Chrips
Newbie
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« on: May 04, 2025, 05:54:12 PM » |
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Hello,
Would it be possible to add an option where the color of each side of a photo mat can be defined. Currently only the width can be defined individually but the selected color applies to all sides.
This would allow to add sort of a 'digital' picture frame passepartout around the image (instead of a card board). For example two sides in white and two in light grey (shadow). I can then add a thin black line around it (second mat).
I've seen people doing that in Photoshop (probably a macro) but I don't want to pass every image through PS before printing.
Christian
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Christian
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Chrips
Newbie
Posts: 12
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« Reply #2 on: May 04, 2025, 07:59:40 PM » |
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OK thanks, I'll try that.
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« Last Edit: May 04, 2025, 08:37:20 PM by Chrips »
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Christian
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Chrips
Newbie
Posts: 12
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« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2025, 09:24:22 AM » |
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I've created a cutout frame template in tiff format (length/height = 3/2) and it works. But this solution has probably a drawback with the stretching of the frame. If the image isn't exactly proportional to the cutout template in the length/height ratio, the frame will be stretched dis-proportionally, i.e. the distances of the outside lines from the image are not the same on the top and bottom as on the left and right hand side. For example: the cutout with a 3/2 ratio applied on an image with a 2/1 ratio results in a distance of 2mm on the left/right, as defined in the cutout template, but is reduced to less than 1.5mm on the top and bottom. Depending on the amount of stretching this can be quite visible.
I could create a series of cutouts which fit the most common image ratios to avoid very visible distortions but since I print for many other people, images come often with freehand cropping. So I cannot accommodate all ratios. Wouldn't a photo mat solution not have this problem? It stretches the mat out of the image according to the settings in the dialog box, right?
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Christian
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admin
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« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2025, 01:27:36 PM » |
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Photo mats don't have that problem because they are literally a single mat that sits behind prints. What you are talking about is not a photo mat: it's a creative frame. So to use those you have to work within their capabilities and do as you suggest: create then in common sizes. Most people tend to want common print sizes so you really are matching the print size and not the image aspect ratio so you would only need to match a few common print sizes.
Mike
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Chrips
Newbie
Posts: 12
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« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2025, 02:07:40 PM » |
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I'm not sure it's really a creative frame, it just simulates a 2mm thick card board passepartout. Usually people give me an image and specify the length of one side of the printed image without the frame. Then, to avoid the hassle of precisely cutting a card board around, I was asked whether I could simulate the passepartout by printing this frame outside the image.
Anyway something seems not to work anymore, I haven't figured out what. I created a frame in Affinity Publisher and exported as tif. It worked fine. Then, based on this one, I adapted it to various frame sizes (square, 1/2) but those don't work anymore. They show up in the cutout list but they are not applied and when clicking Done and saving, the thumbnail disappears in the main window.
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Christian
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Chrips
Newbie
Posts: 12
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« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2025, 02:50:32 PM » |
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I solved the problem with the cutout frames but is my understanding correct:
If I want the border around the image to be always about 2 mm wide (like with a card board frame), not only the length/height ratio of the cutout template has to be similar to that of the image but also the size/resolution.
For example I want to print an image at 300 x 200 mm at 300 dpi. Then the cutout template should also have approximately the same dimensions, i.e. the black cutout for placing the image should be around 300x200 @300 dpi with a border around of 2 mm wide. If I create one at 100 x 67 mm @300 dpi and apply it to a print of 300 x 200 mm, then the border will be much larger than 2 mm, cecause it will be stretched proportionally, right?
The calculation for stretching goes probably via pixels (resolution of the images versus resolution of the cutout template) rather than selected print dimension. So I would have to pay attention to the 'most common' image resolutions when creating various cutout frame templates.
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Christian
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admin
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« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2025, 10:05:35 PM » |
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That's correct. Remember that cutouts and frames are image edits and not print add-ons so they are applied to the image. You could then decide to print that image at any print size so the frame that got "stamped" on the image gets resized since it is part of the image.
Attached is the change: new on the top, old on the bottom. I intentionally created a very wide image and then applied the wood frame.
P.S. The next version will have improved frame logic so that even though the frame might get scaled like the image, the edges don't get distorted if your image differs significantly from the frame design WRT aspect ratio. So that will make one variable easier.
Regards,
Mike
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« Last Edit: May 06, 2025, 10:11:25 PM by admin »
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