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Posted

Trying to make the transition from PhotoShop ...

When I go to "Document Size," Affinity does not tell me the current size of the document in anything but pixels @ 72 dpi, even after I have changed the size and look again.

Saving the document and re-opening it opens it as a 72 dpi document again.

Am I imagining this or doing something wrong?

ALSO, setting the "Crop" tool to a restricted size or ratio only works until you drag a corner then all rules are gone...

What am I missing?

Thanks.

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Posted

Hi @AffinityQ,

12 hours ago, AffinityQ said:

ALSO, setting the "Crop" tool to a restricted size or ratio only works until you drag a corner then all rules are gone...

What am I missing?

That really depends on the mode you have selected. If it's Unconstrained or Absolute dimensions, it will not have any aspect lock. You would need Custom Ratio or Original ratio if you want to keep the ratio locked. 

Thanks

Gabe. 

Posted

GabrielM,

Thanks, but...

The menu offers sizes and ratios which I would assume mean that the image would be cropped to the selected size or ratio, and yet...

If you choose one, it means nothing... Why offer them on the. menu?

As soon as to do anything with the crop rectangle, the "selected" size is ignored.

I am still confused and can only assume: "It doesn't work correctly, you need a work-around..."

No?

 

Size.png

Posted

Ratios are exactly that, and they remain so as you resize the image. Absolute dimensions are only a starting point, since if you want to resize the image it would make no sense for the app to prevent you from resizing it. The 6″ × 4″ preset means 6″ × 4″ until you resize it: if you want to retain the physical dimensions you can simply drag the crop window around the image, but if you want to retain a 6:4 aspect ratio you should use a custom ratio in the first place.

Alfred spacer.png
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro
Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.5.1 (iPad 7th gen)

Posted

HVDB,

Thank you.

My "confusion" does not stem from not understanding "DPI," but rather why it is necessary to use a "work-around" (create "new" document and insert the image...) in order to just specify the desired end result on the document on which you are working...

One changes and sets the desired size/dpi specs but doing so is ignored by the software?

The changed settings are not even remembered?

While I am thankful to know the "work-arounds," I would prefer Affinity Photo to behave in a more straight forward way, but...

Still, and always, thank you all for pointing out a way!

Posted

Alfred,

Thanks.

As I said, I am coming from PhotoShop where using the crop tool, IMHO, makes more sense, but Affinity Photo is not PS.

I was thinking I might be doing something incorrectly myself, thinking that I could specify the desired result of cropping then use the crop "tool" to achieve it.

Still learning...

Posted

Alfred,

Well, picking the "Size" mode and picking the size is also meaningless since it makes no difference.

The crop tool just moves about unrestricted, ignoring the "size" selected, maintaining nothing.

Also, choosing "Absolute Ratio" maintains the appearance of the specified ratio but when you click "Apply" it does what it wants.

If you wish to maintain a specified ratio in order to create a space border around your image, it looks like you are doing so until you click apply, at which point Affinity Photo applies the crop as IT chooses, not you.

I see these things as "problems."

The "problem" being that Affinity does not provide a way for me to accomplish what I intend, even going so far as second-guessing my intent.

Time for more work-arounds?

Ideas?

 

Absolute.png

Intent.png

As applied.png

Posted

HVDB,

Please tell me where my views should be modified...

"DPI" refers to output pixel density.

It is not related to total data count.

When I specify that my intention is that the image be output (or reproduced, printed, etc.) at a specific "DPI,' or resolution, (or specific physical dimensions) that information should be part of the file header in order to inform the output process.

I think, with Affinity, that is not the case.

So, if I create an image intended to be output at 300 dpi in order to have a specific size on the output device, is that information conveyed? 

When I re-open the image, it appears not.

Posted
51 minutes ago, AffinityQ said:

Well, picking the "Size" mode and picking the size is also meaningless since it makes no difference.

The crop tool just moves about unrestricted, ignoring the "size" selected, maintaining nothing.

Also, choosing "Absolute Ratio" maintains the appearance of the specified ratio but when you click "Apply" it does what it wants.

If you wish to maintain a specified ratio in order to create a space border around your image, it looks like you are doing so until you click apply, at which point Affinity Photo applies the crop as IT chooses, not you.

If you pick a size, and do not change it by dragging a corner of the clipping frame, the size is maintained. If you do change it by dragging a corner, that was your choice, and is not a problem with the program. Rather than dragging a corner you should put the tool within the crop frame and drag the frame to compose your image.

There is no "absolute ratio", but there is a "custom ratio". For me, it maintains that ratio when I drag a corner, or when I drag the frame, and when I click Apply.

Affinity applies the crop I have chosen, in all cases. I'm not sure why you're not having that experience.

 

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

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
    Laptop 2: Windows 11 Pro 24H2,  16GB memory, Snapdragon(R) X Elite - X1E80100 - Qualcomm(R) Oryon(TM) 12 Core CPU 4.01 GHz, Qualcomm(R) Adreno(TM) X1-85 GPU
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 18.3, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1

Posted

Walt,

Thanks.

Re: "Affinity applies the crop I have chosen, in all cases. I'm not sure why you're not having that experience."

The example I provided was to "crop" an area larger than the image - which can easily be done in PS.

Affinity seems to arbitrarily decide to make the image fit inside the cropping tool in one dimension.

I am sure there is a cumbersome way to accomplish what I want, just not as easily as with "that other software."

Has to do with the relationship between "Canvas Size" and "Image Size" and the order of permanence, I assume.

