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The crop tool seems not to work properly. In any other program I have I can select the crop tool and select the area of the canvas I want to crop to the image. This is extremely important and efficient way of cropping an image just the way I want it. Done in 5 seconds. 

In other tools I can also preset the size of the crop tool then move it around the canvas before deciding where I want the final image and canvas to be cut.

In affinity whenever I grab the crop tool and attempt to drag across the canvas the image moves. why would I want the image to move across the canvas with a cropping tool?????

It seems I have to guess what size I want the document to be, resize the doc and hope it didnt cut the image where I wanted to keep it. If it didnt resize where I wanted I have to undo, move the image and try again. this is terrible.

I saw some video that suggests the cropping tool isn't really for cropping but instead its a non-destructively way of popping an image into a bounding box. we call that masking in other applications not cropping. An alternate way of putting an image into a preset box is to copy image and paste into the box. Said image can then still be moved around. Again, not called cropping.

Cropping is selecting and cutting.

I hope fixing this crop tool and having it actually do what it should do is on the map. As it is I have to do twice the work to get the same result I can get in 5 seconds in any other program. Its actually so much of a pain that I have to keep going back to other programs when my goal has been to port my work to affinity. So far, keep running into stumbling blocks like this. 

Love you affinity. But should not be this hard to do such simple things.  A great application makes your job easier. Not harder.

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Are you talking about Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer? Designer doesn't have a document based crop tool but Photo does. It allows setting the size of the crop & dragging it around in the image. If you are having trouble with this, it may help to review the different crop modes available, like in https://affinity.help/photo/en-US.lproj/pages/SizeTransform/cropping.html & to watch the several video tutorials at https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/10119-official-affinity-photo-desktop-video-tutorials-200/ in the Transforming section. 

 

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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In Photo crop tool behaves quite normally, canvas does not move. Only differences to PS are that outside area is not darkened, crop to size is not yet available and crop is non-destructive (you can un-crop image as you will). And oh yes, un-cropping reminds; you can add canvas area with crop tool.

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  • Staff

Hi dizeyner,
I'm not sure i understood you. What do you mean by the image moves? Can you record a short clip of it happening? Both cases you describe in the first two paragraphs can be performed without issues (see clip below an example of the first case). Am i missing something? If you are using Affinity Designer then the crop tool is object based (not document based as in Photo) and the image/object is simply masked with a rectangular vector shape - you have to drag the bounding box handles to crop it. This is by design as the intended use of the apps is different.

crop.thumb.gif.db2090e3889acb3054098bebca65bbcb.gif

@Fixx

The outside area can also be darkened in Affinity Photo: tick the Darken Border option/checkbox in the context toolbar.

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18 minutes ago, MEB said:

The outside area can also be darkened in Affinity Photo: tick the Darken Border option/checkbox in the context toolbar.

@Fixx Since the Darken Border option is the rightmost one on the Context toolbar, you may not have noticed it if your window is not wide enough to show it (like in MEB's gif). To access it, click the button on the right edge of that toolbar.

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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Hi @dizeyner

It sounds like you are using Designer and the Vector Crop tool, as @R C-R suggested

vct2.jpg.8cdc147796e9b76620f44cfd43e3ed77.jpg

Designer in default, document mode is a 'page layout program'. A bit like a single page version of Quark, InDesign or even (at a stretch) Word. In that case it works exactly like every other page layout program. You create pages and place objects on the page, then print it out, maybe with bleed and crop marks. You cannot trim Word or Quark pages to an image placed on the page!

If you want to create a canvas type document, that you can then crop to a single image you need to either use Photo, which is designed for that sort of thing, which is why it has a canvas crop tool. That works pretty much exactly like any other image editing program. The crop tool crops, you have preset aspect ratios, can enter a size etc. Drag and crop!

Designer is much better than Quark, Word etc because if you use artboards, you can trim to what you want, just like Photo.

If you have a page, click on the Artboard Tool, select Document and Insert Artboard. You can then "crop" the page by dragging the handles.

art.jpg.8cbc017e9bac03217c63053d63ae3981.jpg

That will convert your page (document) into an Artboard.

ab.jpg.4b54da8209701405531fbc0ac00131c3.jpg

Dragging a handle to resize an Artboard to "crop" the canvas.

