Merging layers without cropping

[radimkacer]

Is there an option how to merge selected layers and don't crop them to document size? (Desktop Mac, same is for iPad)

 

Thank
Radim

[v_kyr]

Probably NO, in order to keep their sizes grouping or compounding preserves initial layer sizes.

[walt.farrell]

Why would one want layers (whether merged or not) that are larger than the document size?

[lepr]

.

[radimkacer]

1 minute ago, >|< said:

You could have a non-destructively cropped document and wish to merge layers without destructively cropping.

In Photoshop is this normal function when you want to merge layers. Would be nice to have it in Affinity Photo too.

[radimkacer]

13 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

Probably NO, in order to keep their sizes grouping or compounding preserves initial layer sizes.

thanks.. 

[R C-R]

9 hours ago, >|< said:

You could have a non-destructively cropped document and wish to merge layers without destructively cropping.

I am probably missing something but since cropping in Affinity is non-destructive to begin with, is there some reason you could not use Merge Visible + Rasterize to create a destructively cropped slice that could be exported whenever that is needed?

[lepr]

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[radimkacer]

5 minutes ago, >|< said:

You've missed the whole point of the opening question, it would seem.

radimkacer wants to merge selected layers that extend outside the current canvas without the result being restricted to the canvas area.

(By the way, Rasterise is redundant after Merge Visible unless I'm missing something.)

yes you are right. And rasterizing after "merge" is redundant, each "merge" is rasterized.

[carl123]

Not sure I understand exactly what you are trying to do but...

If you have...

"selected layers that extend outside the current canvas"

why not unclip the canvas first (Document > Unclip Canvas) then do the Merging?

[radimkacer]

5 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Not sure I understand exactly what you are trying to do but...

If you have...

"selected layers that extend outside the current canvas"

why not unclip the canvas first (Document > Unclip Canvas) then do the Merging?

Yes it's an option, but it seems to me complicated. I used Photoshop for 20 years and this is normal there since 1996 :)))) Would be nice to have the same in AP, when I merge layers, nothing is cropped to document size. And if I want to crop the layer to document size, there can be function "Crop to document size" and that's it.

[RNKLN]

Well, apparently it took Photoshop about 6 years to come with this feature. Affinity Photo has been on the market less than 4 years...

[radimkacer]

1 minute ago, RNKLN said:

Well, apparently it took Photoshop about 6 years to come with this feature. Affinity Photo has been on the market less than 4 years...

haha... this is called evolution, Affinity doesn't need to invent wheel. And I used PS since 1996, that's why I mentioned this year, but I believe it was there even before. 

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, >|< said:

radimkacer wants to merge selected layers that extend outside the current canvas without the result being restricted to the canvas area.

Then why not just start with a canvas large enough for all the layers to begin with, or if needed enlarge it to enclose all of them? That could be done as @carl123 suggested by unclipping the canvas or with the Crop Tool.

I guess what I don't understand is what benefit there is to having layers that are fully or partially off-canvas.

[radimkacer]

11 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Then why not just start with a canvas large enough for all the layers to begin with, or if needed enlarge it to enclose all of them? That could be done as @carl123 suggested by unclipping the canvas or with the Crop Tool.

I guess what I don't understand is what benefit there is to having layers that are fully or partially off-canvas.

How can I keep composition if I enlarge the canvas?

[R C-R]

8 minutes ago, radimkacer said:

How can I keep composition if I enlarge the canvas?

What kind of composition(s) do you want, & for what purpose(s)? You can export slices to other formats, use masks & clipping, Merge Visible, etc., but it depends on the end use(s) you plan for your documents.

[firstdefence]

1 hour ago, radimkacer said:

Yes it's an option, but it seems to me complicated. I used Photoshop for 20 years and this is normal there since 1996 :)))) Would be nice to have the same in AP, when I merge layers, nothing is cropped to document size. And if I want to crop the layer to document size, there can be function "Crop to document size" and that's it.

Could you not have a rectangle that is "document sized" with no stroke or fill and use that to clip back to the document size. Maybe make a Macro.

[lepr]

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[ggt667]

On 3/2/2019 at 3:33 PM, walt.farrell said:

Why would one want layers (whether merged or not) that are larger than the document size?

You are pointing out the obvious seen from a pre-press point of view; however who knows if where the images were cropped is the part you need going forward?