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JDW

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Everything posted by JDW

  1. JDW
    Right... "rasters and bitmap exports." Which begs the question, how will already rasterized bitmaps be treated? Let's say I have an AI file with linked EPS graphics which are all 350dpi. So as to open it in AD I resave it in Illustrator with PDF content enabled (which many Illustrator users don't do by default in order to keep AI file sizes small), then open that AI file in AD using the default 300dpi setting. AD will embed all the linked EPS graphics at their native 350dpi resolution but export them at 300dpi? Is that how it works?
  2. JDW
    Here's a 60fps QT video screencast (25MB) with voiceover that shows the difference between Affinity Designer 1.3.2 and Illustrator (text handling): https://copy.com/fI0jyEYkY19RImia Thanks.
  3. JDW
    I am a Photoshop user who has purchased Affinity Photo (along side Affinity Designer) in hopes of eventually using Affinity apps exclusively one day. With that in mind, you know what is going on in my mind if you know Adobe apps. More specifically, in Photoshop you don't have an "Export" command akin to what AP has. Instead Photoshop has Image > Image Size. And within that Image Size dialog you have basically the same features as the AP Export sheet. Now, within the AP Export sheet (chosen by File > Export... in AP), you have a choice of PNG, JPEG, etc. Choose JPEG and tell me where that 4:3 is? What I see atop that JPEG sheet is this: Size: XXpx LockIcon YYpx Preset: JPEG (quality) Resample: Bicubic Quality: ZZ Area: Whole Document (grayed out) Estimated File Size: AAA kB If your document is already 1920 x 1080 and you see 1920 x 1080 LOCKED within the EXPORT sheet (JPEG), then RESAMPLE would not be used since the document pixel dimensions won't be changed. But if you were to click the Lock Icon to UNLOCK the dimensions and then type new dimensions, then obviously the file would be resampled, and whatever option you have chosen in the RESAMPLE popup would then, and only then be used. That is what I was talking about in my previous post. Thanks.
  4. JDW
    There are places in Europe that write numbers like 1.235,00 and other places that write the same number as 1,235.00: http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19455-01/806-0169/overview-9/index.html But when creating a piece of software, one must decide what scheme to use. Perhaps if the OS UI is set to Spain then one would expect such numerical and percentage conventions to be used in the Spanish way. But if I have my OS X set to have US English, then I would expect things to display that way. In any case, I'd never seen ‰ prior to using Affinity apps. Most people will probably think it's a mistake. That's what I thought.
  5. JDW
    Anyone who intends to create a multi-page PDF stands to benefit from Artboards. I use Illustrator for that purpose. I often create PDFs with up to as many as 27 pages, and Illustrator handles that data just fine, with no slow-downs that I can detect. The only thing that Illustrator still cannot do is create a multi-page (multi-artboard) new Illustrator document when I try to open an existing multi-page PDF. It's strange that such a mature app still cannot do that, so perhaps that is yet another way Affinity Designer could one-up Illustrator, especially since you have to save your *.ai files with PDF content anyway to even open them in AD.
  6. JDW
    I use Photoshop's Image > Image Size feature all the time, and I must say that the addition of "Image Size" within Affinity Photo's "Resize Document" sheet would be welcomed. For example, when you change the PPI or dimensions in Photoshop, you see something like this: Image Size: 24.5MB (was 64MB) The key part of that is the "was" part in parenthesis. Thanks.
  7. JDW
    Then I shall post my idea as a separate feature request. Thank you for the explanation.
  8. JDW
    I had a feeling someone was going to explain it by saying that. But be that as it may, I myself had never even seen or heard of that symbol before. Not once in my 44 years on earth. Am I that unique? Probably not. And so, if most people are confused by it, despite it being more accurate, is it then best to use it, especially when no other software that I have ever seen uses it? Perhaps it is not a big issue, but it struck me as odd when I first saw it and perhaps it does other users as well. Don't think me unthankful, however. I love Affinity Designer and Photo, which I why I purchased both, despite the fact the present functionality hasn't weaned me off Adobe apps YET. And YET is the keyword here because I feel confident your excellent apps will one day win over a large number of Adobe users, as well as folks who never found Adobe apps appealing (most likely due to cost factors). Keep up the great work, Serif!
