Cropping in X7

[CMurd]

I just upgraded to X7 from X3, and the crop tool isn't behaving the way I'm used to. Two things are happening that annoy me.

First, the crop area (meaning the area to be retained) is divided into a grid of 9 squares or rectangles. How do I get rid of that grid? I don't see any reason for it, and it's visually distracting. I looked in Preferences but don't see a way to disable it.

Second, when I let go of the mouse button after defining a grid area, the image zooms out. Why does it do that? If I'm cropping an image which is zoomed in, then that's the way I want it.

Thank you.

[LeviFiction]

The first of your problems is the rule of thirds grid. It's designed to help you crop your image according to the rule of thirds. Just right-click in the crop rectangle and deselect 'Rule of thirds" The toggle button can also be found on the floating crop toolbar.

As for the second problem, I'm not having that issue. So I can't tell you what that is.

[CMurd]

Thank you.

Thank God I can get rid of that "rule of thirds" grid; it was really annoying.

I am photographing beads (for making costume jewelry), and I always start cropping with the photo zoomed in to some extent. When I release the mouse button, the picture suddenly zooms out. It's annoying, but it's no big deal since I can zoom back in.

By the way, the image doesn't always zoom out, so this bug may not be reproducible. It has happened a few times, but not every time I crop.

Thanks again.

[hartpaul]

Testing what CMurd has mentioned.

What I did:
1. Loaded an image 2000 x 1333 pixels that was larger than the workspace when scaled at 100%, with pan tool selected.
2. Because I have applied the crop tool before, when I switched to the crop tool a crop rectangle appeared in the middle of my image. ( I had previously made a preset of 300 x 200 pixels and applied it.)
3. I mouse zoomed in and moved the crop rectangle to a lower middle position and applied it.
4. I switched back to the pan tool and did an undo of the crop action. THis gave my full image at 60%.
5. I zoomed in to another section of that image and switched back to the crop tool.
6. The image zoomed back out to 60% and showed my previously applied crop rectangle in the now remembered position.
In PSP X6 and presumably all other versions, this did not happen,
In step 5 for X6 when I switched to the crop tool I had to zoom back out to find where it was so I could move it to the approximate new location. So that is a new feature of X7.

Re defining a grid (crop?) area and zooming back out?
I selected the crop tool and cleared it. Then I zoomed in to an area off centre and defined a new area by dragging the mouse (presumably what CMurd has done). When I released the mouse in both X6 and X7 there was no change to the zoom and I remained zoomed in to that area with that smaller defined area intact.

[CMurd]

As I said in my previous post (which I just modified), the zooming-out bug doesn't always happen.

I'm having a little trouble understanding exactly what you did in your image. What exactly is the "new feature" you are talking about?

[LeviFiction]

The "new feature" mentioned was that the image would zoom back out to include the crop rectangle when he switched back to the crop tool from another. In previous versions of PSP, you would have to manually zoom out to find where the crop rectangle was. Now in X7 it auto-zooms to include the crop rectangle. Annoying, so maybe the "Automatically display crop rectangle" setting should be left turned off to avoid that jump zoom.

[CMurd]

I tried zooming in, then using the crop tool (although I didn't click on the checkmark to complete the crop), and then I switched to another tool and then switched back, and the image zoomed out.

However, in my case, "Automatically display crop rectangle" was already deselected, and I was not switching tools. The image simply zoomed out when I removed my finger from the mouse button after defining the area to be cropped.

So it appears that X7 has a new bug. The question is: Will it be fixed with a program update, or will I be forced to upgrade to X8 in order to get rid of the bug?

[CMurd]

I'm raising this thread to the top in the hope that someone new might be lurking on the board who knows why my image zooms out when I define a crop. Specifically, if I am looking at the image at 1:1 (meaning that only a portion of the image can be seen), and then I define a crop area, the image zooms out when I let go of the mouse button. I suspect that this is a new "feature", but it horribly annoying. I don't need the program to decide for me when I need to zoom.