 

You can also convert a selection on the page to an Artboard to save you the trouble of moving handles to crop it afterwards.

selectiion.jpg.61d6d79b3f7595114fe29cfcb17e79a0.jpg

It will then be cropped to your selection.

 

It is even possible to convert the cropped Artboard back into a normal document (a page) by going Layer > Convert Artboard to Object. but there is no real reason to do this.

That is really no more work or no harder that using Photo, which would be the normal canvas based program for that sort of operation. Try doing any of that in Quark or Word !!!

 

There is also the option to create slices, either from a dragged selection area, or from a selection. It's all very flexible for a 'page layout program'.

 

 

selled.jpg

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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  • 1 month later...

I get what you are saying. but most design is not done for print. I would expect affinity publisher to behave like word or quark. I would expect a design tool to behave like a multimedia (not print) design tool. Im used to doing things fast and changing the size of the artboard, page or what-have-you quickly is a plus. why would I use a photo adjustment tool to create vector art?

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5 minutes ago, dizeyner said:

Im used to doing things fast and changing the size of the artboard, page or what-have-you quickly is a plus.

So why not use an artboard, and resize it to do your crop?

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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1 hour ago, dizeyner said:

I get what you are saying. but most design is not done for print.

I totally disagree. I was a printer for 30 years and 99.99% of my design was done for print (maybe more). Literally thousand of documents, leaflets, business cards etc.

I wish I had Affinity Designer years ago :(

Anyway, the size of vector artwork does not matter much (resolution independent and all that) and it is easy to "crop" inside Quark etc just by resizing the artwork in a frame.

Why do you need to crop vector art ?

Or for that matter, why not use a page more or less the right size to start with ?

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 7/5/2018 at 1:13 PM, dizeyner said:

The crop tool seems not to work properly. In any other program I have I can select the crop tool and select the area of the canvas I want to crop to the image... Done in 5 seconds. 
In affinity [Designer] whenever I grab the crop tool and attempt to drag across the canvas the image moves. why would I want the image to move across the canvas with a cropping tool?????

What seems to be lost in translation, is that the word "crop", wait for it... means _cut_. 

Not sure how any of the explanations and comparison, for example the Designer advantages over Quark (how is that a respectable comparison after the garbage that app turned into boggles the mind?), but if the tool is called crop, then why on earth, does it not crop??

Forget the off topic comparisons, it seems the crop tool does not do what it is incorrectly named to do, crop.  If I want to _crop_ in Affinity Designer, with the tool named "Crop", then why should I not expect it to crop?  What is the advantage, use, purpose, benefit, need to drag an image around the screen or pasteboard, or artboard, when there is an aptly named Move tool for that expected and well understood purpose?

Really trying to avid Adobe products, and support Affinity.

Can I have a functioning tool that crops and not some function I am still not clear on when I don't care if its vector, raster, or whatever.  There is a tool in Affinity Designer named Crop.  What it does is not what I expect, because, crop, by definition, means _cut_. 

I did not purchase every Affinity product and the books, because I was looking for a cheap solution.  I purchased because I want choices, and not to choose Adobe.  

Apologies for the rant, just frustrated with a supposedly simple task that I still am not clear how to accomplish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, fasteddy760 said:

... but if the tool is called crop, then why on earth, does it not crop??

Probably for the same reason the tool called "Magic Wand" in Photoshop does not do anything magical....

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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  • 1 year later...

When I use Perspective Protection setting. I can not move those corner buttons. Many times I can only move one button, but there are times when none. Maybe I need to set something up before I use this setting.

Képernyőfotó_2020-06-07_-_18_06_27.png

Edited by Bamifeca
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  • 1 month later...
  • Staff

Hi Juanjo Haro,
Welcome to Affinity Forums :)
As i explained above the vector crop tool is Affinity Designer is object based - is that the app you app you are using? It works by masking the object with a vector shape so you can still recover parts of it if needed. If exported only the visible part should be exported (not the hidden parts/whole object). How are you exporting the object? Are you using the Export command, the Export Persona? Can you give us more details about what you are doing please? A screenshot with the Layers panel visible and the object selected would help. Thanks.

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  • 5 months later...
1 hour ago, SS Gilbert said:

I am unable to use the crop tool. The Context tool bar does not appear when I activate it. This tool has never worked for me despite reinstalling the app.

There is no Context Toolbar for the Crop Tool in Designer.