  9. JDW
    I use Photoshop's Image > Image Size feature all the time, and I must say that the addition of "Image Size" within Affinity Photo's "Resize Document" sheet would be welcomed. And then when you change the DPI or dimensions, the display in Photoshop says something like this: Image Size: 24.5MB (was 64MB) The key part of that is the part in parenthesis. I think that is what rui_mac and LilleG mean by "relative size." And when implementing this, please make the Image Size calculation to be FAST. In Photoshop the calculation changes as you type in a new PPI value. It's immediate with no delay at all. All said, you have my full backing for this very useful and important feature request.
  10. JDW
    Yes, I've noted the following line in the Feature Roadmap for Affinity Photo: -Export persona - preview with compression and palette optimisation But since we don't know exactly what you are working on, I'd like to offer some guidance: 1) Please use Photoshop's "Save for Web" as a feature guide. I use just about every single feature there when optimizing graphics for the web. Transparency, Number of Colors, Interlaced, Various Dithers, Multiple Color palettes (Adaptive, Selective, Perceptual), Web Snap, and Lossy (for GIF) are all very serious features. ​2) Please use a Quantizer for PNG optimization: http://pngnq.sourceforge.net I use TinyPNG all the time to convert my 24-bit PNGs with Transparency into super tiny PNG-8's! https://tinypng.com Build something like that into Affinity Photo and you've truly one-upped Photoshop! 3) Consider hiding or graying-out the "Resample" popup in the File>Export sheet whenever the dimensions are LOCKED. When UNLOCKED and the user changes the dimensions, only they would you need to resample. But when the dimensions are locked, no resampling is needed and so that resample popup only serves to confuse the user. 4) If you want to add a compression preview in File>Export it may be best to put that as a checkbox option, unchecked by default to ensure maximum performance. Thanks.
  11. JDW
    Whether File>Export is kept simple or not, one thing is for sure — Compression Preview is a MUST HAVE feature in Affinity Photo. I use Photoshop's "Save for Web" feature all the time when exporting PNGs, JPGs, and GIFs for the web, where I absolutely need to closely compare the quality of the compression to see which file format and which compression level or settings I need to use. Sometimes you would think a particular graphic would be best as a JPG but then you try it in PNG-8 and see it looks the same but the file size is much smaller. This is a critical feature for web use. Hopefully Serif uses Photoshop's "Save for Web" as a feature-guide when considering how best to expand the Export Persona. I just just about every feature available in "Save for Web." It's very powerful. But since you mentioned "keep it simple" with regard to File>Export, I am confounded by one thing: RESAMPLE. Sure if the dimensions are UNLOCKED and you change the dimensions there, then the file would obviously need to be resampled. But if the dimensions are LOCKED, why would the file need resampling? And if it does NOT need resampling, why not gray-out (or just delete) that RESAMPLE popup altogether to avoid confusion?
  12. JDW
    I for one am truly looking forward to the Compression Preview in Affinity Photo. I use Photoshop's "Save for Web" feature all the time when exporting PNGs, JPGs, and GIFs for the web, where I absolutely need to closely compare the quality of the compression to see which file format and which compression level or settings I need to use. Sometimes you would think a particular graphic would be best as a JPG but then you try it in PNG-8 and see it looks the same but the file size is much smaller. This is a critical feature for web use.
  13. JDW
    If I open a scanned image in Photoshop, it opens as a single "Background" layer. And whenever you use the Eraser tool on such a "Background" layer, it Erases to White because White is the default chosen background color. Of course, if I click the little Lock icon to unlock the Background layer in Photoshop, it changes to "Layer 0" and any use of the Eraser tool in that case will erase to transparent. In Affinity Designer, everything erases to transparent from what I see, even the Background layer. In Affinity, how do I ERASE TO WHITE? Thanks.
  14. JDW
    Yes, I know that. When you click and hold any of the tools in the vertical toolbar, a popup appears and you see additional tools. More specifically, when you click-and-hold on the Paint Brush Tool, about a second later the popup appears and you can see the Pixel Tool is the last of the 3 shown. All I was saying in my previous post was that some people don't dig down deeply on every tool in their search, but they instead choose to type something into the Search field. It saves time. Think about clicking and holding on every single tool with an arrow on it, waiting at least 1 second each time to scan all the tools versus click on Help and typing a keyword into the Search field. People are lazy (myself included). We often go to what we think will be the fast-track to finding what we need. That's all I was saying. Thanks!
  15. JDW
    Jim, I wasn't sure if it was a bug, which is why I did not report it there. Perhaps MEB will chime in here about it?
