Fixed Resize Document- Absolute Crop Tool

[CedarHouse]

The Resize Document with the Resample unticked now is working as I would expect it too. It is keeping the original pixel dimensions intact and only changing unit length dimensions dependant on the DPI values chosen. Like the extra line giving the hint of the resize actions. Saves having to use a calculator to check dimensions.

Only element now to consider is the same action for the Absolute Size crop tool. Needs the original pixel dimensions to be locked as per the Resize Document and on changing the DPI value the unit dimensions in the vertical and horizontal direction  changes. Currently in this Beta version 434 if one has set a Resize Document size as 51.562in by 34.208in @ 96 DPI and open the crop tool Absolute size and change the DPI value to 300 the pixels in the Crop display goes from 4950px by 3284px too 15468px by 10262px. The dimensions at 51.562in by 34.208in are not changing. These should be changing as the DPI changes. The pixel dimensions should never change unless one is down-sampling or up-sampling in the Resize Document with resample checked or using the Export to down-sample images for web or a particular dimension to suit a display device.

300 divide by 96 is equal to 3.125.  4950px times 3.125 is equal to 15468.75px.  3284px times 3.125 is equal to 10262.5px.

What should be happening is that - 51.562in divided by 3.125 is equal to 16.499in. 34.208in divide by 3.125 is equal to 10.946in.  The dimension of 16.5in by 10.947 at 300 DPI is 4950px by 3284px is the required size as confirmed in the Resize Document. The original image size in pixels is 4950px by 3284px.

The crop tools should only be used for light trimming of an image file or to crop for artistic effect to assist in the process of developing an image for printing onto media etc. Much as one might see an article in a newspaper or magazine and cut (crop) the article of interest from the whole sheet.

[walt.farrell]

The Absolute Size crop is intended to crop and resample and resize. That is its purpose.

If you don't like that function, just choose a different crop method, such as Unconstrained, or custom ratio, or original ratio. Then do any needed resizing separately.

[CedarHouse]

Sorry to keep pressing the point. Why does one want to resample in a crop tool. As far as I am aware no other photo software resamples in the crop tool, unless some one can prove me wrong. Photoshop Support > Adobe.com > Advanced cropping, resizing and resample, specifically states the resampling is not done during cropping, See Attached files.

[CedarHouse]

Just a further set of screen grab files for explanation of re-sample and re-sizing from [photoshopessentials.com] > Basics > Lesson 06 (8 Lessons) How to crop images in Photoshop CC.

[Mark Ingram]

1 hour ago, CedarHouse said:

Photoshop Support > Adobe.com > Advanced cropping, resizing and resample, specifically states the resampling is not done during cropping

We aren't making a Photoshop clone, that was never our intention, so there will be differences between the applications. In this case, the "Absolute Crop" (which should be "Resample Crop") saves you doing the two separate steps of crop and then resample (via Resize Document). 

[CedarHouse]

Sorry to be a nuisance in this as I am a bit stuck with the limits of the current crop tools in Affinity Photo. Maybe as I have suggested previously the Absolute Size needs to change it's name to show the purpose of that particular crop operation. I find the term Absolute Size confusing as I had got it into my head that the Absolute Size was the pixel size of the original image (ex 4950px by 3284px) and as one cropped the image to a lower size of pixels say 4800px by 3000px then the image size in inches or millimetres should change according to the DPI changes.

The Unconstrained works the way I want it to, but despite entering unit dimensions in inches etc it still only shows the image size in pixels. I would be very happy use the Unconstrained tool but would like to flip from inches to millimetres where I can just to check that I have got the correct size, without having to resort to a calculator.

The old Absolute Size used to this up to version 1.6. But not now as I now need to go through a two stage process to get a cropped image size to a defined unit of measurement in inches or millimetres as long as I do not start changing the DPI value in the Absolute Crop mode.

[Mark Ingram]

I mentioned it before in another post, but I think we can improve both of those issues with the Unconstrained crop context bar.

[CedarHouse]

I needed a bit of time to do a bit of research. I presume that the Absolute Size tool  is a Digital Zoom. Quoting from Wikipedia. Digital Zoom is a method of decreasing the apparent angle of view of a digital photographic image. Digital zoom is accomplished by cropping an image down to a centered area with the same aspect ratio as the original and usually also interpolating the result back up to the pixel dimensions of the original.

If only one had said this from the beginning I would have understood the function. Maybe the Absolute Size title should be changed to "Digital Zoom" or similar to describe more closely the function of the tool. Confused between the action in Affinity Photo 1.6 and the new version 1.7. Now I see the potential of this new crop method.

The change of the apparent angle of view in the digital zoom, I presume is the equivalent of using a lens on the camera of a longer focal length but producing an image with the same aspect ratio and same size both in units of length and pixel sizes. (No need for expensive long focal length lenses?)

Both edited images attached are from the same image, sized using the Absolute Size tool at 300 DPi - 16.43in by 10.88in and also 4928px by 3264px in both cases. These have also been down-sampled using Export to JPG from the original .afphoto file format.