P: Add icons to rotate images in the Develop module crop mode

[KathyEyster]

I'd like Adobe to add icons to easily rotate or flip an image in the Develop module. These icons exist in Camera Raw's crop tool. Can they be added to the LR crop tool? Or the rotate arrows could be made available in the Develop module toolbar.

Rotating an image, particularly an abstract, can be part of the "develop" workflow, not just to turn a picture right-side up when viewing thumbnails in the Library Grid view. Having a one-click option is more efficient than using the Photo menu choices or keyboard shortcuts.

[Bob Somrak]

When in crop you can use the Photo menu to Rotate and Flip and for Rotating the Keyboard Shortcuts work.

 

[KathyEyster]

Thanks, Bob. I do know about these. But having icon shortcuts available in the crop tool interface would be more efficient and quicker for people to find and use.

[richardplondon]

I can't check just now, but Adobe help articles suggest image rotation should be among the tools optionally displayable on the Toolbar in Develop - as well as, in Library where it is IIRC shown by default. Perhaps it is just currently hidden for Develop? The Toolbar's popup menu lets you choose what to show, from several choices, independently per module.

Personally I don't think such buttons appropriate to include inside the Crop panel. That is IMO all about manipulating a crop boundary, not the photo that is being cropped. Any rotate button there, might be expected to flip the width vs height proportions of this crop boundary - same as X key shortcut.

[Bob Somrak]

It is in the Library options

but NOT in Develop

 

 

[richardplondon]

That's a shame, from the help article it wasn't 100% clear.

Do you tend to review image orientation as part of the cropping process? I find I tend to do that much earlier, as part of initial culling in Library. It seems strange to me to vary which way round a photo will go, depending on how its cropping works! Of course the crop boundary itself may be flipped portrait / landscape within the photo, that is a very common action.

[KathyEyster]

Richard, I understand your thinking re rotation in the crop interface. But it does exist as an option in the Camera Raw crop tool interface. So it's strange that ability was not "transferred" to LR.

If rotation is not appropriate under the crop tool, it could be added as an option to the Toolbar choices in the Develop module. Whether or not it "makes sense" to have the rotation option available in the develop module is user dependent. Not everyone works their images through the same order of steps.

[richardplondon]

I do agree, whether in the Crop panel or elsewhere, whole-image rotation should not require going into Library to find a clickable button. IMO the ideal place for this kind of context relevant convenience, is the Toolbar.

After all the whole toolbar can be disregarded, or turned off, by those who don't require it. As an example, some people feel more comfortable when they have a Done button available, to explicitly "finish" their cropping. Even though there is no practical requirement for this.