There are a lot of fantanstic new features in PhotoPaint X4, but one that I was hoping to see didn't show up. Or, maybe I'm just not getting it.
What I'd like to do is crop part of a photo to a predetermined size. For example, set width and depth to 3.09in by 2.78in, set the resolution to 300, draw the crop border around the area I want cropped at that size, and double click to do it. Then, when I import that photo into CorelDraw it is exactly 3.09in wide by 2.78in deep.
Right now, I'm going out to my long-in-the-tooth PhotoShop 5.0 LE to do that simple crop task, but I prefer doing everything from within PhotoPaint because I really love the cut-out feature (greatly enhanced in X4 by the way), which I use a lot.
Am I just not getting it, or is it not possible?
Thanks for any help anybody can give me.
Dave
Hi Foster,
Thanks for getting back so quickly.
Unfortunately, that's not what I'm looking to do. What I want is a finished crop exactly the size I need to fill a certain-size hole in CorelDraw. When I draw the crop box first, then set the size, two things happen that don't work for me. First, I don't know how much of the photo I can crop to based on the hole size I have to fill in CorelDraw. Second, when I set the size of the cropped area, the crop box shrinks or expands. If I drag the handles to resize it, the finished crop is anything but the original size I needed.
In PhotoShop, I set the exact size I need to fill the hole in CorelDraw, grab the crop tool, drag it around the area I want cropped, double-click, and that's that. When I import it into CorelDraw it fits perfectly.
Maybe there's something I'm still not getting.
hi Dave,
After following this thread, I'd like to propose a very different workflow. I'm a production artist as well, and I know my idea will be about 3 times faster than what you are doing now. Photo-PAINT and PS are not required. CorelDRAW only.
Curious? Let me put together a quick movie for ya - hang on.
DJWick said: The thing is, I really need this feature. I publish a newspaper and build ads, lots of ads, lots of photos (real estate, etc.) Realtors typically stand about a mile away from the house when they snap their pictures, so, I have to crop very liberally in order to get a full frame shot of the house for the ad. Been doing that all along with PhotoShop but, like I said, I'd prefer to be able to do everything in PhotoPaint without having to swap out to another program in the middle of production each time. Dave
The thing is, I really need this feature. I publish a newspaper and build ads, lots of ads, lots of photos (real estate, etc.) Realtors typically stand about a mile away from the house when they snap their pictures, so, I have to crop very liberally in order to get a full frame shot of the house for the ad. Been doing that all along with PhotoShop but, like I said, I'd prefer to be able to do everything in PhotoPaint without having to swap out to another program in the middle of production each time.
Definitely curious. I look forward to seeing your movie.
Thanks,
The bottom line: you have a fixed space in CorelDRAW that you want to force images into.
Benefits of my method? You:
1. could place 10 images per minute this way.
2. have more artistic perspective for how the image will appear relative to the surrounding colors/elements.
3. retain non-destructive design flexibility for scaling, rotation, and export resolution. If the client changes his mind, you still have everything at the original quality
4. are able to create a composite bitmap with super-reliable postscript output capabilities - but only when required.
Go have a look now
I work with photographs all day and rarely open Photo Paint at all. I also have a pre-determined size that I need to end up with in Corel Draw. I import the photo, then click to drop it as it is or drag it so that it is slightly larger than the space I need it in. Then I powerclip it in, resize and resample it if I need to. This all takes about 5 seconds with custom keyboard shortcuts.
Keachybean said:Then I powerclip it in, resize and resample it if I need to. This all takes about 5 seconds with custom keyboard shortcuts.
This reminds of this video.