Zum Hauptinhalt gehen

⚠️ Please note that this topic or post has been archived. The information contained here may no longer be accurate or up-to-date. ⚠️

Cropping Issue

Mike Katz
Hello

I have a problem with the way the crop tool works. I can't find any setting that would change this behaviour, and it's quite frustrating! I'm on Windows 10.

When I'm editing photos I switch frequently between unconstrained cropping and 1x1 square cropping.

The point is that CO doesn't look at the current photo's crop setting when I invoke the crop tool. It keeps the setting (unconstrained or square) that I last used.

If, for example, I move to an unedited photo, and I want to crop it, CO won't let me drag a border if I previously cropped a photo to square.

Alternatively, I crop unconstrained, and then move to a photo that I have cropped square, and I wish to adjust the crop. Now, I can crop unconstrained, and I don't want that, I want to keep it square.

Surely CO should honour a photo's crop setting? And a previously unedited photo should default to unconstrained?

I can't believe that this is a bug, as it's so fundamental, so I have to assume that this is by-design methodology. I was just wandering whether anyone else finds this behaviour frustrating?
0

Kommentare

5 Kommentare

Datum Stimmen
  • SFA
    Mike,

    The tool is set to a specific mode - for example a specified ratio or Unconstrained. You also have Original and Output (i.e. controlled by the output recipe) on offer.

    Using it as a tool there is no obvious record of how the original crop was set nor whether that is what you want to repeat when you resize. The crop is stored as what look like positions and dimensions but no ratio. Indeed since the availability of user defined ratios exists and an image may be sent to another computer for editing where that ratio is unknown as a potential preset the use of actual positions and dimensions makes sense. How those values were derived (predefined ratio or unconstrained for example) may not mean much in those circumstances.

    You can change the working mode of the tool from the tool menu or by right click and select from the drop down list.

    If you inadvertently change something when in the wrong mode, CTRL-Z will undo. Then change the mode and continue.

    If you want to start the crop afresh click and hold outside the crop area and redraw.

    If you want to remove the crop click outside the crop area.

    If you have rotated whilst cropping you may need to pop into the rotate tool if you wish to reset the rotation completely.

    You can drag the crop around once it is drawn.

    You can extent or reduce the crop by pulling a side or a corner. You can choose to crop outside the image if you wish. The default is to crop inside the image and to adjust the crop according to the rules of the current selected mode when rotating.

    Personally speaking, once I became used to how it offers what it offers, I find it very flexible - but then I mainly use Unconstrained mode so I suppose I would!


    HTH.


    Grant
    0
  • Mike Katz
    Hi Grant

    Thanks for the great tutorial and detail! I didn't know everything you laid out.
    Just this is the issue I have:

    SFA wrote:
    Mike,
    Using it as a tool there is no obvious record of how the original crop was set nor whether that is what you want to repeat when you resize. The crop is stored as what look like positions and dimensions but no ratio. Indeed since the availability of user defined ratios exists and an image may be sent to another computer for editing where that ratio is unknown as a potential preset the use of actual positions and dimensions makes sense. How those values were derived (predefined ratio or unconstrained for example) may not mean much in those circumstances.
    Grant


    I recently migrated from Lightroom, and in Lightroom it DOES know your choice of ratio for each photo. WHen you return to an edited photo and select the crop tool, it defaults to the method you last used on that photo. It also defaults unedited photos to Original and won't enforce a mode unless you explicitly enable it.

    EDIT I presume LR is storing the crop ratio and method in the metadata, since it also allows for custom crop sizes.

    I suppose there's no right or wrong, but for someone like myself who uses multiple ratios, it's extra work. I'm always having to right click and select a ratio.

    Thanks again for the quick and expansive reply!
    0
  • SFA
    Hi Mike,

    I can understand your need but wonder whether, with time and experience, you will find a great way to minimise the challenge.

    Would there, for example, be any way for you to easily group the image so you can process for one crop ratio preference at a time - maybe as part of your selection process?

    Colour tag might do it?

    Or maybe a keyword that could then have a long term purpose when selecting images in the future? Especially useful if you create multiple crops and variants of the same image. Also portable for search and discovery purposes.


    Grant
    0
  • Mike Katz
    SFA wrote:
    Hi Mike,

    I can understand your need but wonder whether, with time and experience, you will find a great way to minimise the challenge.

    Would there, for example, be any way for you to easily group the image so you can process for one crop ratio preference at a time - maybe as part of your selection process?

    Colour tag might do it?

    Or maybe a keyword that could then have a long term purpose when selecting images in the future? Especially useful if you create multiple crops and variants of the same image. Also portable for search and discovery purposes.


    Grant


    Hi Grant
    It's something I'll learn to live with, the benefits far outway the issue.
    This issue, and the fact that export doesn't give the option to overwrite an existing file, are literally the only two issues I have had to deal with in migrating. Everything else has been easy or, many times, better, than I had before.
    0
  • SFA
    mikekatz wrote:
    SFA wrote:
    Hi Mike,

    I can understand your need but wonder whether, with time and experience, you will find a great way to minimise the challenge.

    Would there, for example, be any way for you to easily group the image so you can process for one crop ratio preference at a time - maybe as part of your selection process?

    Colour tag might do it?

    Or maybe a keyword that could then have a long term purpose when selecting images in the future? Especially useful if you create multiple crops and variants of the same image. Also portable for search and discovery purposes.


    Grant


    Hi Grant
    It's something I'll learn to live with, the benefits far outway the issue.
    This issue, and the fact that export doesn't give the option to overwrite an existing file, are literally the only two issues I have had to deal with in migrating. Everything else has been easy or, many times, better, than I had before.



    That sounds great Mike.

    I think there could be a case of some sort for both of your points although coming up with something that represents, perhaps, a new and wider approach to the use case to make it as flexible as possible would be a great way to go.


    Grant
    0

Post ist für Kommentare geschlossen.