I am a new user to Krita. I have been able to import a photo layer for tracing and reference. However, I can't do this consistently. Some photos will show up on the workspace (I'm not sure of the technical term for the place where I draw), while others will show up only in the layer tray (again, I'm not sure of the technical term, but it's the menu off to the side) but the workspace remains blank. All the photos I am trying to work with are in the .jpeg format.

Another problem I have is if the photo does show up on the workspace, it's too large and only part of it actually shows up. I can't find a way to manipulate the layer to move it around to the section I want to draw or to resize it if I want to draw the whole photo. I have to crop it and save it with another program and then load it onto Krita.

Is there any way to do the things I want to to? I've tried searching for answers, but either I'm the only one with this problem or I'm not using the correct search terms.

Thanks!

You can either import your jpg files as ordinary paint layers, or as file layers. If you import them as paint layers, the size must be similar to that of the image you're working on. When importing them as file layers, you can use the scale to image size function. Or you can just open the jpg, add a blank layer and save as a .kra file.

Maybe it's me, but one photo just will not show up, regardless which layer style I choose. The photos that do show up are either too large for the workspace or so small they show up in the corner of the workspace, leaving the rest of the workspace blank.

To upload photos I am using:

Layer > Import/Export > Import layer OR Layer > Import/Export > Import > As Paint Layer (which is 1 of 4 options, none of which do anything).

Of the photos that do show up, none can be resized. They either show up as too large for the workspace or they sit in the corner. I have found that I can crop the photo in the corner to get rid of all the white space, but cannot make it larger and cannot move it around.

Clearly, I am doing something wrong.

[Note: What you refer to as the "workspace" is called the 'Canvas'. The word 'workspace' has a distinct and different meaning in Krita. What you call the "layer tray" is called the 'Layers Docker'.
You refer to something you call a "layer style" when I think you mean one of the options for importing a layer. The expression 'Layer Style' has a distinct and different meaning in Krita.
You can read about all this is the manual which is well written and very useful: https://docs.krita.org/en/ ]

You don't need to use another application to do cropping and resizing since all that can be done in the same krita session by Opening your photo file in krita so that it appears in a new tab. Then it can then be resized and copied as a layer or from a smaller Selection for cropping and then pasted into your working image in the other tab. If you have more than one photo you'd like to use then Open them in new tabs and pick and mix from them as you need.

If you Import a photo and it's much smaller than your working image then yes, it will appear as a 'postage stamp' in the top left corner of its layer. You can use the Transform tool (it's one of the icons in the Toolbox) to quickly resize it and move it to where you want it to be on the canvas.

If you're new to krita then all this is unfamiliar to you of course and it takes time to learn and to get used to. I recommend that you read the manual and just play with it because it has many functions and facilities and can do what you need it to do.

ahabgreybeard wrote:[Note: What you refer to as the "workspace" is called the 'Canvas'. The word 'workspace' has a distinct and different meaning in Krita. What you call the "layer tray" is called the 'Layers Docker'.
You refer to something you call a "layer style" when I think you mean one of the options for importing a layer. The expression 'Layer Style' has a distinct and different meaning in Krita.

Thanks. Krita has a language unto itself, and the first time I opened the program, I thought I was in way over my head.

You can read about all this is the manual which is well written and very useful: https://docs.krita.org/en/ ]

You don't need to use another application to do cropping and resizing since all that can be done in the same krita session by Opening your photo file in krita so that it appears in a new tab. Then it can then be resized and copied as a layer or from a smaller Selection for cropping and then pasted into your working image in the other tab. If you have more than one photo you'd like to use then Open them in new tabs and pick and mix from them as you need.

If you Import a photo and it's much smaller than your working image then yes, it will appear as a 'postage stamp' in the top left corner of its layer. You can use the Transform tool (it's one of the icons in the Toolbox) to quickly resize it and move it to where you want it to be on the canvas.

If you're new to krita then all this is unfamiliar to you of course and it takes time to learn and to get used to. I recommend that you read the manual and just play with it because it has many functions and facilities and can do what you need it to do.

I haven't found what I'm looking for in the manual, most likely because I'm using search terms that don't match the manual's terms. Mostly, I have been playing around with the program to see what it does. I like the interaction between my drawing tablet and the program on my laptop. I'll try following along to the manual to see if it makes a little more sense.

Thanks.