview and AppleWorks in Mac OS X 10.6.8 - Snow Leopard.

 

The overall effect may not always be good - but I do want to try to draw attention to certain cutout parts of the original photo.

 

 

[R C-R]

The procedure for either app is basically the same: use a pixel marquee selection tool to select the part of the pixel layer you want to process separately & use CMD+J to duplicate it. That will create a new layer you can move, resize, etc. independently of the original layer.

[dave2017]

I have found ways - but not necessarily using just one of the tools. If external files are used, it is quite easy.

 

I still haven't really figured out the zoom/crop in Designer.

 

Attached is an example using external files to store the intermediate results, plus also a layer to put the border round the cutout zoom bit.

 

[sorry if that upload is too big ....]

[R C-R]

Dave, if you are working in Designer, try this:

 

1. Make sure your photo layer is a pixel layer (indicated by "(Pixel)" in the Layers panel) & is selected.

2. Switch to the Pixel Persona, select the Rectangular Marquee tool, & draw a "marching ants" marquee around the section you want as the cutout.

3. Press CMD+J to duplicate the selection into a new layer. You may want to rename it to something like "Cutout" to make it easier to identify in the Layers panel.

4. Press CMD+D to release the selection.

5. Switch to the Move tool to move & resize the new layer wherever you want.

6. If, as in your first screen shot, you want the cutout offset from the original image, enlarge the canvas to accommodate that, using the File > Document Setup > Dimensions tab. Select the "Anchor to page" option to keep the same image dimensions.

 

You can reverse the order of steps 5 & 6 if you want. If you can't see all of the cutout when you drag it off the canvas, in the View > View Mode submenu, uncheck "Clip to Canvas," or use the default shortcut "\" (the backslash) to toggle on & off clipping.

 

If you do need to resize the canvas, I suggest starting out by enlarging it generously, more than you think you will need to contain everything. You can always go back later & make it smaller, after you have arranged all the layers as you wish. If you need to end up with an exact size, you may find it convenient to add an unfilled rectangle shape of that size to the document (or a white-filled one moved to the back). Use its dimensions shown in the Transform panel as a guide for setting the canvas dimensions.