Cropping

[gluepack]

I don't know if I am missing something or not...

Cropping only appears to apply to the whole image as opposed to the currently selected object.

In CorelDraw I am so used to just grabbing one or more nodes of the selected item and moving them to crop and I just don't seem to be able to do that with PSP. Am I missing something?

[Forriner]

I'm not going to pretend to know anything about Corel Draw or even Photoshop as this is a PSP thing, so:

"Cropping only appears to apply to the whole image as opposed to the currently selected object."

Cropping is removing the outer parts of an image, leaving the part you selected with the crop tool. Alternatively in PSP you can select and crop the selection to a new image instead of cropping the original. Is this what you mean?

Start by checking menu File/Preferences/General program preferences... Transparency and Shading. For now, so things don't get confusing, uncheck 'automatically display crop rectangle' and 'enable floating crop toolbar'.

Now, open an image in the edit window, and select the crop tool. Click and drag from one corner of the area you want to retain and surround the area you want to keep with the crop marquee.
You can adjust the marquee as needed. Place the cursor over a corner, cursor is 4 white arrows, click and drag in any direction; width and height of the marquee change. Place the cursor over a side (vertical or horizontal) and the cursor shows a double white arrow; click and drag to up or down / left or right to change the marquee.
Hold the cursor inside the marquee and cursor is four arrows. Click and drag to move the whole marquee.
There's a line from the center of marquee to a little box. Cursor on box changes to two half-circle arrows; click and drag to rotate the marquee.

When the marquee is as you want:
double click inside the marquee and presto, the image is cropped to the marquee.
-or- right click and choose one of the options:
-apply: crops like the double click, cropping the image.
-crop as new image: does just that, leaving the original intact.
-clear: clears the crop marquee, so you can start again
-rotate crop rectangle: rotates the marquee 90 degrees
-rule of thirds: superimposes lines inside the marquee according to the rule of thirds as a guide to cropping.

That's about it. Play around with it, and the options of the Tool Options palette (F4) when you've selected the crop tool. Have fun.

[LeviFiction]

Are you talking vectors specifically? I can tell you right now PSP's vectors are nowhere near what Corel Draw's are.

Can you point to examples? For me video is preferable.

As Forriner says the crop tool is only for cropping out pieces of the image you don't want anymore. But the term 'crop' can refer to numerous things especially where digital graphics are concerned. So it's best to not get the term cropping confused with the cropping tool. If you're looking to do a specific kind of cropping that needs to be addressed in other ways we might be able to help.

Loosely speaking masks are a form of non-destructive crop of any layer that is grouped with it. I've used this before to crop a vector so it appears to be inside of another.

[gluepack]

Terms are ambiguous.

An image can consists of any number of objects and any number of layers as far as I am concerned.

It appears to me that, when you use the crop tool in PSP, it applies it to every layer and whether they are visible or not.

If I import a raster object to a layer within a multi-layer environment, I want to be able to crop that object without it affecting any other component of the total image. Also, I want to be able to add nodes, delete nodes, move nodes, etc. so that I can crop the object to an irregular shape, if necessary.

[LeviFiction]

Yes, the crop tool crops the canvas of the image, not single layers. To crop individual layers you have to selections or masks. There are many ways to create a selection, and for optimal flexibility I use vectors. this takes more work.

Using a selection you can select the area you wan to keep, invert the selection, so that everything except the area that you want to keep is selected and hit Delete. This crops the currently selected layer.

I can do the same thing using a mask, select the area I want to keep. Then under the Layers menu select New Mask Layer -> Show selected. The mask will hide anything that was outside of the selection. I prefer this for non-destructive editing.

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You can also use vectors to create selections from. This might satisfy your need to add nodes. Something that is not possible with the traditional tools.

To do this you draw out a rectangle. Then hide it so only the outline of the nodes is visible and it doesn't get in your way. If you want to add nodes you'll have to convert it to an path from the Objects menu. Then using the edit more of the pen tool for paths, the rectangle tool for rectangles. You can move it where you need it. Make a selection using "Selections -> From Vector Object"

then follow one of the two steps above.

[gluepack]

Thanks

Select, Invert, Delete and the mask approach are both good.
The only problem I see with that is that you don't seem to be able to fine tune your selection, e.g rectangular, you can only redo it. Well, apart from Shift/Ctrl'ing other selections in conjunction with it. For example, if I select using rectangle and I am slightly out, I can't just shift the edge of the rectangle in a bit, I have to Ctrl-select another rectangle over the top of it, which is difficult to do at the pixel level.

As far as the vector approach is concerned...

To do this you draw out a rectangle. Then hide it so only the outline of the nodes is visible and it doesn't get in your way. If you want to add nodes you'll have to convert it to an path from the Objects menu. Then using the edit more of the pen tool for paths, the rectangle tool for rectangles. You can move it where you need it. Make a selection using "Selections -> From Vector Object"

I assume any vector is ok, not just a rectangle.
I draw it out.
I hide it.
I can't convert it to a path because it is greyed out.
I don't bother to move it.
I make a selection using "Selections -> From Vector Object"
It puts a double dotted line around the vectored area.
The boundary box is movable but no selection gets moved and the double line remains stationary.
And, I get a new raster and promoted selection area that are empty.


Thanks again!

[LeviFiction]

There is an "Edit Selection" option. You can use the pick tool to transform, move, and edit the selection rectangle if you want. I don't like this option as it's still editing a raster image and prone to distortion.

Why would you try to move the selection after the fact? You move the vector where you want, then create a selection.

Now, there are 5 kinds of vectors: Text, Rectangles, Ellipses, Symmetric Shapes, and paths. Many preset shapes are already paths, only the other four types can be converted to paths.

Also, it's important to make sure the vector has both a stroke and a fill or at least a fill. Selections are based on the visible area of the vector. If you have the fill turned off then only the stroke will be used to create the selection resulting in what you saw.

Don't know if this will help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkBhZnz ... e=youtu.be