topic Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings in Camera Software

DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

GenXRailmedia — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 21:54:53 GMT

I've been using it for a couple of weeks and like it fairly well. The only thing I'm not a fan of is when I go to crop, the default setting is 3:2. I always prefer "Free" because I am an OCD control freak.

Anyway, is there a way to change the crop default to "Free" so I don't have the extra step of having to click to change it? I know it doesn't take that long, but I find it incredibly annoying.

I looked in preferences but saw nothing pertaining to cropping options.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

RobertTheFat — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 22:15:01 GMT

@GenXRailmedia wrote:
I've been using it for a couple of weeks and like it fairly well. The only thing I'm not a fan of is when I go to crop, the default setting is 3:2. I always prefer "Free" because I am an OCD control freak.

Anyway, is there a way to change the crop default to "Free" so I don't have the extra step of having to click to change it? I know it doesn't take that long, but I find it incredibly annoying.

I looked in preferences but saw nothing pertaining to cropping options.

And it omits 8:5, though it's the aspect ratio of many common LCD monitors and a very useful aspect ratio in its own right. I've long suspected that in Windows this omission can be corrected in the Registry, but I haven't gotten around to researching it. On the Mac? I haven't the foggiest. Mac users are on their own, AFAIK.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

kvbarkley — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 22:55:37 GMT

On the Mac it would be the .plist.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

Waddizzle — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 00:39:24 GMT

You might try unlocking it on one photo, saving it, and then applying that recipe to a batch of photos.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

markm1 — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 14:05:44 GMT

I have the same problem. I can add some observations.

Firstly, I have the problem with some of my photos, not all. I have 2 cameras, a 20D and a 7D. It appears the problem only occurs with the 7D raw photos. When I try to crop images from my 20D the software works as expected. It defaults to my last crop setting of "Free". When I attempt to crop photos from my 7D, the software first defaults to "Free", as I would expect. It then quickly flicks to 3:2. To me it appears that the software loses the plot with larger resolution images as the images from the 7D have a considerably larger resolution that the 20D images. Obviously a program bug.

It appears to me that DPP has been totaly redesigned in version 4. When I moved from version 3 to version 4 I have encountered numerous bugs. This goes for all releases up to 4.7.1. Canon needs to do work to get this software right.

I can point to another crop issue in version 4. When you did a free form crop in version 3 the software would dynamically display the aspect ratio. I found this extremely useful. This is because in this day and age you rarely have to enforce an exact aspect ratio as it's unlikely that your images will be printed on a 4in x 6in piece of paper. So for me cropping is a balance between good photo composition and getting close to a desired aspect ratio. Dynamic display of aspect ratio is great for this. Canon have dropped this feature in version 4 of DPP. It will only display the aspect ratio once you have finished cropping and let go of the bounding box. This is a backward step.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

GenXRailmedia — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 16:57:50 GMT

That makes sense, but I don't do much batch work. I've just become so accustomed to just clicking and cropping as I please over 10 years of using DPP, that it's muscle memory.

Even if "free" was the deafult setting, I'm sure someone else would complain if 3:2 was not the default setting, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and start automatically changing it each time.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

Waddizzle — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 22:13:04 GMT

@GenXRailmedia wrote:
That makes sense, but I don't do much batch work. I've just become so accustomed to just clicking and cropping as I please over 10 years of using DPP, that it's muscle memory.

Even if "free" was the deafult setting, I'm sure someone else would complain if 3:2 was not the default setting, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and start automatically changing it each time.

Adobe Lightroom works along the same vein. You cannot simply browse folders like you can with DPP. You must select image files to be “imported” into your photo database. By default, LR applies no lens correction. If you wish to have lens correction automatically applies to your photos, there is a feature called a “preset”, what you can apply during the “import” process.

Running a “preset recipe” on a new folder of image files should be quick an easy in DPP. For example, I used to do it all of the time to apply a White Balance setting to a set of files, before I begin tweaking the individual files for best results.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

GenXRailmedia — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 23:18:38 GMT

Call me a simple man who doesn't like change, but I did the free trial of LR, and just gave up after about the second day. It was too overwhelming and took any enjoyment out of the whole process. DPP is really all I need in an editor. Occasionally, I'll use GIMP for random corrections. I just wasn't a fan of the importing involved with LR. With DPP, I know exactly where everything is. Maybe someday I'll have the patience to learn LR, but for now, I'll stick with what I know.

Oh, and I should mention that I used DPP to edit some photos this afternoon that I took in 2008. When I clicked to crop, the default setting was "Free."

Could this be because of different in-camera settings?

???

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

markm1 — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 01:41:04 GMT

That's interesting that it worked OK with your old photos. As I said, I had a similar experience and I put it down to different camera. Can I ask if the photos you took in 2008 were taken with the same camera you're using now?

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

Waddizzle — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 12:06:22 GMT

@markm1 wrote:
That's interesting that it worked OK with your old photos. As I said, I had a similar experience and I put it down to different camera. Can I ask if the photos you took in 2008 were taken with the same camera you're using now?

