Cropping in design mode

[Shar-Ken]

I used to use the old crop option and found it very easy and helpful.  I keep trying to figure out how this newer cropping version works.  All it seems to be doing is re-sizing without cropping and that ends up requiring me to keep moving my image around to get it to where I wish it to be.  Not sure I am explaining it well, but hopefully  someone can offer some assistance.  Thanks in. advance.

[Sara_H · Accepted solution]

@Shar-Ken 

If you do a search of the forums using the term 'crop' or "cropping" - there are loads of helpful threads.

https://community.zazzle.com/t5/general-zazzle-discussion/love-the-new-cropping-tools/td-p/101279

Looks there's been an update and Zoom has been added which could have messed with other settings

to resize your crop without resizing the image - double click your image (once you have chosen the type of crop) then resize the crop to your desired size using the thick white corners

then to resize your cropped image you would do as normally - click on the corner boxes

Don't hold shift down anymore - that's been changed and will just crop your image more

[Shar-Ken]

Sara_H,   thanks for pointing me in the direction of some helpful threads.  I did some searching but wasn't coming up with anything.  I do appreciate your helping me out again ( I think you have done so on more than one occasion--I seem to always be needing help! )

[plumb4me]

This is way to complicated just to make something bigger or smaller inside the crop box and then move it around the crop box to center.

Thank you the help, but I have given up and will just make my images the size to fit, before I even upload them, much easier and less time consuming for me.

[Cat]

All I can say is that I HATE this crop tool with a passion! I also cannot figure out how to crop something without resizing it.

The problem for me is that if you accidentally move the white corner thing a little bit in the wrong direction, it enlarges the image, which cuts off part on the other side(s). I think if you're cropping a photo where you have some wiggle room around the edges, this is probably not a concern. But when you're trying to crop a piece of artwork where you need to be sure that none of the uncropped edges are cut off, it's basically useless.

At the moment, I only have 2 workarounds, both of which are problematic.

1) Re-do the raw image so that it has some space around the edges. I'm talking about png scans of artwork with a transparent background - if the file is saved with no space around the edge of the artwork, it's impossible to use Zazzle's crop tool without accidentally cutting something off.

2) Just crop the image yourself and upload the cropped version.

I'd be overjoyed if someone has a method for cropping an image without accidentally resizing it, and am hoping against hope that someone will pipe in with a trick that I have yet to figure out. 

[Shar-Ken]

Cat, you always impress me with your knowledge and work-arounds and willingness to step up and help those of us who aren't quite as knowledgeable or experienced.   I just wish we had the simple, one-step old crop version back.  But then I also wish flip phones were still the rage!  Thank you for your suggestions.

[Barbara]

Side comment: Yes, to flip phones!

Colorwash's Home

[ColsCreations]

All I can say is that I HATE this crop tool with a passion! .

I'm going to second that. Hate it hate it hate it. Worst change ever to the DT in my time here.
Combing Crop & Resize into one tool with confusing bounding boxes and drag handles and different results depending on shift or no shift or locking aspect ratio etc .. IT'S AWFUL. Even if you have figured out how its supposed to work , there are, uhm, motor-control issues. I have same issue as you, any little shake of the hand / jiggle of the mouse and everything goes awry. And there's no easy Revert button to put it back to original form to try again. We need to go back to a Resize option (where option to hold Shift to resize out of proportion is a thing) and a separate Crop tool where the only thing it does is CROP.

[Barbara]

I used the crop tool for the first time today and ended up destroying what I was working on because the new tool isn't at all intuitive. I went back in just a little steamed and managed to do what I wanted by turning off aspect ratio, but why is that even in the crop tool?

Colorwash's Home

[Shar-Ken]

Barbara, you made me feel better--I am glad I am not the only one who is not a fan of this newer version of the crop tool.  The old version was straight-forward and simple.  I really cannot seem to get it figured out.  I hate it when something was so simple is made difficult.  Thank you Barbara for sharing.

[Jadendreamer13]

Why can’t we have a crop tool that works like all the other crop tools? Is that too much to ask?

[Barbara]

I just read James' original post on the new version of the crop tool and ended up wondering how I was supposed to remember all the choices for doing this, that, and the other thing.  There are four "default" controls and then there are an additional eight cropping combinations for a grand total of 12 very confusing variations. And he described it as being intuitive?!

I imagine most people here use the same logic as I do, which is to crop an image down to what's needed, and then resize it to fit the base. Cropping and resizing/reshaping are two very different processes and should, therefore, be kept separate.

EDIT: I'm freshly back from fooling around with the tool and discovered the strangest thing: You can crop an image if you stay clear of the actual crop tool. First, I set the tool on, struggled without success, double-clicked the image to get out of the tool, and found I could then crop using the little square handles. So, now I'm wondering of what use the tool is.

Colorwash's Home

[Cat]

I think that the regular re-sizing tool also crops now too. AAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!! (sorry, it just makes me crazy) I THINK (not sure about this) that if you grab the corners on the resize tool it crops & re-sizes, but if you grab the edges it just resizes... maybe? But then there's the shift key in there too... so who knows.

Anyhow, the long and the short of it is that the way it currently stands both tools (crop & resize) do both things (crop & resize) only in different and very confusing ways.

Honestly, I can't use either tool. I just use the plus & minus buttons to re-size because trying to grab any of the handles just results in it doing something I don't want, which in turns leads to a LOT of cursing and un-doing. 

[Barbara]

It appears they got the old saying of "kill two birds with one stone" wrong, thinking it was "kill one bird with two stones," or did they decide it was "kill two stones with one bird"? Regardless, there are too many birds and stones.

Colorwash's Home

[Cat]

Ha! Right? Or as my father used to say, like every all-in-one device: they do everything, but poorly! 😉

[Cat]

OK... just to add to my whiney comments here. I think that the current tool that's used for the adjust feature on the product page (I'm not sure whether that's the resize or crop tool, but whichever it is) works well for that application because in that case the FAFO model works well.

My complaints are with the cropping & resizing tools inside of the design tool. They're just too complicated and there are too many variables to remember how they work - even for those of us who use them every day. I don't object to the current tools being there - clearly some folks seem to be able to use them. I just wish there were less complicated options for the rest of us.

[plumb4me]

I am right back to when Zazzle first got started in 2004 or when they first started using these handles to crop everything. 

I am to the point now, I have to make my images just the right size to fit them in the spot I want them in, before I even upload them to my Zazzle image folder.

It is not even worth my time trying to use the crop or adjust or whatever it is called now.

I miss when you could just click on text or images and + or - to make them bigger or smaller and then move them around in the crop box. 😔

[Anne]

I've never even used a "crop" feature. Not sure what that would add.
I already am very annoyed with the resizing tool. It used to be very easy to just push Shift if you want to keep the same ratio, but currently I am never sure if it actually does that. With pushing Shift everything goes all over the place so that is definitely a no-go.

[plumb4me]

I read all these post and tried every which way to crop and I still don't understand it. Why can't it just be the way is was in the old crop, hit + or - inside the crop and the image or text would get bigger or smaller and not mess with the entire image?

Why did Zazzle spend all their time working on the old design tool, just to make everything in the new design tool different?

[plumb4me]

This is what we need, the ability to just zoom in or out to make an image or text larger or smaller, under the crop tool, without making the entire image or text larger or smaller outside the crop box.