I hope this makes sense, the way I am describing it.
In the design area, there is a new tool "lock aspect ratio", under the settings.
First image, unlocked aspect ratio. I can basically (reshape the image) crop it, while I am looking at it on the screen.
Second image, locked aspect ratio.
Huh.
If you check "Lock Aspect Ratio" in Settings, things remain as they were: Using the drag-handles on an image RESIZES it while constraining the proportions; if you want to CROP it you use the Crop tool from the right-hand menu. They are two separate and distinct functions, you can do one or the other or both to an image in whatever order suits. Using the Shift key with this option checked makes no difference.
If you don't check to "Lock Aspect Ratio", you need to hold down the Shift key to resize the image as you normally would above. If you are not holding down the shift key while dragging the handles, the image is getting cropped and resized in an unpredictable combination I can't make any sense of.
I've been playing with a square image. I used the old normal way ("Lock Aspect Ratio" checked) to first make a rectangular crop of just the main subject and then used the drag-handles to make it a smaller size. Then, using the same original image, tried to achieve the same result with "Lock Aspect Ratio" unchecked.
I was able to make the subject the same size, but then it had extra background image:
And I was able to make the image the same size, but then the subject was much smaller:
And of course all kinds of inbetween results but it was all very random, I felt like I had zero control over what was happening to the image when I used the drag handles. Here's some random results of just using the drag handles. Note the one in the upper right where the scene itself was horizontally stretched. I have no idea how that happened. I tried to do it on purpose again after and couldn't. Also note that it does not appear that way in the product preview image. Which is just one of numerous things wrong with the preview.
 Design Tool View |  Product Preview |
I'm guessing this is all very glitchy still as it was just introduced but I can't see using this for anything, the combination of cropping & resizing in the same uncontrollable action is too confusing for me.
I am really grateful they left us the option to continue the usual way (by checking "Lock Aspect Ratio") or I would be out of my mind on this update.
l locked the aspect ratio, after I finished cropping all the images. That way if a customer goes into the design area, they will have no problem just moving the images around and the images will not crop
It doesn't work that way. The "Lock Aspect Ratio" is a user-controller design tool setting, it's not something designers can control for others. It remembers whatever setting you left it on but the default is that it is un-checked. I think this is completely backwards. If it continues to function the way it is for me right now, I imagine customers will be pulling their hair out trying to adjust an image. I think the default should definitely be the locked option for normal operations, with the option hidden in Settings for more advanced users to "free form edit" or some such wording.