[DPainter]

I've had a good look at X7 for this.
Each time the image is zoomed in larger then the workspace, the crop tool clicked on, image zooms out to fit workspace. Zoom in to move and set crop selection is fine. Once you have the crop set and click the tick it automatically sizes to 100% size in the work space.
There's no settings to stop this.
As far as I'm aware it's the same in version X6 which I use more. I crop a reasonable amount of images and hadn't really considered it as an issue. It's only a center wheel turn to zoom back in if it's needed. That control for me is like using your indicators in the car, putting your seat belt on. It's a habit that you just do without thinking about it.

You've come from X3 to X7. The crop tool has new features then your used to. It's a great way to crop and straighten at the same time. The ability to be able to rotate the crop is a very valuable tool feature I find. Cause you gain, you loose. The gain far outweighs the loss in this case IMO.

[CMurd]

For me, it's a big deal. I take pictures of products, and I do three or four crops per picture. Every time the image zooms out, it's like the program is fighting me. I hate it.

[hartpaul]

I did a lot of playing around. This is what happens for me.
1. Load a new image. (mine 3744 x 5616)
2. Switch to the crop tool from another tool.
3. Zoom in to make the image larger than the screen >100% scaling
4. Define a crop area --- upon release of the mouse the image scales back to show the full image, but the window does not follow.
5. Clear the crop area. You can now zoom in and define crop areas without it going back to full screen.

Repeating this but leaving the crop tool selected:
1. Load a new image
2. Zoom in >100% scaling
3. Define crop area, image does not change.

1.In windowed mode Load a group of images.
2. switch from other tool to crop tool.
3. Zoom in >100% scaling
4. Define crop area - image scales back out to show full area.
5. Clear crop area . You can now zoom in define and crop as new image however you wish and then switch to other loaded images with no further problems.

So it only seems to strike the first time with a newly loaded image(s) and when you switch from another tool to the crop tool.
But once again if you use another tool and switch back to the crop tool that effect will occur for the first crop definition. So doing a quick define and clear when first loaded switched will alleviate that.
It is the tool switching which is the trigger.

[DPainter]

Ok, Like I said. I use X6 over X7. I've just had a look at this issue in X6 and X6 "Dose Not" resize or zoom out when cropping. The image stays as set by the user.

I use X6 over X7 because it has a lot less issues then are ones I've found myself and reading through here many others are getting with X7.

I'd suggest for you to get a copy of X6. I know your issue is you've come from X3 and have paid for a new program that's "Supposed" to be a update. For that I'm sorry for you but in reality X7 has been a dud in so many ways.
Use your support now and ask about getting X6 in place of X7.
If you let support to run over time they ask for money to give support! It's a total rout when asking for support on a current program.

[CMurd]

Hartpaul, what you said is consistent with what I've experienced. The problem is that the workflow determines which tools I use, so I have no choice but to keep changing tools.

What really irks me is that the image will zoom out even if the crop area I'm defining is within the area of the image shown on the screen. In other words, there is no purpose to zooming out. Corel is just assuming that people always want to see the full image when they are cropping, but that isn't always the case. In so doing, Corel is taking a page from Microsoft's playbook. What makes Microsoft programs so annoying is that Microsoft thinks they know best, and they try to force everyone to work their way.

Painter, I don't want to deal with Corel. I'll just have to stick with X7. At least X7 isn't crashing on me constantly, which is what X3 did.

[LordLiverpool]

In so doing, Corel is taking a page from Microsoft's playbook. What makes Microsoft programs so annoying is that Microsoft thinks they know best, and they try to force everyone to work their way.

Yes, I agree 100%. Don't assume that you know what I want to do! For the average user, for the typical photo, sure, you'll probably want to zoom out. But not all users are average and not all images are your typical holiday snaps being cropped. I often need to make fine adjustments to the crop rectangle by zooming in to see exactly where the edge falls. With large images, it's impossible to see without zooming. So now we're forced to zoom back in without using the zoom tool, which is time-wasting and annoying.

[StoryMaker]

I'm using X9 and I'm experiencing this same issue. Using the crop tool will reset the zoom to fit the screen. This is VERY annoying when you want to fine-tune a crop on a large image. In fact I consider it pretty unacceptable. Is there any way to change this?