Graphite Addict

Thank you, Bruce. I think there is some behaviour in the Affinity Designer program between 2.6.0. and 2.6.3. that may have changed how it handles certain things. My questions are... 1. Was there a change in how "Settings > Tools > Move Tool Aspect Constrain:" is set between 2.6.0. and 2.6.3? 1.a. Relatedly, was there a change in the behaviour of the "Automatic (based on selection)" setting? 2. Were my own custom made Templates affected i.e. do or did user created Templates retain the "Move Tool Aspect Constrain" preference? I ask this because I also noticed a while back that "Show Pixel Grid" always came back every time, despite me turning off, UNTIL, I discovered that the feature had been added and the setting was inherited from my template. Once I resaved all my templates with "Show Pixel Grid" set OFF, that accursed "View" menu setting never blighted my zooming again. I could check the behaviour under 2.6.3. regarding Aspect Constrain myself, but I do not wish to mess up my templates as I am strongly considering a roll back to 2.6.0. before it messes up many hundreds of hours of work. I have variable carpel tunnel, likely due to years of fifteen finger shortcuts (hyperbole, but not so far from the truth) no thanks to a disgraceful vector illustrator program I gladly abandoned in favour of Affinity a decade ago. Having Affinity Designer behave in an expected manner is a priority and "Move Tool" mouse drag transforms were not behaving as they did prior. I seem to have erroneously conflated a setting in the Transform panel with that behaviour, nonetheless something changed between 2.6.0. to 2.6.3. and I am determined to isolate the cause and prevent it from happening again. I need my mouse operations to be as keyboard-modifierless as is possible, before agony prevents my art/work altogether (I shall ask for specific tips on that in a different post).

EDIT Possibly my Mistake, check replies below this post first.... Description of BUG: With AD 2.6.3. on Windows 10 using the "Transform Panel" "Lock Aspect Ratio" sometimes doesn't work with the "Move Tool" when resizing. (Yes, I understand Shift + Mouse constrains proportionally, but the "Lock Aspect Ratio" used to work reliably in 2.6.0 in conjunction with the "Move Tool") --- WORKAROUND Use the Shift key to Constrain Move Tool resizes. Deselecting and then re-selecting the item will sometimes respect the "Transform Panel" "Lock Aspect Ratio" setting when resizing using the "Move Tool". Ensure the Settings found in the Edit menu are set to "Settings > Tools > Move Tool Aspect Constrain: Constrain by default" (though sometimes this also fails to fix it). --- When this occurred: With AD 2.6.3. I had updated from AD 2.6.0. So this bug could have been introduced one of the intermediate updates between then and now (AD 2.6.0. didn't have this problem as far as I am aware and I put a good few weeks worth of work in on that version, so I'd probably have noticed.) --- Steps to Repeat 1. Create a new document, the type doesn't typically matter (or play around with the file I've included) 2. Create an Ellipse as a Circle (constrain it by holding the shift key as you drag so it's a perfect circle). 3. Switch to the Move Tool. 4. With the Ellipse selected, and the Transform Panel Lock Aspect Ratio set On (the little Chain Symbol), mouse move a corner of the bounding box and try resizing. 5. Mess about resizing, deselecting, duplicating the shape, putting them in groups, doing things like Boolean Add and Compound Add until you recreate the bug. 6. Also try combinations of Move Tool Aspect Constrain options in Settings and the Transform Panel Lock Aspect Ratio on/off Repeatability: Wildly Inconsistent. The bug can be observed sometimes, the combination of "Lock Aspect Ratio" and the "Move Tool" is sometimes respected with proportionality maintained and other times the object being resized by a corner node movement using the "Move Tool" is NOT Scaled Proportionally. Additional info: "Settings > Tools > Move Tool Aspect Constrain: Constrain by default" AND "Settings > Tools > Move Tool Aspect Constrain: Automatic (based on selection)" is inconsistently respected. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I believe "Automatic (based on selection)" is the default setting or the one I had it set to prior to 2.6.3. when the Transform Panel Lock Aspect Ratio DID work as intended with a Move Tool mouse pull on the selection box corner. Some combinations of selecting, deselecting, re-selecting or selecting other objects, then deselecting those and re-selecting the object you wish to scale with Aspect Locked sometimes works as intended. Enc. AspectBug.afdesign AspectBug.afdesign

