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JohnWClark

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Posts posted by JohnWClark

  1. For graphics, text, illustration and design composition, a vector drawing application such as AD is essential.

    If your designs are to incorporate photographs or other bitmap images, then a bitmap app such as AP is equally important.

    In addition, when you appreciate the fact that, not only do both Affinity apps dovetail together so well that workflow is greatly enhanced, and that they are also great value for money, you would be short-changing yourself by not acquiring both.

    PS. I only discovered these Affinity apps a couple of months ago, prior to which I had being using older, but far more expensive alternatives, and I am quietly impressed by the range of functionality and implementation.

    They are not perfect, however, but being relatively new products, many existing feature omissions and/or perceived glitches are certain to be addressed as and when upgrades are issued.

    After all, Rome wasn't built in a day.

  2. I'm in a similar position to yourself, except about six weeks ahead of you.

    Rather than Illustrator, I much preferred the application that was once its main rival (until its acquisition by Adobe for the sole purpose of killing it off and hiking their prices as a direct result). I am referring, of course, to Aldus/Macromedia/Adobe FreeHand.

    Together with Photoshop and Quark Xpress, FreeHand was/is the bedrock of my graphic design work.

    I continue to successfully use all three apps in life support mode on aging Mac G4s, but recent developments in my business are increasingly necessitating the use of Mac OSX software.

    Initially, I feared this might mean going over to the extortionate dark side (Adobe), and I was less than thrilled at the prospect.

    After no little research, however, I discovered the brace of Affinity products (soon to be a trio), and took the plunge.

    In an attempt to flatten out the apparently steep learning curve, I purchased the two companion Workbooks, and which, in conjunction with real projects, are assisting in my surprisingly rapid progress.

    I am quietly impressed by both products, and they also dovetail together quite nicely.

    Basically, I would suggest that you have nothing to fear, and in less time than you might expect, you will struggle to remember why you had any concerns at all.

     

  3. Disappointingly, AD does not have a tracing function.

    I have only just discovered the Affinity brace of apps (soon to become a trio), having hithero been a FreeHand, Photoshop & Quark Xpress user, and I am quietly impressed with my new acquisitions.

    I am gradually compiling, however, a growing wish list of missing functions that I think would benefit the apps by their inclusion, and a trace facility for AD is definitely one of them.

  4. 3 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

    I am on Windows, where right click does delete the pressure dynamic node.

    What does it say in the help when viewed on mac? 

    https://affinity.help/designer/English.lproj/pages/Painting/pixel_modify.html

    Cannot find any reference to how the nodes are supposed to be deleted, but when right-clicking on a Mac, the node simply remains in position.

  5. Thanks for advice on topics 3 & 5.

    With regard to topic 6, nothing deletes the nodes, including your suggestion, and which I've tried with both a Mac Magic Mouse, and a Windows two button mouse (I'm using a Mac, by the way).

    I have now (only just) fathomed the topic 4 conundrum.

    With the Pen Tool selected, a Control Key/Mouse-Click/Drag on a sharp node elicits the two control handles whilst simultaneously converting it, in situ, into a smooth node.

    However, when the Node Tool is selected, the very same action drags the sharp node, leaving both control handles in it's previous, original position. These can then be Independently adjusted as desired, but the node remains sharp.

    This might well be fairly common knowledge, but now I too am in the loop.

    Thanks again.

     

  6. 2 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

    1. No.

    2. No

    ...

    6. I am unfamiliar with the workbook. Have you tried selecting the node and hitting the delete key? You may need to use the Node Select tool.

     

    2 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

    1. No.

    2. No

    ...

    6. I am unfamiliar with the workbook. Have you tried selecting the node and hitting the delete key? You may need to use the Node Select tool.

    Yes, that's one one of many options I tried, and the Node Select tool cannot be used because Dynamics Tab Profiles are only accessible in Pixel Persona which eliminates the Node Tool from selectibility.

  7. Hi, I'm one of those sad individuals that actually reads/studies software manuals in the full knowledge that more is learned in less time, thus by exploring my newly purchased Affinity Deigner in conjunction with its  companion Workbook, I have gradually but quickly compiled a short list of questions and observations that neither Affinity Help nor the Workbook have either answered or addressed, and some examples of which are listed below.

    I should also point out that I am a freelance graphic designer and long time enthusiast/advocate for the  unfairly Adobe-retired Aldus/MacroMedia/Adobe FreeHand.

    Thanks in advance for any forthcoming assistance.

    1. Can the Page Guides (not margins) be given a custom colour (as in FreeHand)?
    2. Is there a trace or auto-trace feature (as in FreeHand)?
    3. Can the Artistic text box be constrained to fixed dimensions (as in FreeHand)?
    4. On discovering an apparently undocumented modifier/mouse click combination to elicit control handles from a shape’s sharp node, and thus more intuitively converting it (FreeHand style, sorry!) into a smooth node, the resulting action is inconsistent from one shape compared to that of another (although all instances are consistent within a single given shape, there are two separate, distinctively differing actions).
    5. Can gradient fill “stops” be “numerically” positioned as well as that of manually (as in ... no, just kidding)?
    6. A Designer Workbook tutorial mentions the deleting of nodes in the Brush Editing, Dynamic Tabs profiles, but only adding them seems possible. Nothing I tried resulted in a deletion.
  8. Hi, I'm John Clark, a freelance graphic designer and long-time Aldus/Macromedia/Adobe FreeHand advocate/enthusiast.

