How do I transform while zoomed way in?

[Xlars]

Hi there,
I have looked for an answer to this problem but have not been able to find it - so I wanted to ask if anyone here know.

What I want to do is to tranform (scale etc.) a part of a Photoshop image I am working on. I need to work very close (zoomed in) so I can not see the transform handles that I normally use to drag when tranforming.

Is there any way to do transformations using the mouse (with a dragging motion) - without actually grabbing the transformation handles? (eg. using shortcuts / mouse)

Lars Bjorstrup

 

[IamSam]

Hit Command/Control + 0 to bring the transform handles into view.

 

[Xlars]

Hi IamSam ... thanks for your answer but this does not work because when pressing Command/Control + 0 the image is zoomed out ..... I need to stay zoomed in close .. and then (while zoomed in) transform the image without using the handles but still using the mouse or keybord to nudge the transformation in place.

So basically I am looking for a way to transform eg. scale a selection - without using the transformation handles (or without being able to see them).


How do I do that?
Lars Bjorstrup

 

[ALB68]

Hi IamSam ... thanks for your answer but this does not work because when pressing Command/Control + 0 the image is zoomed out ..... I need to stay zoomed in close .. and then (while zoomed in) transform the image without using the handles but still using the mouse or keybord to nudge the transformation in place.

So basically I am looking for a way to transform eg. scale a selection - without using the transformation handles (or without being able to see them).



How do I do that?
Lars Bjorstrup

Try Cmd T then change the dimensions in the menu bar at top

 

[IamSam]

Highlight the width or height box and use your direction keys to 'bump'.

 

[dv8_fx]

And click the chain icon between the H & W to Maintain Aspect Ratio.

I feel you want to do this in order to get an accurate alignment with a small detail. To rotate, hilight the Rotation box and use up and down keys - UP(clockwise) or DOWN(counterclock). Rotation will be in .01 increments

 

[MrToM]

Hmmmm....that's quite an odd request and not one I completely understand.

I understand the problem, but why would you want to transform something without knowing how it fits with its surroundings?
I'm assuming that when 'zoomed in' you cant see anything of the transform box at all....?

You can transform width and height by clicking and dragging the transform box itself...you don't have to use the little transform handle 'boxes'...it is limited to just width and height though...is that what you mean?

Very odd.....how do you know how much to transform by?
What are you basing the adjustments on if you cant see the rest of the image?
Is it purely mathematical?

You've already had the best advice from the other members.....all the transform type-in boxes are at the top of the workspace.

I'm more interested in your workflow......how do you use transform like this? (Or have I overlooked the blindingly obvious?)

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[Xlars]

Hi
Thank you very much for your answers .. this is so obvious and yet it was so far from my mind (was thinking of the transformation boxes as a type in value only option. Using the arrow keys while in one of these boxes was excactely what I was looking for. Thank you you solved my problem.

I would have loved even more accurate ajustment (ie not bound to 0.1 increments but I guess thats a future request for Adobe . And I think I would be able to work around it by increasing the total size of my image (resampling) before using this method. In this current situation the 0.1 increments was just fine.

Thank you again
Lars Bjorstrup

 

[Xlars]

Hi MrTom,
Thank you for asking. Yes I can understand that it is an odd request but it is someting I do need from time to time. Yes the use of the transform boxes .. and arrow keys for bump solved my problem here. Thank you.

Just for your information here is what I needed to do:
1) I am coloring illustrations for a book using Photoshop (line drawings by an artist colleguage)
2) I did the entire coloring and have my colors, shadows etc. in a number of layers organized in "groups" in Photoshop
3) In a meeting with the publisher yesterday he wanted on of the illustrations as front cover
4) this illustration was horizontal so needed to be changed to be usefull as a vertical cover.
5) so my artist colleguage has changed the size of the background lineart .. (he even stretched it in with somewhat).
6) NOW .. instead of re-coloring the image I wanted to re-use my current colors from the original image
7) So I copied over all my color layers for the background to the new file (I copied them all in one go by using the "layer > duplicate group" to the new file. I also copied over the original lineart to have something to visually ajust to)
8) Now reducing the opacity of the old line art for the color group and hiding the colors temporaly - all I now need to do is transform the color group to "align" with the new lineart (basically imitating what my artist colleguage did but with my color group)
9) To align those lines accurately I need to be zoomed way in while I do the transformation to be able to visually verify that the lines match up as accurate as possible.

