PhotoLab CROP Tool enhancement suggestions

Hi, I saw that the posts on this topic were closed because of the low priority that DxO considers for this topic, but I also have some modification requests for the cropping tool which is really basic - with no enhancement since the first version of the software!
It would be very helpful to have more options, the ones I suggest would be:

  1. A button that would reverse the ratios proposed by default: 4: 3 would be changed to 3: 4 - 5: 2 changed to 2: 5 … aso
  2. An input field allowing to enter a special ratio which does not appear in the list proposed by Photolab for example: 7: 3 or 3: 7 or anything else.
  3. Another option that would be useful: being able to enter an X / Y dimension ratio like 0.85 or 1.42 or whatever.
    I had already made this request to DxO support years ago … and nothing has changed since my request. And it’s really frustrating not to have a real cropping tool in Photolab 4 which has become a superb tool with the release of version 4!

Hi Amarok and welcome to our forum :wink: !

  1. this could be useful indeed
  2. this is already possible since PL 3 :partying_face:
  3. can’t this be solved by the previous point?

Cheers,
Steven.

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Hello,
In addition :

  1. By taking the handle from one of the corners of the image, and dragging it, we can invert the ratio (switch from horizontal to vertical and vice versa).

2 and 3. you can enter any ratio of type 2/6 (but not 2: 6) or 1.42

I agree with 1).
When I started with Photolab last year, the proposed solution with moving the corners was not obvious.
A button would be a welcome addition and probably not that difficult to implement.

You should keep the current solutions and just add a new button.

Hi gerarto,
Thank you for that answer !
About option 1: Glad to know that, it’s very useful if we don’t have better! I did not know this possibility. But it would still be more useful to have the possibility to reverse all the options offered by default in a single operation.
Your suggestion for options 2 and 3 does not work. I just tested this with version 4.
Best regards
Guy

Hi StevenL,
First of all thank you for this answer!
Glad you like point 1, maybe we’ll see it happen one day.
About point 2: Yes, it is possible (tested under version 4) and it sometimes works, BUT if we change the value that we entered previously, the X and Y dimensions are reversed as you can see in the jpg file associated with this message.
Point 3: No! If the ratio is not a fraction … for example - I would like an X / Y ratio respecting the “golden ratio” (0.618 … / 1.618 …) which cannot be expressed by a fraction. Personally, I really like the balance and the beauty of this proportion.
Best regards
Guy

1.618 = 1618 / 1000 :slight_smile:

Both 1618:1000 and 1000:1618 work for me in PL4, but not necessarily with the expected effect. (Although I would personally live with the builtin 16:10 ratio in this case.)

The first time you enter your own ratios the behaviour is an improvement over PL3: the first ratio above gives a landscape crop, the second a portrait crop. Even changing the ratio behaves better than in PL3, with the crops being centered on the image instead of the wonky behaviour I reported here.

Now move the crop, press Reset, and try it again, and the behaviour is different.

So much for consistency, but then they’ve only had 10 months …

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Re-Bonjour,
Cela fonctonne sans problème pour moi : clic sur la valeur affichée dans la case ratio et entrée clavier de la valeur choisie, par exemple : 4/3, ou 1.618.
Ce qui ne marche pas c’est d’entrer 3/4 ou 0.618 lorsque l’orientation courante du crop est horizontale, il faut d’abord passer de l’orientation paysage à l’orientation portrait en faisant glisser le coin avec la souris. Et idem pour l’autre sens.
Note : les valeurs “personnelles” de ratio sont conservées dans la liste déroulante pendant la session courante
(version Windows)

Hello,
It works without problem for me: click on the value displayed in the ratio box and keyboard input of the chosen value, for example: 4/3, or 1.618.
What does not work is to enter 3/4 or 0.618 when the current orientation of the crop is horizontal, you must first switch from landscape orientation to portrait orientation by dragging the corner with the mouse . And ditto for the other direction.
Note: “personal” ratio values are kept in the drop-down list during the current session
(Windows version)

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Thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion for their suggestions and solutions! These solutions are very interesting since we do not have better ones for the moment …
I do not wish to discuss this subject any longer and I am waiting to see the improvements that DxO will - perhaps - offer us later … with hope !

  • ===== *
    Merci à tous ceux qui sont intervenu dans cette discussion, pour leurs suggestions et solutions ! Ces solutions sont très intéressantes puisque nous n’en avons pas de meilleures pour le moment …
    Je ne souhaite pas discuter plus longtemps sur ce sujet et j’attends de voir venir les améliorations que DxO va - peut-être - nous proposer plus tard … avec espoir !