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How to expand from center for Marquee Tool?


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Hi, I'm a GIMP user who's just downloaded the beta -- v. 1.2.0.24665 -- after finding I need some CMYK support.   Loving it so far!

 

One thing I'm confused about: How do you get the Marquee Tool to expand from the center instead of from a corner?   In GIMP, this is a Tool Option you can check.  In Affinity I see that you can hold down command when creating a *shape* (like a circle) and it will expand from the center, but when I try this in the Marquee tool it just ignores the fact that I pressed the command key when creating the selection.  (After creating the selection, Command-dragging will grab and move what's been selected.  This is not what I"m interested in.)

 

This seems like it would be a pretty standard, desirable feature, so... is it in some Preferences menu?  Maybe an "Expand from Center" sub-menu checkbox that I need to find?  Haven't been able to find it yet..    I've also tried Command-Option-Shift-Control clicking and haven't gotten it...

 

Thanks!

 

PS- As a workaround, I tried creating a shape via expand-from-center, and then using the Flood Selection Tool on the shape -- but this tool seemed to ignore my shape, i.e. I couldn't get the Flood Selection Tool to do..anything.

 

 

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Found a workaround for now: 

1. Draw a new shape in expand-from-center mode (Commad-Drag)

2. Choose "Layer to Selection" (Shift-Command-O)

3. Press the delete key to delete the layer with the shape on it

4. You're left with the selection you wanted!

 

A few extra keystrokes, but it gets the job done.  

 

 

Just Command-Drag for Marquee creation would a nice feature, and consistent with other tool behavior!

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, I'm a GIMP user who's just downloaded the beta -- v. 1.2.0.24665 -- after finding I need some CMYK support.   Loving it so far!

 

One thing I'm confused about: How do you get the Marquee Tool to expand from the center instead of from a corner?   In GIMP, this is a Tool Option you can check.  In Affinity I see that you can hold down command when creating a *shape* (like a circle) and it will expand from the center, but when I try this in the Marquee tool it just ignores the fact that I pressed the command key when creating the selection.  (After creating the selection, Command-dragging will grab and move what's been selected.  This is not what I"m interested in.)

 

This seems like it would be a pretty standard, desirable feature, so... is it in some Preferences menu?  Maybe an "Expand from Center" sub-menu checkbox that I need to find?  Haven't been able to find it yet..    I've also tried Command-Option-Shift-Control clicking and haven't gotten it...

 

Thanks!

 

PS- As a workaround, I tried creating a shape via expand-from-center, and then using the Flood Selection Tool on the shape -- but this tool seemed to ignore my shape, i.e. I couldn't get the Flood Selection Tool to do..anything.

 

About 18 months have elapsed since your post and this issue is still unsolved.

Tips, Tricks and Workaround are not the solution.

I do not understand why they refuse to accept the matter of fact that, as they are at the present, the Marquee Tools are hopless and useless.

I hate functions that make complicate the easy matters.

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About 18 months have elapsed since your post and this issue is still unsolved.

Tips, Tricks and Workaround are not the solution.

I do not understand why they refuse to accept the matter of fact that, as they are at the present, the Marquee Tools are hopless and useless.

I hate functions that make complicate the easy matters.

Keep cool  ;) Works in RC2 press cmd and drag from the corner 

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Keep cool  ;) Works in RC2 press cmd and drag from the corner 

 

I know pwerfectly well to use both CTRL or Shift and Drag; the problem is that in the meanwile the circle moves from the corner; it works perfectly for rectangular shape.

In any case I have overcome the problem by Tips and Ticks.

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  • 6 months later...

I agree.  There's very little that you can't accomplish in Affinity Photo but some of it sure takes a "stand on one leg and twirl 3 times" approach to what is, in those programs we abandoned for Affinity, such a simple intuitive operation.  The many areas where AP/AD are excellent more than makes up for the klunkys but also make it harder to accept the ones where they are less so.

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  • 6 months later...

It's now January 2018 and the issue is still not resolved. As somebody who's profession is designing mandalas (something that requires symmetry as well as expanding from the *center*), it's a little disappointing that something so basic has still not been added. I purchased the Affinity suite the minute they released on the mac app store, and again on all my windows machines. It has replaced the adobe suite for me, but this feature has always annoyed me.

 

My workaround so far has been to create vector shapes (since for some reason they're allowed to created by expanding from the center?). It honestly confuses me why at the very least the tools aren't consistent. Why does the ctrl/command key perform differently on the shape vs marquee tool when they are essentially doing identical things?

 

I really hope they see this thread and start considering adding it. I can't see why from a programming standpoint it would be difficult to add, since the functionality is already existent in the app.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 4 months later...

October 2018: How is this not fixed?

I was really enthusiastic about Affinity, but this bug - and let's hope it is a bug (I read a bit about it being a design choice) - is really mind boggling. 

Especially considering it works with the shapes (along with every other photo editting software) ((including online tools!!)).

 

Please get this sorted soon, thanks. :27_sunglasses:

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 11/30/2016 at 9:04 PM, LilleG said:

The original post referred to expanding from the center.  That is still not available in RC2.  (Or if it is, I haven't discovered how to do it.)  And it is still greatly desired.  I don't know why such a basic option has been ignored for so long.

It is a great answer with helpful to us. keep it up.:)

Daniel Dixon

PHP Developer

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  • 3 months later...

So still nothing on this? Honestly is very much pain in the b*** to select circles. And having to construct a shape to ctrl select it is just slow. Also not to mention that rasterisation of layers is annoying, why isn't there a default shortcut for it if it is important option?

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