Hope this clarifies
Lars Bjorstrup

PS. Yes it would have been best if my artist colleguage had gotten my original coloring before ajusting the image - then I could have just ajusted my color group at the same time he ajusted his lineart. But he did not so I got the changed line drawing from him and had to "ajust" my colors acordingly.

 

[MrToM]

Thanks very much Xlars.....that's an excellent explanation!

One thing that still puzzles me though is why you cannot see any of the transform handles.

Usually, this type of work would have the 'lineart' at the top with the 'colours' underneath, (grouped or otherwise), all above a background layer at the bottom.

If the 'colours' need to fit the adjusted 'lineart' then selecting the pixels of the 'coloured' layer and then entering transform mode would mean the transform box would sit exactly on the outermost pixels of that layer.

This should be well within the bounds of the canvas AND within the bounds of the adjusted 'lineart' layer.
The transform 'outline' should therefore be visble at the point at which you are trying to align....for example the very top of your 'coloured' pixels.

The only way I can see this not happening is if your 'colours' layer is the same size as the canvas or significantly larger than the 'lineart'. If the, (for example), top most part of that layer is NOT your point of interest, ie coloured pixels, then whatever IS at the top surely must be some sort of background.

To clarify that, did you paint your 'colours' on a transparent background layer or a filled background layer?

If the latter then that would explain why you can't 'see' the transform box.....because it ends up no where near an 'edge' of your colour.

If the 'colours' were painted on a transparent background, (just a plain new layer), any transform you do to that layer will have its bounds line up exactly on the edge of your 'colour'......which I assume is what you are looking at when aligning to the 'lineart'....do you see the difference?

Without any 'transparency' in either layer I must also assume that the 'end result' is achieved through blending modes...is that the case?

This is how I'd expect your layers to be...meaning the transform box is visible where you need it most...



You can see that no matter how far 'zoomed in' you were you would still be able to see the transform box......at the point you are using to align.

Sorry to keep asking questions but as this is such a unique, (to me anyway), situation I'd just like to know exactly why you cannot see the transform box.

Regards.
MrTom.

 

[Xlars]

Thanks very much Xlars.....that's an excellent explanation!

One thing that still puzzles me though is why you cannot see any of the transform handles.
[..]
MrTom.

Hi MrTom,
Thank you for the continued interest - great when people want to understand. I am not sure I can explain it fully but I will try to add a few facts to the current situation.

- Yes the organisation is as you mentioned line layer, then a number of colorlayers (base color layer, shadows, different tweak layers, paint layers etc.) and a background (also a number of layers).
- The original image i huge in resolution (with finished line and colors) and in "horizontal" format
- The new image needs to be in "vertical" format. Actuallly ignoring a number of pixels to the sides (out of the canvas but not deleted so they can be dragged in as needed). So VERY wide and very much outside the resulting image area when I start the transform.
- The drawing is now delivered to me higly changed (transformed - scaled, and dragged etc. non-uniformly)
- Need to ajust the colors to this new line art.
- Easiest way is to transform the old (very wide) drawing including colors so they fit.
- Problem is that in order to "hit the mark" and get the lineart to match up exacelty I need to do it by hand .. will not snap since it also needs to be uniformly scaled somehow
- So therefore i zoom in so much that i can do that .. problem then that I can not see the handles

Ok?
Lars

 

[dv8_fx]

Which is why I mentioned you needed to precisely scale and align a larger object to a smaller detail perfectly while zoomed in on the target area... hence handles are out of view.

 

[Xlars]

Which is why I mentioned you needed to precisely scale and align a larger object to a smaller detail perfectly while zoomed in on the target area... hence handles are out of view.

Yes, Presicely what I wanted to say Thanks

Lars Bjørstrup