Cropping Improvements
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:31 am
Cropping lots of photos from a DSLR is a big task because the 3:2 ratio of many cameras does not match many paper sizes or not all the picture is wanted in the printed version.
Scenario 1: 10 DSLR images to crop for printing or resizing.
To get a fixed ratio crop you first need to use Edit | Set selection ratio.
Problem 1: Not available for use on the Toolbar.
Problem 2: Not remembered when switching to the next picture so you have to continually reselect it.
Suggestions: Make this command available for adding on the toolbar. Make the last ratio selected the default for the next selection. Or leave the fixed-ratio cropping mode enabled once selected until you deselected it or the program is closed. Provide a Fixed Ratio Crop command, that when you click on it, uses the last fixed ratio selected and places a 80% height or 80% fixed-ratio section box on the image. (See below in Cropping Table suggestion.)
Problem 3: Consider the number of steps required to open a picture, crop it, save a copy of it and print it out.
Problem 4: Diagonal dragging for selection can be a problem when cropping as there may be a few stages of dragging, moving the selection rectangle to recentre, adjusting the handles until the area being cropped is compositionally balanced.
Suggestions: a Cropping Table. Picture automatically loads up to full window height or width. Selection rectange already visible & centered. Set to 80% of picture height or width depending on longest side. Tab to change portrait/landscape cropping orientation. "Options" section on the right:
Selection ratio drop box.
Print selected area (no need to save crop first).
Save selected area options: Replace original; Add "_cropped" copy in original directory; In "Cropped" subdirectory off original directory (create if not present); In another nominated location.
Have the selection window in the Cropping Table window fixed. Picture is grayed-out outsize selection window. Drag picture around to recentre. Use mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out to fill required picture parts within selection window. This seems the quickest way to me to centre and fill the cropping area.
Scenario 2: 100 DSLR pictures to crop for printing or resizing. Provide semi-automatic cropping by...
Show a L/R scrollable strip of pictures in the current directory at the top of the Cropping Table window. Show a fixed-ratio selection window on each picture set to 100% of height or width depending on longest side of photo. At a glace you can see what parts will be cropped when printing. If unhappy with any default selection, double-click on that strip photo to open on the cropping table for adjustment. Allow deletion from the strip.
When finished, that is when you are happy with the remaining photos on the strip, have a Print Crop Strip command which then crops and individually prints each "strip" photo. The printing should be smart enough to change the orientation command sent to the printer based on the orientation of the longest crop side in each picture. If that is not possible, then split the printing into two batches, if mixed crop orientation is present, so that all "portraits" & all "landscapes" can be done in a group.
Thanks for your consideration,
Dan.
Scenario 1: 10 DSLR images to crop for printing or resizing.
To get a fixed ratio crop you first need to use Edit | Set selection ratio.
Problem 1: Not available for use on the Toolbar.
Problem 2: Not remembered when switching to the next picture so you have to continually reselect it.
Suggestions: Make this command available for adding on the toolbar. Make the last ratio selected the default for the next selection. Or leave the fixed-ratio cropping mode enabled once selected until you deselected it or the program is closed. Provide a Fixed Ratio Crop command, that when you click on it, uses the last fixed ratio selected and places a 80% height or 80% fixed-ratio section box on the image. (See below in Cropping Table suggestion.)
Problem 3: Consider the number of steps required to open a picture, crop it, save a copy of it and print it out.
Problem 4: Diagonal dragging for selection can be a problem when cropping as there may be a few stages of dragging, moving the selection rectangle to recentre, adjusting the handles until the area being cropped is compositionally balanced.
Suggestions: a Cropping Table. Picture automatically loads up to full window height or width. Selection rectange already visible & centered. Set to 80% of picture height or width depending on longest side. Tab to change portrait/landscape cropping orientation. "Options" section on the right:
Selection ratio drop box.
Print selected area (no need to save crop first).
Save selected area options: Replace original; Add "_cropped" copy in original directory; In "Cropped" subdirectory off original directory (create if not present); In another nominated location.
Have the selection window in the Cropping Table window fixed. Picture is grayed-out outsize selection window. Drag picture around to recentre. Use mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out to fill required picture parts within selection window. This seems the quickest way to me to centre and fill the cropping area.
Scenario 2: 100 DSLR pictures to crop for printing or resizing. Provide semi-automatic cropping by...
Show a L/R scrollable strip of pictures in the current directory at the top of the Cropping Table window. Show a fixed-ratio selection window on each picture set to 100% of height or width depending on longest side of photo. At a glace you can see what parts will be cropped when printing. If unhappy with any default selection, double-click on that strip photo to open on the cropping table for adjustment. Allow deletion from the strip.
When finished, that is when you are happy with the remaining photos on the strip, have a Print Crop Strip command which then crops and individually prints each "strip" photo. The printing should be smart enough to change the orientation command sent to the printer based on the orientation of the longest crop side in each picture. If that is not possible, then split the printing into two batches, if mixed crop orientation is present, so that all "portraits" & all "landscapes" can be done in a group.
Thanks for your consideration,
Dan.