GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 129189
Constrain selection with fixed aspect ratio against edge of image
Last modified: 2006-12-03 01:33:47 UTC
<jk_work> stupid question: I know I can crop to a fixed aspect ratio by making a selection. <jk_work> But it looked like it was possible to move one side of the selection off the image. <jk_work> Is there a way - besides vigilance - to make sure that doesn't happen? <bolsh> jk_work: I'm afraid not <bolsh> It would certainly be preferable to block at the edge of the image when we have fixed ratio activated <bolsh> jk_work: Could you open a bug against that, please? IMHO, it's a bug since it results in a selection which isn't constrained by the aspect ratio
Yes - I'd better elaborate a bit :) I think that if we constrain the aspect ratio of a selection, that should be respected at the image boundaries. If we create a selection that overflows the image, when we stop selecting, the selection gets chopped, resulting in a selection that is not correctly ratio constrained. I think that we should check when a selection goes outside the image, and restrict the growth of the selection appropriately when the ratio is constrained. Cheers, Dave.
IMHO this kind of constraining is absolutely useless. If you want to stop selecting at the border of the image, just do so. It it was constrained as you describe, it would be impossible to do what you just described. If that's what the user wants depends on the use case only. We cannot make certain use cases easier for the price of preventing others from working at all.
Hi, I don't see what you mean. If the user constrains the aspect ratio of a selection to 2:1, and he ends up with a selection which isn't 2:1, isn't that incorrect behaviour? This is the only situation where it makes sense to limit the selection - obviously for free selection modes it's useful to go outside the image while selecting. Alternatively, it would be possible to have implicit guides on the image bounds, so that there is at least a bit of resistance if we go outside the image. At least that way there is some visual feedback that we're at the very edge of the image. Cheers, Dave.
Snap to boundry can sometimes be annoying when you are drawing a selection. Can we have a tool option to force selections to be constrained by the image boundries? Clearly this is useful is some cases.
This could be a useful enhancement to the selection tools, but it isn't a bug, or is it?
no, I think this is an enhancement. Marking as such. If anyone objects, change it back. I'll mark this for 2.2 as well.
Noone has worked on this so it is probably not going to be a 2.2 feature. Bumping off the 2.2 milestone.
I think this is a bug rather than an enhancement. The selection's growth should be restricted fixed aspect ratio is set, whether in the tool settings or with the constain to square keyboard modifier. The selection rectangle probably shouldn't be drawn outside the canvas in all cases anyway, since when the user lets go of the mouse button the selection highlight is only inside, and even if the layer goes beyond the visible canvas it's not selected.
Just for the record I was about to file this behaviour as a bug. The expectation is that with "constrained aspect ratio", you should be able select an area of image up to the image border, but within the selection area retain the aspect/ratio. At present (v2.2.8) this tool does not permit this as if you extend beyond the border even by a minor amount the aspect ratio is wrong. The enduser has no indication (other than by trial and error) that his aspect ratio has been unwittingly altered from the desired dimensions. I agree that the creating a selection beyond the image border makes sense with the free-selection tool, but not with the constrain aspect ratio tool.
I still absolutely disagree. Rect select should behave 100% the same as Ellipse select. And with Ellipse select, the aspect ratio is about the *shape* of the ellipse. GIMP should not disallow people to make ellipses which are partly out-of-image. I vote for closing as NOTABUG based on this Ellipse requirement.
> If you want to stop selecting at the border of the image, just do so. Michael, lease explain how to to this. Perhaps you live in a world where you are able to select to the exact pixel with your mouse. I do not. I often find I want to select an exact square from an image, exactly along a particular edge. GIMP does not allow me to do this. Therefore, this bug is 'major' bug: a major loss of function. Your comment about the ellipse is simply wrong: ellipse selection should ALSO allow this sort of behaviour. This bug is closely related to bug 326450, and your comments there are just as obstructive and unhelpful.
You can enable snapping to canvas edges. Please don't insult people by making assumptions about GIMP that clearly show that you don't know its capabilities :)
Resolving as NOTABUG based of the arguments in comment #10. If you want to stop selecting at the image border, check "Snap to Canvas" in the "View" menu.
I don't see "Snap to Canvas" in the "View" menu. And much of GIMP's capabilities are concealed behind a very bad user interface.
We made that very bad user interface intentionally, just to annoy you.
Please note that this report was created against current CVS.