@Ron P. I have encountered it several times when using the Space Bar specifically now, I just checked and double checked looking directly at my finger placement on the Space Bar which was dead centre nowhere near the Alt Key. I now really don't know if this is a bug or I need to replace the damn keyboard. I shall assume it's my Keyboard for now, and if I can test it with a different one I will revisit this post and update it. As for an option to disable Alt drag to colour pick, that option would not affect default use and it's an option I could use right now as it's wasted an hour of my work time looking for answers, writing this report and fixing colours.

Thank you for your reply Ron. I'm on Win 10 PC, AD 2.4 here too. I have just this moment discovered it's me accidentally catching the Alt Key, which samples a colour when dragging the mouse. Something which is easily done by accident on this particular keyboard. I should like to disable that particular short-cut, if it is possible, but now that I know why it is happening I might be able to avoid it.

Yes. Professional work is paid work. The tool is seldom as important as the skill of the artisan using it.

I want the Space Bar to invoke the Move Tool and to never invoke the Colour Picker, how to I disable the Colour Picker from appearing when I am using Space Bar to move? I have tried to search the settings and keybinds but Colour Picker is set to the key "i" for India and I am unable to find other setting related to this. Problem: I am experiencing an annoying bug or feature (I am not sure which) where when I use the Space Bar to use the Move Tool it sometimes brings up the Colour Picker instead. This is unpredictable, seemingly random, and totally disrupts my workflow, sometimes inadvertently causing me to change colours. As you might imagine, this can cause major problems on a complex design if the mistake is not caught. EDIT - FIXED: Error was caused by Alt key mousedrag, which is an alternate Colour Picker shortcut that I was accidentally catching on this particular keyboard.

I'm certain this new feature will be useful to someone but now my PNG exports from Designer have muddy, subdued colours! What was the previous default PNG setting prior to 2.4 please? *Edit: Primaries: BT.709 and Transfer Function: BT.709 appear to give me the same colours as I see on screen before export. I am unsure if this was the previous default as I have no idea what either of these settings are and the Affinity Designer Help files do not explain it in a way that someone who didn't already know the answer could decipher* Finding information about the new PNGs online is a circular loop that mostly bring me back here. If the new PNG format is that obscure, having it be the new default was a poor choice.

Another great and useful video, Trent. Cheers. After watching your video and applying the settings in Designer, I too noticed the lack of an "Add Preset" Button. Designer also lacks the option to display an Adjustments window/panel. Strange omissions. I've saved the preset in Photo. The somewhat tedious workaround for the missing Add Preset in Adjustment Layers for Designer, is... File > Edit in Photo > apply the saved B & W Adjustment (30 Red, 90 Yellow, 60 Green, 70 Cyan, 10 Blue, 40 Magenta), then File > Edit in Designer. Or copy and paste across. (adding this as a note for myself as much as anything, but it might help others).

+1 I need blend. I got my only other must have with V2 - vector warp/distort. It is currently a rather flakey beta build quality but I trust the issues with it are a top priority for fixing, just as Serif have fixed newly added features in the past. For some Blend tasks a combination of Power Duplicate and Vector Warp can work as a workaround, I welcome that. However a proper Blend is still required.

As the title suggests, Gradient Fills do not move as expected when the group is warped. In the example - left the original, right a perspective warped copy where the gradients appear locked to their original, pre-warped position.

I believe there are some issues with warp groups at this time, check the bugs section. It's being looked into. I am very happy to have the new Warp feature but they've not quite nailed it on the first attempt. I need to play with it some more to figure out where it could be improved (apart from the strange out of bounds distortion bug that already being tracked).

I like the new look, I liked the old look too. They're both good in my book. Not really having a problem with the change, although I respect the views of those who are if it's causing them problems.

While that might be useful to some, that isn't even remotely close to what we're asking for which is Full control of the installation path. The tool is beholden to the user, not the other way around.