  16. JDW
    Pixel Tool w/ color set to WHITE = Eraser Block Tool in Photoshop (sort of) — no anti-aliasing Got it. Thanks. By the way, anyone typing "Pixel Tool" in Help > Search will not get any results that tell you where that tool is located. And since that tool is buried in the Paint Brush Tool popup, some newbies may need help finding it. (It's times like these I miss the old Balloon Help from System 7. Little balloons would appear right next to the very item the user was searching for. Ah, the good old days!)
  17. JDW
    LilleG and MEB, thank you for explaining the difference between the two Opacity sliders. Coming from Illustrator I was a bit bewildered by it. That's because in Illustrator when I think of changing the Opacity, I simply open the Transparency panel and move the Opacity slider, affecting my currently selected object. The only other Opacity slider I normally use in Illustrator is the one in the Gradients panel, which let's me create a gradient that fades from a color to nothingness. The reason I was confused in Affinity Designer is because I've been conducting compatibility tests on my *.ai files, resaving them with PDF content in Illustrator (which I normally don't do because file sizes are massive) and then opening them in AD. I noticed a couple transparency oddities on the conversion of one of my *.ai documents and that led me to the Opacity sliders in AD. I understand the situation now though. It's a learning process. Thanks for your help!
  18. JDW
    I'm still playing around with the Corner Tool, and it seems you cannot use it to affect objects that are already rounded? For example: 1. New document. 2. Sketch a circle and color it. 3. Choose the Corner Tool. 4. Select a "corner" handle on your circle and pull. You see a red circle appear, but it has no affect on the circle. 5. Click "Concave" and try again. No affect. In other words, you cannot create a "bit" in an apple if your apple starts off as a round object. So why then does the Corner Tool pretend to affect those objects (by showing a red circle as you pull)? Thanks.
  19. JDW
    Another reason Optical Kerning is critically important is because of Japanese text, especially when using full width Roman characters which have enormous spaces between the letters. Activating Optical Kerning in apps like Illustrator narrow those gaps and make the text look normal. Yes, you could manually set the Tracking to fix that in Affinity, but in my experience the gaps between the letters all come out different when using Tracking, so you'd need to do it gap by gap. An Optical setting would eliminate a lot of manual labor.
  20. JDW
    Try this: 1. New document. 2. Click once on the Rectangle Tool (or type "M") 3. Click the square to the right of "Fill:" in the upper left corner of the window. 4. Click on the "Gradient" tab. 5. Note there is no field to set the ANGLE. Please add that. Why? Because Illustrator has one and for good reason. Yes, you can set the angle by going outside the Gradient panel, choosing the gradient tool and then manually doing it. But if one is already working inside the Gradient tab (especially for matters of precision), it is only logical that an ANGLE setting should be in there too. Thanks!
  21. JDW
    Another thing that confuses me on this topic is Resolution Independence. For example, in my CMYK Illustrator documents, I can zoom in on my vector art and see everything look perfectly smooth (no pixelation) even at 6400% zoom. But in Affinity Designer, I see pixels at 200% zoom on my vector art. I would expect to see pixelation on my raster graphics as I zoom in on them but not on my vectors. That is what has me confused about that "DPI: 300" setting in the Dimensions tab of "Document Setup..." Why does Affinity Designer need it when Illustrator does not? UPDATE: Okay... Stupid me... I now see View > View Mode > Vector. In that view mode all my vectors are smooth. Got it. Even so, I still want to know more about that "DPI: 300" setting and how it will affect my embedded, rasterized graphics (if at all).
  22. JDW
    You are the man, A_B_C!! Many thanks for your superb instructional video!
  23. JDW
    Thank you for pointing that out to me. But how do I change the ANGLE? In Illustrator's Gradient panel it's easy because there is an "Angle" field. I don't see such in the Gradient Panel of Affinity Designer.
  24. JDW
    Thank you for bringing the Corner Tool to my attention. No, I hadn't noticed it until you mentioned it — silly me! But now that I am using it, please educate me... 1) I can change a single corner easily, but how do I make all corners change together? 2) Everything defaults to Rounded. What if I want to change multiple corners individually but have them all Concave. I click the Concave button, but it won't stick. Thanks.
  25. JDW
    I use Artboards (within Document Setup) in Illustrator all the time. I am now trying to transition to Affinity Designer 1.3.2 and the lack of that feature is troubling. I cannot open many of my *.ai documents (not all the pages at once). Some of my *.ai files have 27 artboards. (Yes, you can use Illustrator like InDesign, and sometimes it is preferable to do that due to the tools available in Illustrator which aren't in InDesign.) I long for Artboards in AD.
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