I do not know a lot about EXIF data standards, but check the version of the EXIF data format. I am guessing that cropping information may have been recently added to the version that is currently in use.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

GenXRailmedia — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 14:04:54 GMT

I took those 2008 with a Canon Rebel (the original from 2003.) I notice the same thing with stuff taken with my Rebel 400D. To be fair, I haven't tried to edit anything in between those dates and stuff I shot last month. I'll just have to do some tinkering and see what I can figure out.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

RobertTheFat — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 14:38:50 GMT

@GenXRailmedia wrote:
I took those 2008 with a Canon Rebel (the original from 2003.) I notice the same thing with stuff taken with my Rebel 400D. To be fair, I haven't tried to edit anything in between those dates and stuff I shot last month. I'll just have to do some tinkering and see what I can figure out.

As Waddizzle pointed out, the Exif data in those early Rebels probably don't include aspect ratio, since aspect ratio wasn't a selectable option on most Canon DSLRs until much later. So if current versions of DPP are trying to default to the aspect ratio to which the camera was set, the best you can hope for is that the program will realize, in the absence of any relevant Exif data, that you were using a camera on which 3x2 was the only possibility.

That said, it would be nice if DPP let you set the default to "free", since some users say they prefer it, and to manually add aspect ratios to the list. But neither of those options appears to exist.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

Waddizzle — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 21:46:20 GMT

@GenXRailmedia wrote:
I took those 2008 with a Canon Rebel (the original from 2003.) I notice the same thing with stuff taken with my Rebel 400D. To be fair, I haven't tried to edit anything in between those dates and stuff I shot last month. I'll just have to do some tinkering and see what I can figure out.

I think your complaints are without merit. What camera are you using NOW? There are menu options in many models to include cropping info, or to leave it blank. You should read the instruction manual for your camera, because I am betting this is the issue.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

GenXRailmedia — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 01:34:33 GMT

I'm using the 650D now, I thought I indicated that already, maybe not.

Are you talking about the menu options within the camera or in DPP?

I went through all of my preferences in DPP, but I see no mention of cropping. I do like how I was able to set it up so that my sharpness is default setting is at 7.

My in camera aspect ratio is set at 3:2 which is where it should be, correct?

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

RobertTheFat — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 02:34:33 GMT

@GenXRailmedia wrote:
I'm using the 650D now, I thought I indicated that already, maybe not.

Are you talking about the menu options within the camera or in DPP?

I went through all of my preferences in DPP, but I see no mention of cropping. I do like how I was able to set it up so that my sharpness is default setting is at 7.

My in camera aspect ratio is set at 3:2 which is where it should be, correct?

Yes, 3:2 is the aspect ratio that uses all of the camera's pixels.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

Waddizzle — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 15:55:03 GMT

@GenXRailmedia wrote:
I'm using the 650D now, I thought I indicated that already, maybe not.

Are you talking about the menu options within the camera or in DPP?

I went through all of my preferences in DPP, but I see no mention of cropping. I do like how I was able to set it up so that my sharpness is default setting is at 7.

My in camera aspect ratio is set at 3:2 which is where it should be, correct?

I was referring your camera, not DPP. I think there is info in the EXIF data that describes the aspect ratio. I do not have your cameras, so i cannot check your model. I have newer models BTW, you mentioned 20D and 7D, and now it is a 650D.

My 7D Mark II gives me the option to include/exclude cropping information in the EXIF data, for example.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

GenXRailmedia — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 02:42:06 GMT

Re: the 20D and 7D: No, I think another poster who replied to this thread mentioned that he had some experiences with those bodies, but that was not me. I've only had the 650D.

I'm thinking that as long as I use this software, I'm just going to have to just spend the extra few seconds to change it every time. It is free, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

Thanks to you and everyone for your responses.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

Waddizzle — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:37:01 GMT

@GenXRailmedia wrote:
Re: the 20D and 7D: No, I think another poster who replied to this thread mentioned that he had some experiences with those bodies, but that was not me. I've only had the 650D.

I'm thinking that as long as I use this software, I'm just going to have to just spend the extra few seconds to change it every time. It is free, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

Thanks to you and everyone for your responses.

This is why it is a bad practice to hijack other user’s threads. Not only is it confusing to people trying to reply, but it can send email alerts to the original user about your issue, which IMHO is impolite, at best.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

Lundavra — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 10:35:30 GMT

Has a way been found yet to change the default setting of Aspect Ratio to 'Free'?

It is annoying having to change this every time I load some more images to edit.

Re: DPP 4.7.1 Crop Settings

RobertTheFat — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 13:59:43 GMT

@Lundavra wrote:
Has a way been found yet to change the default setting of Aspect Ratio to 'Free'?

It is annoying having to change this every time I load some more images to edit.

Canon, please see Message 12 in this thread. Any hope for those improvements? They should be fairly easy to add.