In Designer (as in Publisher), it is a vector crop tool that crops an object that you have selected; just adjust the crop boundaries directly on the object.

Help: https://affinity.help/designer/English.lproj/pages/Tools/tools_crop.html

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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You're welcome.

By the way, don't forget to look at the Status Bar. If you choose the Crop Tool and you do not have anything selected, you'll see this:
image.png.62977d6212200fce60869f1d74950c0b.png

On the other hand, if there is an object selected, you'll see something like this:

image.png.ecdfd83205d9ce24b137a1518e626bd6.png

 

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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  • 2 months later...

No constraints at the side of the image and no way to select the actual side of the image because the selection is hovering over it. It resizes the canvas if the selection is over the image. What the heck is this? Are you kidding me? Worst functionality of a cropping tool I've ever seen.

No select+drag to constrain to a square.

Can't escape to unselect.

Can't use the marquee selection tool to crop.

Any plans to make the crop tool actually functional in the future?

Edited by CrankyWebDev
spelling, removal of cuss words
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1 hour ago, CrankyWebDev said:

No constraints at the side of the image

View > Snapping Manager > Enable Snapping; also a button in the toolbar

1 hour ago, CrankyWebDev said:

It resizes the canvas if the selection is over the image. What the heck is this?

This is a feature.
Same as in Schmotofopp, by the way.

1 hour ago, CrankyWebDev said:

No select+drag to constrain to a square.

Context toolbar > cog button > select 1:1 ratio
Or: context toolbar > Mode > Custom Ratio > enter your favorite ratio

1 hour ago, CrankyWebDev said:

Can't use the marquee selection tool to crop.

Fair enough, a small workaround is necessary:

  1. make sure to activate Snapping Manager > Snap to pixel selection bounds
  2. make your selection
  3. Crop tool
  4. snap
  5. apply
1 hour ago, CrankyWebDev said:

removal of cuss words

Wise decision! Increases the chance that anyone even bothers to reply immensely! ;)

MacBookAir 15": MacOS Ventura > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // MacBookPro 15" mid-2012: MacOS El Capitan > Affinity v1 / MacOS Catalina > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // iPad 8th: iPadOS 16 > Affinity v2

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Affinity Photo cropping is doing my head in. Here's what we currently do dozens of times a day in Photoshop. Open an image, set a width and a resolution in the crop tool. Leave the height blank. Draw our unconstrained crop box.  Double click in the middle to crop. A few seconds, max.

1846863984_ScreenShot2021-04-08at3_48_34pm.png.2519550ce91f38c763459c96fe8119c5.png

 

For the life of me, in Affinity Photo I can't find a way to replicate this process:

1) crop to a width only (seems you have to also specify a height)

1596132969_ScreenShot2021-04-08at3_51_24pm.png.43c99620bb62b89a19f3f8ea86950199.png

 

2) have Unconstrained crop appear in Centimetres despite have Centimetres select as units in Transform panel. If I type 15cm into the Custom Ratio fields it simply reverts it to Pixels.

761310658_ScreenShot2021-04-08at3_49_47pm.png.ae40c3a7969ad41f9518711c2cc35a50.png

 

I can't believe at version 1.9.2 the crop tool - one of the true fundamentals of photo editing - is so pathetic. I'll happily apologise if I've missed something and someone can explain how to do these things. This should be simple!

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Maybe the crop tool needs some improvements, but I can't see how your example takes that much longer in Affinity. Enter the width and just ignore the height. You can move the crop wherever you want on the image and edit the height by using the appropriate handles for it. Doesn't really take longer than drawing your crop onto the image.

Or do I miss something here?

»A designer's job is to improve the general quality of life. In fact, it's the only reason for our existence.«
Paul Rand (1914-1996)

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1 hour ago, Andy05 said:

Maybe the crop tool needs some improvements, but I can't see how your example takes that much longer in Affinity. Enter the width and just ignore the height. You can move the crop wherever you want on the image and edit the height by using the appropriate handles for it. Doesn't really take longer than drawing your crop onto the image.

You can't ignore the height, you must enter a value if you want to use centimetres. The ONLY way you can have unconstrained crop is using pixels. It's annoying given all other measurements (rulers, transform etc) are all in Cms. It makes no sense to use multiple units when the user has chosen the one they want.

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