    Despite being neither developed nor supported since it, together with other Macromedia titles, was acquired several years ago by Adobe with the express purpose of killing it off in favour of its own, and FreeHand’s main but inferior commercial rival, Adobe Illustrator, it remains an impressive piece of design/illustration software that, believe it or not, I continue to use, together with other “obsolete” and “irreplaceable” design applications and utilities, in life-support, cul-de-sac mode on durable but ageing Mac G4s.

    I do utilise more contemporary Macs, mainly to run production, admin and accountancy software, some of which are Windows-only flavours running in emulation on Parallels Desktop, but recent business developments have now necessitated the need to adopt “modern” design and illustration software which, I feared, might mean being forced down the horrendously implemented, monopoly-driven, hitherto predicted extortionately priced Adobe Road to Hell.

    Fortunately, however, I stumbled across Affinity’s Designer and Photo combo that initially I thought too good to be true, particularly at such reasonable pricing, but which, after some research and no little soul searching I decided might not be too much of a risky endeavour.

    I have now had both titles about a month, and have been quietly surprised and not a little impressed by what I have so far discovered.

    To help flatten the learning curve, I purchased the pair of highly regarded companion “Workbooks” that, with the “Photo” version being out of print and thus on back-order, has allowed me to concentrate on Designer at the expense of Photo. The Affinity Designer Workbook is excellent, not only in terms of content, but also in aesthetic presentation and quality finish.

    I am one of those sad individuals that actually reads/studies software manuals in the full knowledge that more is learned in less time, and as such I have gradually but quickly compiled a short list of questions and observations that Affinity Help has failed to either answer or address, and some examples of which are listed below.

    1. Can the Page Guides (not margins) be given a custom colour (as in FreeHand)?
    2. Is there a trace or auto-trace feature (as in FreeHand)?
    3. Can the Artistic text box be constrained to fixed dimensions (as in FreeHand)?
    4. On discovering an apparently undocumented modifier/mouse click combination to elicit control handles from a shape’s sharp node, and thus more intuitively converting it (FreeHand style, sorry!) into a smooth node, the resulting action is inconsistent from one shape compared to that of another (although all instances are consistent within a single given shape, there are two separate, distinctively differing actions).
    5. Can gradient fill “stops” be “numerically” positioned as well as that of manually (as in ... no, just kidding)?
    6. A Designer Workbook tutorial mentions the deleting of nodes in the Brush Editing, Dynamic Tabs profiles, but only adding them seems possible. Nothing I tried resulted in a deletion.
  9. 3 hours ago, JohnWClark said:

    Recently purchased both Affinity Designer and Photo via Apple App Store, but found when first launching the products that neither offered the option to register them with Serif.

    I subsequently contacted Affinity support, and they agreed that there was indeed no registration process, and only products purchased through the Serif shop would automatically be registered.

    Indeed, even within this response I was not given the option to register manually via email so, to all intents and purposes, Serif will never have me on their database as a licensed customer, and raises the question of future software update difficulties.

    As a graphic designer, I have, over the years made numerous professional software purchases, predominantly from third party vendors, and it is the norm to be presented with a registration option on first launch. After all, most software publishers prefer to know who is officially using their products so as to keep the customer updated in terms of both product development and news.

    Is this situation likely to be

    2 hours ago, SFurniss said:

    As you say Affinity does not need registering. If you buy from Apple you can still have an Affinity Store account for any extra content you may have claimed but it would only record this free content, not the original third party order.  You would also have an Affinity Store account if you had bought any other goods from us such as the Workbooks.

    You are still eligible for free updates until we get to version 2.0 but these updates are provided by Apple rather than us.

    In addition to the Affinity Store account you have the option to sign up for our Newsletter. This is our primary means of notifying our customers of any product development or other upcoming news.

    To be fair, I have already signed up for said newsletter, together with purchasing the two Affinity Workbooks from yourselves. So I think I've got most eventualities covered.

     

  10. Recently purchased both Affinity Designer and Photo via Apple App Store, but found when first launching the products that neither offered the option to register them with Serif.

    I subsequently contacted Affinity support, and they agreed that there was indeed no registration process, and only products purchased through the Serif shop would automatically be registered.

    Indeed, even within this response I was not given the option to register manually via email so, to all intents and purposes, Serif will never have me on their database as a licensed customer, and raises the question of future software update difficulties.

    As a graphic designer, I have, over the years made numerous professional software purchases, predominantly from third party vendors, and it is the norm to be presented with a registration option on first launch. After all, most software publishers prefer to know who is officially using their products so as to keep the customer updated in terms of both product development and news.

    Is this situation likely to be remedied?

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