Fixed aspect ratio for *base content* images [Suggestion] please reply if you support this

[MedBooster]

viewtopic.php?t=39814

I think that the default should be that holding shift unlocks the aspect ratio, not the opposite (currently you have to hold shift to lock the aspect ratio)

It is annoying that the aspect ratio gets warped by default not just with images, but also when copying base content containing text.... You should be able to do that without holding shift.

And no... don't tell me to use the transform menu... with that you don't see the visuals of where you want to move the image or base content... I am sure that most people will use the tool IF they want to change the aspect ratio... Which I am convinced does not happen so often because the text and image gets warped.

image.png

Consider this a request!

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello MedBooster,

I've passed this on to the devs - and am awaiting their feedback!

Kind regards,
Stefan

[MedBooster]

it seems images dont get warped anymore, the aspect ratio is fixed by default like I requested-

how is that possible ? I don't see any new updates


can you crop images in PDF xce?

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello MedBooster,

Are you using the same type of "image" as before? Could it be that one of the images is a stamp and the other is base content?

Kind regards,
Stefan

[MedBooster]

Hello MedBooster,

Are you using the same type of "image" as before? Could it be that one of the images is a stamp and the other is base content?

Kind regards,
Stefan

That's weird... it still gets warped... I wasn't able to reproduce it. Maybe the image produced by a ShareX screenshot function is different from a screenshot made with Windows Win+Shift+S or the snipping tool... No I tried again and wasn't able to reproduce it...


please still consider my request to make it the "opposite way" for ANY base content (also those containing text)
Opposite referring to holding shift to unlock the aspect ratio

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, MedBooster

If you are pasting the content in with Ctrl+V or a right-click > Paste action, there are a few variable paste options, which you can see in the right click menu. One of them will place a "stamp" which is essentially an aspect ratio locked image in this case. The other image paste option will be as base content, which places the "unlocked" content item you were finding before.

I do not expect that the Dev team will be keen to change the "shift-lock-ratio" handling, as that is used in numerous areas of the software, and it is very common in countless popular applications, including some of our main competitors (and many CAD apps), to use hold shift as the toggle to enable Ratio locking during resize.

Kind regards,

[MedBooster]

Hello, MedBooster

If you are pasting the content in with Ctrl+V or a right-click > Paste action, there are a few variable paste options, which you can see in the right click menu. One of them will place a "stamp" which is essentially an aspect ratio locked image in this case. The other image paste option will be as base content, which places the "unlocked" content item you were finding before.

I do not expect that the Dev team will be keen to change the "shift-lock-ratio" handling, as that is used in numerous areas of the software, and it is very common in countless popular applications, including some of our main competitors (and many CAD apps), to use hold shift as the toggle to enable Ratio locking during resize.

Kind regards,

I don't want you to remove the shift function, just make it enable ratio UNLOCKING instead of ratio LOCKING.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, MedBooster

I wasn't suggesting that it would be removed, just that inverting it from the current very common (and long-standing) handling that is used in numerous other software's, would be... strange, and counterintuitive to a very large majority of our clients. I understand that for your needs you need to keep the aspect ratio of these particular items, but we have many more clients to consider, and changes like this are, very impactful to the average user.

To make a change like this we would likely also need to invert the shift handling for all tools, not only the "Edit Content > images" tool, to ensure consistency at least within our own software. Which would be inverse to nearly every other option out there, and would act as another learning barrier for new clients coming to out software.

Kind regards,

[MedBooster]

image.png

for example when copying over an image from Google/DuckDuckGo search it looks like this

Is that intended?
I really don't see why holding shift would lock, and rather not unlock the aspect ratio.


The issue is that if you hold Shift and you use the select text tool, you will not be able to select the image, hence the aspect ratio will always get messed up.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello MedBooster,

I just tested with the same image as you - and when pasting it - it is initially pasted with the correct aspect ratio.
Then I flattened one of the two copies - to make it base content - and I could correctly resize without having the aspect ratio locked when working with the base content, and the stamp is always aspect ratio locked.

image.png

I can not see a way where you would be selecting the image and text - so you can do the image selection first - grab any of it's corners, and after that (while still dragging) press down the Shift key at that point - this will then force the aspect ratio to be preserved. So the functionality is there - and you just need to make sure that you select and start resizing first and you can then press the Shift - so there won't be any text selection getting in the way.

And just to confirm - we are not looking at reverting this behaviour for the time being for base content images.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[MedBooster]

And just to confirm - we are not looking at reverting this behaviour for the time being for base content images.

I don't get it though... in what case would you want to skew an image like this... wouldn't that be much more rarely than simply resizing with a locked aspect ratio?

and the issue is that it seems you can flatten the stamp to an image... but you can't convert a base content image to a stamp in one go.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello MedBooster,

The thing is that the base content items are handled slightly differently than stamps - and the "you can resize without locking aspect ratio" is applied to a lot of object types - and as such the default is the unlocked state, and the option for you to lock that is provided with the Shift key.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[MedBooster]

Hello MedBooster,

The thing is that the base content items are handled slightly differently than stamps - and the "you can resize without locking aspect ratio" is applied to a lot of object types - and as such the default is the unlocked state, and the option for you to lock that is provided with the Shift key.

Kind regards,
Stefan

but as I've tried to explain holding the shift key is already used for forcing exclusive mode...


It would have been better if it were holding the alt key or something

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello MedBooster,

You need to force the exclusive mode before you start creating a new object, if you already have a selected item - the Shift can be used to lock the aspect ratio of the selection. There's no conflict with both operations using the same key, and as Dan mentioned earlier - that same Shift is used in many other applications. So this is not going to be changed.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[MedBooster]

hmmm still no way to maybe reverse the lock aspect ratio function in the preferences or something? (so that shift unlocks rather than locks the aspect ratio) I understand that the default is what it is.

[MedBooster]

The same applies to changing the size of base content and comments(annotations) together!

[MedBooster]

Important argument....
holding shift also enables exclusive mode... so you can't even hold shift till AFTER having grabbed a corner.. it doesn't make sense

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello MedBooster,

Exclusive mode allows you to not select an existing object when making a new one. If you want to work with an already selected object then the Shirt will act differently than activating exclusive mode and there is still no conflict. So I am again not certain what else we may add, but for now I am afraid that this suggestion is not going to see further development.

Kind regards,
Stefan