Maybe the aberration is with the "other software... ;-)"

Posted
2 hours ago, AffinityQ said:

If you wish to maintain a specified ratio in order to create a space border around your image, it looks like you are doing so until you click apply, at which point Affinity Photo applies the crop as IT chooses, not you.

I can see that the crop you chose was applied, you have some picture information on each side which is masked somehow. The crop is the size you chose.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.6 
Affinity Designer 2.5.7 | Affinity Photo 2.5.7 | Affinity Publisher 2.5.7 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

Posted
1 hour ago, AffinityQ said:

The example I provided was to "crop" an area larger than the image - which can easily be done in PS.

My guess would be that you had already cropped the image and then later tried to use the crop tool to enlarge the canvas. As cropping is non-destructive in Photo, unless you rasterized the image after that first crop, when you enlarged the canvas using the crop tool you got back some of the previously cropped parts.

(This is probably what Old Bruce said, or something similar, in different words :) )

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

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
    Laptop 2: Windows 11 Pro 24H2,  16GB memory, Snapdragon(R) X Elite - X1E80100 - Qualcomm(R) Oryon(TM) 12 Core CPU 4.01 GHz, Qualcomm(R) Adreno(TM) X1-85 GPU
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 18.3, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1

Posted

Old Bruce,

I expect I pay the price for "non-destructive" editing.

The image I was attempting to "crop" was the result of other actions in the previous image I sent along.

I did not expect cumulative actions to negate previous ones. (i.e. I had already cropped out what I didn't want only to have it reappear!)

I wanted to create a "cropped" image which would end up on a "larger" yet "same size as the crop specs" canvas in order to keep the total size to that specified with the crop tool - the intention being to add a "white" (i. e. background) border.

If you have ever used PhotoShop, you know that works as slickly as can be.

I guess adding a white border to an image of a specific aspect ratio is more cumbersome with Affinity Photo and I will have to suss out all the steps involved.

Posted
10 hours ago, AffinityQ said:

"Rasterize," eh?

Oh, well... I would have preferred "cumulative..."

Some things to keep in mind when using the Affinity Photo Cropping Tool:

  1. The tool crops the entire document
  2. Crops are always non-destructive
  3. Rasterizing is done on a per layer basis & is destructive
  4. Because crops are non-destructive, you can 'uncrop' a document at any time by using the Document menu "Unclip Canvas" command (but that will not 'unrasterize' layers that have been rasterized)
  5. Absolute dimension crop presets honor the DPI setting of the document, so for example the crop box for a 6" x 4" preset will be a different size for a 72 dpi document than for the same document set to 300 dpi
  6. Ratio mode crops preserve the ratio but not the size if you drag a crop box handle
  7. When using ratio mode crops, dimensional values & units in the Context Toolbar are dimmed because they do not apply to ratios
  8. All other crop modes change the crop size if you drag a crop box handle -- you should see the width & height dimensional value fields in the Context Toolbar update in realtime as you drag a handle
  9. In any crop mode, any field values not dimmed can be entered directly in the Context Toolbar; if you use a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can also place the pointer over a numeric field value & change it by rotating the wheel
  10. All crop boxes can be repositioned on the document without resizing them by placing the pointer inside the crop box & dragging 

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.5.7 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
A
ll 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

Posted

I appreciate this forum and all the responses!

I received a response from the folks at Serif informing me they are aware that the cropping tool needs changes and they have/are addressing some issues.

They have issued a Beta release of Affinity Photo (1.7) which I will try.

I support making their products "better" in every way possible.

"Feedback is a good thing!"

Posted

R C-R:

One comment about "non-destructive" editing...

It seems to me that the result of multiple actions (including cropping) should be the "intersection" of the actions.

They way it works now is that you cannot effectively crop a cropped image since the last crop nullifies some previous ones.

Personally, I think "cumulative" should be the operative concept.

Revealing a previously cropped out area (quite by surprise!) with a later crop is an issue to be addressed, IMHO.

Posted
4 hours ago, AffinityQ said:

They way it works now is that you cannot effectively crop a cropped image since the last crop nullifies some previous ones.

Each crop is the size you make it, whether larger or smaller than any previous ones, including ones that 'uncrop' the canvas to make it larger than its original size. But each successive crop starts out defaulting to the "Unconstrained" mode at the last crop size, so it does not 'nullify' anything. In that sense it is  "cumulative." 

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.5.7 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
A
ll 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

Posted

R C-R,

Thanks.

What I am saying is that once an image is cropped, I assume my intention was to "remove from active" the portions of the image I had cropped out.

Seems odd to me that my "decision to remove" should be overridden by a subsequent crop.

Using the 1.7 Beta, which now does resampling, how would you add a white (or background) border to a selected, cropped portion of an image?

The crop tool can be made larger than the image and if there is background behind it, it works as I want.

If, however, there is a part of the original image I had decided to remove, sitting there, out of live view, it reappears.

If I am not making myself clear, let me know.

Posted
51 minutes ago, AffinityQ said:

What I am saying is that once an image is cropped, I assume my intention was to "remove from active" the portions of the image I had cropped out.

"Remove from active" is exactly what it does. It makes the cropped out part inactive, but does not destroy it.

52 minutes ago, AffinityQ said:

Using the 1.7 Beta, which now does resampling, how would you add a white (or background) border to a selected, cropped portion of an image?

Any layer can be rasterized, or you can use one of the merge options for multiple layers, to get something that you can add a border to. There are several topics that discuss the various ways to do this, both destructively & non-destructively.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.5.7 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
A
ll 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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