whitewolf7070

I used to use CorelDRAW for everything, but switched to Mac in 2012. DRAW had several key features that AD does not have: text warp, text wrap, numbered paragraphs, bulleted paragraphs, etc. Apparently AD does not even intend to have these features in the future. Wants people to buy Publisher so they deliberately cripple AD. Doesn't seem wise. I would buy Publisher anyway for layout work (though not until they have the feature to span columns in paragraph styles), but using Publisher to design most ads is like using a wrench to pound nails. You can do it, but its awkward, frustrating, and time-consuming. I design many ads and elements each month for a publication and these features are very useful. I know that everybody wants "their" features, but these seem pretty basic. I have been working around them in AD, but now that CorelDRAW has come to Mac, I may move back. People here make a big deal about not liking the subscription model (I'm not a fan either, but I have one), but the cost is not a super big issue for most designers, productivity is. Hope Affinity gets a clue before they start to lose momentum.

I understand their limited time. However, if they think this is a minor feature, they likely haven’t done much layout work. The suggested work-arounds are a kludge at best. This is a feature that regular layout artists need every day. Simple as that. Until the span column feature is included, APub will be a novelty, not a workhorse for many people, IMHO.

Thanks for the suggestion and example Walt. It is a technique that seems to work in your example, but why have to create TWO text boxes and format them as well as the text itself? I don't see this as a regular substitute for the simple "Span Columns." Why don't the programers simply include it? Maybe there's a reason, but as a designer, it escapes me.

Sorry, no. The Span Columns feature is very simple: Just add the optional paragraph attribute "Span Columns" and a variable of how many columns you want a particular paragraph, such as a title or heading, to span. That's it. When this feature is invoked, the paragraph with this attribute will go across the number of column specified, but only that paragraph. It will have all the formatting assigned to it, but just span across columns. It is vital for making headlines where you need the title or headline to span the entire text box while the rest of the text flows into the columns in the text box. It is very handy and essential when resizing text boxes. If the headline is in a separate text box. you have to resize and reformat TWO text boxes and make sure they are correctly aligned every time you change something. What a pain! This "Span columns" is really elementary stuff. As I have said before, Quark, ID, and even the old Ventura Publisher have had this basic, essential feature since the 1990s. I am not criticizing, just observing and making the point that for me as a newspaper, magazine publisher for more than a quarter century, it is an essential feature. I would LOVE to switch to AP, but really can't as long as this feature is missing. I am probably not the only one.

With every beta, I hope for this feature. Still not there. With newspaper/magazine publication, this is a MUST.

Stunning that this is left out. Corel Draw had this since the 90s.

Still hoping for the option to have paragraphs span across columns without having to create a separate text box, with all the text wrap settings and all. The ability to do this is about the only thing keeping me with InDesign.

Thanks Adriandw.

We are launching a new newsmagazine-style pub in March and having a big debate on using inDesign or AP. We would like to standardize on Affinity. However, this is a “must have” feature for our type of publication. Even the old Ventura Publisher, circa 2000, had this feature. Surprised it’s missing so far.

FWIW: I designed a staff box in InDesign and then decided to move the publication to APub. I didn't want to rekey all the text, so I just did a select all and copy in Indesign. Then, I went to the box in APub just to paste in the text. To my surprise, the text came in all formatted and the paragraph styles imported, too. Nice surprise. Maybe this is part of the planned ID import feature that Affinity just isn't publicizing yet. Anyway, made my work easier today. FWIW.

Thanks.

I also spent quite a bit of time searching for how to create a column and gutter grid. I ended up just creating a master page with the guides I needed. that will have to work for now.

I have this question too.

Corel Draw has several useful features that I cannot find in Affinity Designer. Am I just missing them? When you click on an image, in Corel Draw you get information about the image, including the color profile, size and dimensions. The color profile is particularly important when trying to locate all the RGB images in a document, for example. Corel Draw allows the user to convert the color profile of an image in the document on the fly, from RGB to CMYK or vice versa. Does Designer have this feature? If you double-click on an image in Corel Draw, it will open in Corel Paint, allowing for quick image editing. However, it appears you can only open the whole document in Affinity Photo (when you have both, as I do). Am I missing something? In Corel Draw, you can use search or search and replace to find objects, colors, color profiles, font styles, as well as text. Very, very useful. These are very useful features. Any help with finding these features in Affinity Designer, if they are there, would be appreciated. I have moved from Windows to Mac, so Corel Draw is not a good option for me any longer.

Not even arguing that point. However, much of the functionality must be similar, i.e., cropping, paste inside, adjusting transparency, etc. Text flowing around objects is a no-brainer and is a vital function for any serious drawing program.