making picture fit outline

[Shinnen]

Hi,
I often help a friend to straighten out pictures. They can be longer on one side than the other, or longer up than down, leaning, etc. And I was wondering if there's a way to instruct Photofiltre to change the outline I draw around (using for instance the polygon tool) to a rectangular shape?
At present I mainly use the trapezoid tool, but it doesn't always do what I want.
Thanks,
..... john

[Tom]

Hi,
i don't understand what you want to do ?
In the right click you can change the form of the selection by set shape and you can transform with distort,
but it's easier to copy on a blank sheet before distort.

[Shinnen]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for replying.
I was hoping that there might be an easier way to convert to rectangular and remove a section (usually the picture inside a frame) that is off rotation and has different length sides. At present ..... I go between rotate and trapezoid, back and forth, until I get a rectangle (sometimes using fisheye). When I get a rectangle I 'copy' and 'paste as new'..... voila! But it's a tedious time consuming method ..... back and forth.... each time having to use the rectangular selector to see if it is rectangular. I was hoping that there might be a way to circumscribe the area I'm interested in, using the polygon tool, and then 'simply' instruct Photofiltre to make it rectangular.
...... john

[Tom]

You might show an example from departure and another for a type of waited result, because i don't understand your project.
It seems you don't think that an image in all photo editor programs is a bitmap object composed with adjoining pixels,
and not a vectorial (mathematical) object like wmf files for example or 3D objects.
Transformations can't be managed by the same way in the both types of programs.

[Shinnen]

Hi Tom,
OK..... maybe we can approach this thing from a different perspective.
Suppose someone gave you a photograph of a framed picture,
which was not taken straight on; the result being that the image has different length sides,
and said, "Tom, please cut the frame out of this picture,
and straighten it out so that it is rectangular."
How would you do it?
..... john

[Tom]

Fine, yet it's clear.

• select the form you want to straiten, and do copy
• open a new blank image with a bigger size to work easier
• menu View / Show grid, in menu Tools / Preferences / Tools palette and grid ajust the size of cells and grid color
• paste the copy from the clipboard, right clic / Transform / Distort
• zoom at 400% which will allows to adjust finely
• pull the squares in the corner of the distort selection

If you know an other soft that can fit automaticaly a rectangular area with a trapezoid selection, evidently it would be easier,
and tell us which is this tool, it can be usefull for many users.

[Shinnen]

That's bloody wonderful Tom. This will make life much easier.
I'm continually amazed at how versatile, and user friendly this program is.
I noticed that the Transform/Distort option is not available .... if one tries to apply it
to the original image, not a pasted in one.
..... john

[Tom]

.../...
I noticed that the Transform/Distort option is not available .... if one tries to apply it
to the original image, not a pasted in one.
.../...

Yes indeed, this function is available on every selection of the original image, BUT....
on the original image this function begins to create a new shape without erasing the original shape selected,
so when you reduce the size of the new shape, you continue to see the old one.

But next week you will can try the new release of PhotoFiltre 7 freeware with Layers.
It's a very powerfull version for image editing and photo retouching, without many tools from the Studio release,
but i think it is too very user friendly.

[Shinnen]

Thanks again.
I will have to get used to the layer thing.
I've seen it in (my older version of) Photoshop.
I just don't see the need for the layers thing.
I guess I just don't understand what it will do.
..... john