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.
First, thank you for hanging in there with me and trying these various ideas.
I changed my default to pixels in CorelDraw and checked my 3in by 2in box. It was 900px by 600px, as expected. I loaded the photo into PhotoPaint, selected the crop tool, put in dimensions of 900px by 600px, 300 dpi, then dragged the crop box out to the area I wanted cropped. Then saved it.
When I imported it into CorelDraw it placed as a 399px by 266px photo.
I just don't believe that PhotoPaint has a simple crop-to-dimension feature like the one I've been using in PhotoShop for years. I don't see how I can do it without resampling the cropped image in PhotoPaint to bring it up to the size I need. I compared the images using resample in PhotoPaint and by cropping the usual way in PhotoShop and they are virtually identical.
Maybe nobody has ever expressed the need for this feature in PhotoPaint, and maybe it would behoove me to suggest it for a future build. What do you think of that idea?
OK. I think we are getting somewhere.
I changed default to pixels in both CorelDraw and PhotoPaint.
I created a 900px by 600px box in CorelDraw (equivalent to a 3in by 2in box).
I loaded a photo, 1,280px by 960px @ 72dpi, into PhotoPaint. Set crop to 900px by 600px, 300 dpi, arranged the crop box in the photo (without resizing) to crop an area of 900x600px, and double clicked to crop. Resample info said it is now a 900x600px, 300 dpi photo. Imported into CorelDraw as a 900x600px .cpt photo at 300dpi. Fit the box perfectly.
Then I reloaded the original 1,280px by 960px @ 72dpi photo into PhotoPaint again, and set crop to 900px by 600px, 300 dpi. But this time I didn't accept the crop box the way it was. I dragged it smaller to crop the photo tighter. Double clicked. This time the pixel size changed to 358x238px at 300 dpi. Importing into CorelDraw as a .cpt photo brought in the smaller 358x238 photo at 300 dpi.
In PhotoShop, when I resize the crop box it remembers what size I wanted and resamples on the fly, I guess, to keep the cropped photo the size I set in the crop dimensions.
I'm betting that, short of resampling after the crop is finished, there is no way in PhotoPaint to crop and size on the fly to a preset dimension by dragging crop handles.
I'd be mighty pleased to be wrong, however.
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.
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
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.