I use Xnview, but it and none of the other software I've used (PSP, GIMP, FastStone, Ifranview) seems really set up to handle large cropping sessions. With the destination of photos from 3:2 DSLRs including:
16:10, 4:3 Screen Backgrounds;
Printing (various ARs);
Digital Photo Frames (the one I've got is 800x480 which is 5:3)
it requires a lot of work to crop each photo file for one or more destination formats, particularly when you're dealing with hundreds of files.
Consider the number of steps required to open a picture, crop it, save a copy of it and print it out. The tasks involved here are:
Fixed-ratio cropping;
Recentering of the crop area (optional - to recompose);
Changing the relative size of the selection area/"zooming" (optional - changing what is included within the selection area. e.g. zooming in to only include 1 or 2 persons in a group shot).
Problem: Diagonal dragging for selection can be a problem when cropping as there may be a few stages of dragging, moving the selection rectangle to recentre, adjusting the handles until the area being cropped is compositionally balanced.
Suggestions: a
Cropping Table. Picture automatically loads up to full window height or width. Fixed-ratio selection rectangle (to suit destination medium) already visible & centered. Set to 100% of picture height or width depending on longest side. Press Tab-key to change portrait/landscape cropping orientation.
"Options" section on the right:
Selection ratio drop box;
Print selected area (no need to save crop first).
Save selected area options:
Replace original;
Add "_cropped" copy in original directory;
In "Cropped" subdirectory off original directory (create if not present);
In another nominated location.
Have the selection window in the Cropping Table window fixed. Picture is grayed-out outsize selection window. Drag picture around to recentre. Use mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out to fill required picture parts within selection window. This seems the quickest way to me to centre and fill the cropping area.
Scenario: 100 DSLR pictures to crop for printing or resizing.
Suggestions: Provide
semi-automatic cropping by...
Showing a L/R scrollable strip of pictures in the current directory at the top of the Cropping Table window. Show a fixed-ratio selection window on each picture set to 100% of height or width depending on longest side of photo. At a glace you can see what parts will be cropped when printing. If unhappy with any default selection, double-click on that strip photo to open on the cropping table for adjustment. Allow deletion from the strip.
When finished, that is when you are happy with the remaining photos on the strip, have a
Print Crop Strip command which then crops and individually prints each "strip" photo. The printing should be smart enough to change the orientation command sent to the printer based on the orientation of the longest crop side in each picture. If that is not possible, then split the printing into two batches, if mixed crop orientation is present, so that all "portraits" & all "landscapes" can be done in one group.
What is available, at the moment, that is is optimised for bulk semi-interactive, rather than batch, cropping?
Dan.
Last edited by dosdan; 12-20-2008 at 01:09 PM.
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