Improve crop tool efficiency
What problem do you see this solving?
The problem is how many steps are required to use the crop tool to make simple adjustments, and that the process takes extra time and and disrupts the workflow and thought process. Functions are selecting 'unconstrained' aspect ratio or choosing a ratio, or switching from horizontal to vertical. On each image it is a five step process in comparison to Lightroom's three steps. Not only are there more steps, but they are more fiddly and time consuming. This takes additional seconds but also interrupts the thought process while editing. Doing this over and over becomes 'tiring'. Just like an ergonomic camera, Capture One should be efficient in use. The crop tool is one that is constantly used, so improving it will improve Capture One as a whole.
When was the last time you were affected by this lack of functionality, or specific tool?
Every time I use Capture One.
Are you using any workarounds or other solutions to achieve your goals in Capture One?
No, the problem is too fundamental. It also affects many different scenario's of crop tool use.
Are you happy to be contacted further about this suggestion or request?
Yes.
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Original request detail.
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The Capture One crop tool is slow and inefficient. Especially an issue because it is one of the most used tools (and constantly frustrating). Improving the efficiency of the crop tool would greatly improve Capture One as a whole.
Use case example 1:
Image is uncropped, I want to crop from a 2:3 ratio to unconstrained.
Steps required:
1. Press C for crop
2. Right click image to reveal crop options.
3. Click ratio button dropdown
4 Click unconstrained.
5. Move crop.
The steps in Lightroom by comparison:
1. Press R for crop
2. Press A for aspect
3. Move crop.
These two buttons (R & A) can be pressed almost instantly, while Capture One takes quite a bit of fiddling with the mouse. When this becomes repetitive it is a big time waster.
Request 1: Make a shortcut button available to change aspect ratio to unconstrained.
Use case example 2:
I want to change the aspect ratio from 2:3 to 2:1.
1. Press C for crop
2. Right click image to reveal crop options.
3. Click ratio button dropdown
4. Select desired ratio.
Request 2. Capture One should provide a way to remove step 3, possibly also step 2. Perhaps by having the crop ratio's pop up as a list (not a drop down) somewhere in the menu or whatever works efficiently.
Request 3. Provide an easy/quick way to swap between vertical and horizontal ratio, like the command X does in Lightroom. Capture One is very awkward.
Request 4. Crop tool feature allows change of rotation and crop which is good. However the crop tool reset arrow only resets the crop. Please add a reset arrow which can also reset the rotation.
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Updated, I hope this is the correct process now.
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Thank you!
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I'd like to take John's request a bit further (beside all he mentioned).
Please make the crop settings (selecting and creating ratios) accessible for scripting.
At least selecting the created ratios should be possible.By selecting the crop tool it should also be possible to define a specific ratio without creating a new "aspect ratio preset".
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Hi Michele Di Fede, thanks for your feedback, however please consider creating a separate new post asking for crop ratios to be added to scripting!
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Adding to this, given the title is "Improving crop tool efficiency" :
In lightroom you have the following parameters exposed:- Scale
- X Offset
- Y Offset
- Rotation
Which allows you to control cropping via a control surface. Until I can control these via a control surface or quick-key, I can't escape Lightroom for event editing and I'd really, really like to. Oh man.
Scale is essentially the "Zoom" of the current aspect ratio crop window, the rest should be obvious. With the scale set to 130% and thus manipulating the rotation and X/Y parameters, you can selectively crop without touching the mouse AND copy that crop between images because it's now parametised instead of being a per-image set of coordinates.
Made a video illustrating this here: https://www.sozu.co.uk/files/c1cropping.mp4Further a shortcut key for "Reset crop" and "Reset crop aspect to image original" would be useful, such that you can quickly return to an uncropped image. These parameters would of course be copyable between virtual copied allowing one image to have multiple artistic crops ready for export as required.
I could make a new post. It would get one vote like the last one and be ignored in perpetuity. Feels better to pile on to "Make the crop tool better" and get everyone's votes in a single thread where it can't be overlooked IMO.
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Thanks for the additions Den, good video too. I hadn't even thought of that scenario but it definitely helps point out the innefficiency of Capture One cropping.
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Efficiency really gets brought front and centre when you've got 2000 images to get through :'D
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Yes and volume processing should be a key strength Capture One, repeat the same steps a thousand times the slow way and you sure know about it!
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I sit faced with another 3000 images to go through. I weep, because the demo of the latest version of C1 still doesn't implement anything like this, so I'm still a prisoner of Lightroom for such tasks :(
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I mean that's it, just there. That's what we need. Chuck speed edit controls on that and you're done!
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Update: Thank you Capture One, the latest version of Capture One which allows keyboard shortcuts to be assigned to aspect ratio's has sped up my cropping. I have assigned CTRL + number to each crop aspect ratio, so for example, CTRL+1 is square, CTRL+2 is 4:5 and so on until CTRL+9 as the most panoramic 1:3. I have also assigned the \ key to 'unconstrained' crop ratio.
The only thing I find missing now is changing from landscape to portrait orientation, which is still an awkward pulling on the corners, please add possibility of a shortcut for that too (the equivalent of x in lightroom).
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