Newbie - want to crop a picture

Lissu · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 4

Hi!

I have used OpenOffice for a very short time but has been asked to write a short tutorial teaching previous Office-users how to use OOo instead...

I press PrintScreen, oped OOo Draw and then paste the picture. Then I want to select a certain part of the picture and crop it... I have done this in several different graphic programs - PhotoShop, PSP, IrfanView for example - and in every software I have been able to draw an area in the picture and then selec Crop to selecion (or similar). In Draw I can't find out how to do it - I can only find where I exactly give the measurements - but that is somewhat difficult handling...

Does anybody understand what I mean? Can anybody give me a hint how to do this in an easier way?

Rgds
Lisbeth
aka
Lissu

RGB · Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:27 am Post subject:

On your "picture" toolbar (I am on an Italian OOo, so check the name) you will see a button (the one to the right) with scissors called "cut". This is not for cutting the whole image, but a portion of it.

Lissu · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 4

Thanks - but that is the one I use... and then I have to assign measurements... Because I can't find the way to make a selection BEFORE (which is what I REALLY want)...

I must be missing something essential...

Rgds
Lisbeth
aka
Lissu

RGB · Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 5:13 am Post subject:

It is not possible to crop images "by hand" with the mouse as with other softwares, you need to use that menu.
Keep in mind that Draw is a vector graphic utility, not an image editor. I agree it would be nice to have an easier way to do those things, but in order to edit images it is better to use a dedicated tool, like The Gimp.

acknak · Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:31 am Post subject:

Lissu · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 4

Thanks a lot for claryfying!

I suspected the given solution but I just wanted to know... Wink

I have used IrfanView before and I see now that GIMP is suggested... Does anyone know any big pro and cons for these software?

Rgds
Lisbeth
aka Lissu

Fandeboris · Newbie Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 2

GIMP is used in Linux and other Unix variants. It is a very large program similar to PhotoShop. It is a wonderful program and you can do a lot with it. But it does have a learning curve. IfanView is very easy to use, but only runs in Windows. If Irfan Skiljan ever did a port to Linux, that It would be a very welcome addition. I have used both and for quick cropping and pasting, and making small adjustments, I would go with IrfanView

acknak · Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:52 am Post subject:

Learning a little Gimp (e.g. cropping) is not hard and is invaluable if you have to work (or may have to work) on several different platforms. Gimp is the only free (either gratis or libre) software I know of that will work on (Mac, Linux and Windows).

For many intermediate-to-difficult tasks, many people find the Gimp user interface is hard to learn and awkward to use. The vast majority of graphics pros use Photoshop, so if you anticipate needing to grow in that direction, then the Gimp will probably counter-productive for you.

Lissu · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 4

Thanks a lot for very enlightning replies!

I see now what I have to do - and I see what software I can use.

It seems like it would be a good idea to start learning GIMP although it in this moment looks a little mysterious... Wink

I will start looking for tutorials and spend some time learning it!

Thanks again! Appreciated!

Rgds
Lisbeth
aka
Lissu

AndrewZ · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:22 am Post subject:

Easy, interactive cropping is now built into in OpenOffice.org 3.0. Please give it a try to find any bugs before the OpenOffice.org 3.0 final release September 2008.

Also, OpenOffice.org 2.2+ supports CropOOo, an extension for interactive cropping.

This is an old post, so my reply is partially for the record (people searching the archives).
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michel-richard · Newbie Joined: 21 Mar 2011 Posts: 1

The main thing about OpenOffice.org 3.0's cropping is its non-destructive i.e. after you close OpenOffice.org and reopen your document, you can change your mind and reverse the crop
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