A way to trim canvas to objects, please

[Stokestack]

I'm a bit mystified that there's no way to trim the canvas to hold the objects in the document. In this example, how do you trim the canvas to only contain the shape?

 

[Pšenda]

Copy shape to clipboard, and File, New from Clipboard.

[Stokestack]

Thanks. That's the workaround I used, but this should still be a built-in function. This workaround prevents you from just saving the file; now you have to go through the File dialog and overwrite the old file manually.

[dominik]

9 hours ago, Stokestack said:

I'm a bit mystified that there's no way to trim the canvas to hold the objects in the document. In this example, how do you trim the canvas to only contain the shape?

Hi @Stokestack,

would 'Create Artboard' work for you? You can insert an artboard of the size of the selected object (see the dropdown on the toolbar). This basically sets the canvas and artboard the same size.

d.

[razorpig]

This has been requested many times before.

• https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/33121-how-to-quickly-crop-a-document/
• https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/9920-what-prevents-me-from-switching-canvascroptrim/
• https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/511-croping-the-whole-document/
• https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/1818-fireworks-features-i-lived-on/

I'm not aware of any progress.

[Stokestack]

Thanks for the reply, dominik. Not sure if inserting an artboard solves the problem. I can try it.

But it's a pretty obscure workaround for a function that should be readily available.

At least we can put arrowheads on lines now.

[Fixx]

Would not Export > Area: Selection do what you want? Available in both direct export and in export persona.

[Stokestack]

I don't want to export; I just want to trim the canvas.

[Fixx]

Your designs are not of much use without export.

[Pšenda]

8 hours ago, Stokestack said:

I just want to trim the canvas.

Just a question - and what is it for?
Unlike a bitmap, where the file size is directly proportional to the size of the canvas, and therefore its shrinking is definitely interesting, it is a total of one for vectors (until it is exported as it writes @Fixx).

 

On 3/21/2019 at 1:46 AM, Stokestack said:

trim the canvas to hold the objects

If an object have property, such as outside/center outline, or outside shadow/glow, it should be cut off or included? (even though it is no directly an "object").

[Stokestack]

6 hours ago, Fixx said:

Your designs are not of much use without export.

So what? That's typically the last thing you do.

It's a straightforward feature, the usefulness of which is well recognized and widely implemented in other applications. It has been requested numerous times.

Don't want something? Then don't use it.  Period.  It's not going to change your workflow one tiny bit.

[Fixx]

There a two kinds of typical users for Designer – illustrators who really do not need page crop – page is a page and there is no need to alter it.

And there are UI designers, who need widgets in exact predefined dimensions. I think export selection was meant to be the way how UI designers would output UI components. How ever for some reason UI designers want to crop artboards (at least I think that is what they want to do; it would make not much sense to create each component to a separate page/document?) I can guess predefined artboard size would be often way to go – component uses 100 X 100 px placeholder regardless the actual shape that sits in that area. Crop artboard to object bounds would be the alternative for setting the size. Which actually produces exactly the same png as Export Selection.

[Mithferion]

I always create Artboards from Slection, to do this.

Best regards!