Paste as Selection

[irhorwood]

Good Morning.

I am pleased to be on the forum. thank you. I am using XNView MP on Windows and Mac & think the software is great but I have a quick question.

When pasting a copied image into another larger one using copy and paste it defaults to placing this to extreme top left of the target image. I can't see how to drag it or reposition it anywhere else, typically centre of the target image. On pasting the selection marquee is gone.

I also use Photoshop and Paintshop Pro (old) which retain the selection marquee around original copied image enabling drag drop centre etc.

Perhaps there is another icon or cut paste control I am missing...?

Thank you & Regards
Ian

[helmut]

Thank you for your registering here in the XnView forum and your request, Ian.

Unfortunately, there is currently no way to paste clipboard contents into an image and then move the pasted area to a desired position. Though supporting such a natural workflow would be a very good and helpful enhancement for XnView.

Only thing that you can do is make a selection and then paste the clipboard. Clipboard contents will be pasted and resized so that it fits into the selection previously made. But this isn't really a workaround and doable because your selection would need the same size (or at least ratio) as the clipboard contents.

[irhorwood]

Thank you for your quick and courteous reply Helmut.

Is there a border tool? Maybe I can do some quick arithmetic and add black borders to my image. You know yourself if you want an image to fit and its a long thin one or a lower def one, resizing doesn't work without loss of quality.

Kind Regards
Ian

[cday]

Thank you for your quick and courteous reply Helmut.

Is there a border tool?

You should be able to add a border easily using Canvas resize... with Position set to Center.

When pasting a copied image into another larger one using copy and paste it defaults to placing this to extreme top left of the target image. I can't see how to drag it or reposition it anywhere else, typically centre of the target image. On pasting the selection marquee is gone.

I also use Photoshop and Paintshop Pro (old) which retain the selection marquee around original copied image enabling drag drop centre etc.

Adding support for the Photoshop and Paintshop Pro option to drag a selection after a paste would seem a good solution, if Pierre is able to add it easily?

[irhorwood]

That's great. canvas resize and centre works fine.

The selection solution from Helmut works as well so thanks to both of you.

This has solved it for me.

Some similar apps have an 'open in external program' link which would be great, but that would also require some interface programming work. Lightroom being the obvious one.

What I liked about XnView was it's simplicity and both MAC & Windows support . Sadly PSP is old hat but again, very simple. Photoshop is now too complex if you just want to do something quick and straightforward.

Best Ian

[cday]

The selection solution from Helmut works as well so thanks to both of you.

The limitation of that method, which I have used for lack of a satisfactory alternative, is that it can be difficult to size the new selection required to (reasonably) accurately match the dimmensions of the image to be pasted, and a difference in, particularly, the aspect ration results in some distortion.

Some similar apps have an 'open in external program' link which would be great, but that would also require some interface programming work. Lightroom being the obvious one.

XnView MP also has that, I believe, although I have never used it. Helmut?

[irhorwood]

Hey, you are quite correct. Thank you. I just noticed that. It's on the right click in both browser and view mode.

And you are right about the selection sizing. It has to be bang on and it's fiddly using click and drag (unless there is another dimensions sizing box which I've missed)..

Okay if you have a rectangular shape to paste but an odd shape cutout or a circle would be impossible. The lack of a marquee tool is a limitation but I accept that.

[helmut]

Good to read that the hints were of some use. Thank you for your feedback, Ian.

... XnView MP also has that, I believe, although I have never used it. Helmut?

There's always "Open with... > " for opening with associated program (F3 key) or associated editor (F4 key). And in addition you can configure a desired program yourself using "Configure program...".

Related topic:
- How can XnView interact with other (graphic) programs?

[cday]

@irhorwood:

Thinking about the practical selection sizing issue when pasting an image on the clipboard, and then checking in XnView MP, the current size of a new selection is shown in the task bar...

That would make life easier, but implementation of the Photoshop and Paintshop Pro possibility to drag and drop a selection after a paste would still seem to be a useful addition to the XnView MP interface.

[helmut]

... That would make life easier, but implementation of the Photoshop and Paintshop Pro possibility to drag and drop a selection after a paste would still seem to be a useful addition to the XnView MP interface.

Yes, this would be a very good and important enhancement for both XnView MP and XnView Classic. Let's see what Pierre thinks and decides.

[xnview]

you can make a selection before to paste

[cday]

When an image is pasted onto another image, it is pasted at its nominal pixel dimensions, when it is pasted into a selection it will be pasted at the dimensions of the selection which may result in distortion...

The advantage, I understand, of the Photoshop and Paintshop Pro option is that the image is pasted at its nominal pixel dimensions, and then can be moved maintaining those dimensions to the desired final position...

[helmut]

you can make a selection before to paste

Yes, Pierrre, we know about this and this has been discussed in this topic, already. At best, making a selection beforehand is a workaround but it's not really a good solution - reasons can be found in cdays post and above posts.

[xnview]

When an image is pasted onto another image, it is pasted at its nominal pixel dimensions, when it is pasted into a selection it will be pasted at the dimensions of the selection which may result in distortion...

you can edit in .ini

pasteKeepRatio=true

[cday]

Paste needs to be at the exact pixel dimensions of the image, which is the case when using a simple Ctrl-V, but the paste is made at top-left. Any rescaling of the pasted image even at the same aspect ration can result in quality loss.

The real need, if you can implement it, is to be able to paste the clipboard image at its existing pixel dimensions, and to be able to place or move it at or to the desired position on the canvas.