Crop ratios

[ErikL]

I have recently swapped ZScreen for Screenshot Captor. I've used an old ZScreen version for years with XnView as editor, which I will continue with until I get familiar with the SC inbuilt editor. After cropping I often needs to crop the image to get a certain ratio. It can be 16:9, 1:1, 3:2 or 4:3. That's a piece of cake in XnView but not so in the SC editor. I suggest that you add a selection ratio feature. A better  selection of preset sizes would also improve the usage.

Regards
ErikL

[mouser]

Glad to hear you are liking the program -- and thank you for the donation -- it's the donations of people like you that make it possible to keep improving the software.

I think the feature you want is already in the program.

You can select preset sizes from the Edit -> Select Preset Region Size menu:.

And you can CUSTOMIZE that menu on the "My Favorites" option tab:


Note also that if you HOLD the ALT key when dragging to resize the selection region, it will preserve the aspect ratio (and if you drag from middle of the selection region it will move it).


If anyone has suggestions for other kinds of syntax to support different kinds of preset sizes/ratios I should add to the "My favorite preset sizes" let me know... I could for example add something that let you select the aspect ratio and told it to maximize the size of the selection area to cover the image..

[mouser]

So to clarify, right now if you found yourself often wanting 3:2 aspect ratio crops, you could add a 300x200 preset, select that and then hold ALT key to resize it to whatever dimension you want keeping the same 3:2 aspect ratio.

[ErikL]

Thanks Mouser.
I guess it all balls down to what you find as a convenient work flow. A click on a menu option for a quick selection of the aspect ratio, n.b. irrespective of images sizes, is a good and efficient feature when using your kind of tool as much as I do.

There will always be a need to change the image size, after cropping, and the paths to do that must be easy and efficient, a hot key command is good. Very often there's also a need to change the image background size and the clicks to do that should be straight forward and easy.

Your editor have several nice and useful feature and I would very much like to use on that instead of using an external editor like XnView, even if it's very good.

[mouser]

Can you give me a specific example of what you'd like to be able to do and how?

[ErikL]

I have enclosed a sort of work flow example in the attached file. Hope it makes sense!

[mouser]

Thank you Erik..

I'm still not 100% sure which part of the workflow SC needs improvement on.

Am I correct that if the "Select Preset Region Size" had options like "Maximal 3:2 window"
which selected the largest, centered 3:2 aspect ratio area, that would be the feature you are missing?

[ErikL]

I do a lot of screen capturing, for different kinds of use. Some for use on mobile 16:9 screens, some for just inserting into web text, some as profile photos in 1:1 or 2:3 and several other use. I guess after having used one system for years I notice differences that effect work flow routines.

I think your good software would get an improvement by adding a menu option ”Preset crop ratio”, to the Edit menu, with no relation to image size, centering, largest or anything like that. Just the length/width ratio.

Suggestion to default selection ratios
1:1
4:3
3:2
16:9
Special ratios perhaps via Settings menu

A possibility to swap the crop relation, like 4:3 to 3:4 or 3:2 to 2:3, by a short cut, like Tab. You know switching from Landscape to Portrait.

After Capture editing will always be there and I guess we will always find something that could minimize work friction.

[mouser]

Im going to try to add an option over the weekend, let's see if it helps.

[cranioscopical]

I think that could be very useful.
Thanks!

(Also, I struggel to find the ratio of spelt:corn.)