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but no, no, no and again no. And even if the answer were yes, only the last one on the list relates to Windows users - who generally view the Microsoft store with not-unwarranted, even entirely deserved contempt. From the end user perspective taking a thing away, such as user control of installation, that was previously available is a bad move. I appreciate there were factors to why Serif chose the path they did; I'm guessing not having to manage different versions of the same program and all that comes with that is a bonus. The Affinity products are good products, but I feel many Windows users and the some of the competent tech reporters will view UWP only as a strong negative and extremely unprofessional. It's an immediate no-sale for some. Had I known that UWP was the only Windows installer I certainly wouldn't have bothered upgrading immediately if at all. I would not expect Serif to release a proper installer version immediately, but it is something you need to consider with some urgency and if you do make the decision to make one then announce that you are doing it.

I have found the work around. I am currently in the process of writing out all the sets so that it can be added to the FAQ. Persons with protected folders SHOULD NOT be disabling protection. Instead they should be permitting access to the Affinity apps via the method I shall explain. I will edit this comment and add the information necessary to allow access once I have finished working documenting all the necessary steps. UPDATE: How to allow access to controlled folders This explanation is a work in process and is explicitly detailed for beginners. I am working on a quicker method. I will update when I find the quickest way. The same process works for Affinity Designer 2, Affinity Photo 2 and Affinity Publisher 2 (you will just need to run those and follow the same process but select their folders instead) 1. Run Affinity Designer 2 2. Press Ctrl alt del 3. select Task manager 4. on the Processes tab, click the little arrow left of Affinity Designer 2 to expand the program that is running then click Affinity Designer 2 below the larger bit, right click and select open file location 5. In the folder that opens copy folder address from the text box, left click to highlight, right click to copy it will look something like this C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\SerifEuropeLtd.AffinityDesigner2_2.0.0.1640_x64__3cqzy0nppv2rt\App Your address may be different. 6. Press the Start menu and type settings, open settings (alternatively click the cogwheel icon for settings) 7. Click Update and Security 8. Click Windows Security, it's on the left column 9. Click Virus & threat protection 10. Scroll down to Virus & threat protection settings and click Manage settings 11. Scroll down to Controlled folder access and click Manage Controlled folder access 12. It will say Ransomware protection, under Controller folder access click Allow an app through controlled folder access 13. A User Access Control warning window pop will ask Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device? You should see a shield icon Windows Security Verified Publisher: Microsoft Windows, click Yes 14. You will see Allow an app through controlled folder access, click the box + Add an allowed app, from the menu that pops down select Browse all apps 15. In the Open window paste the address of the app you copied 5 e.g. C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\SerifEuropeLtd.AffinityDesigner2_2.0.0.1640_x64__3cqzy0nppv2rt\App and press enter NOTE: your address may be different. 16. Select Designer.exe, it the Blue Designer icon (or just Designer if you don't have file extensions shown) then click Open Affinity Designer should now be able to save to Controlled access folders.

I can also confirm. Same problem.

FIXED Scroll to my second post below, with instructions on how to allow access for each Affinity 2 app I am unable to save files because of Windows security settings. This is because you have created a Windows universal app I presume, which was an indescribably annoying thing to do. It might gain you favour with Microsoft but alienate most experienced Windows using professionals. What unnecessary hoops do I have to jump through to be able to now save a file? Edit: It is possible to save on other locations that are not protected folders so I can save on a different drive for example. Protected folders are ones such as Documents and Pictures. While I am at it, let me be probably not the first and not the last to Please request you do a normal installer app and not this Microsoft store packaged type of installer.

Is it okay to shill for hardware though? I mean I've been shilling for Big Pencil for years.

I fear, Old Bruce, your dalliances with AI and the phrases "my parents when they were in their twenties" and "The Lady Killers" might result in some terrible time paradox. Is your last name Wayne? And what are your feelings on bats?

Yep. Apart from that, setting the Corner Tool in Designer to C because I can click the Contour tool on the rare occasions I need it. I am hoping Designer 2 gets Vector Blend and Vector Free transform (plus all the other things everyone else wants, of course). I don't know what to expect from Photo 2, I found Photo 1 confusing with its lack of silver halide emulsion and waiting two hours for Boots the chemist to mess up a perfectly good photo shoot. I jest, of course.

My prediction is next Wednesday I shall be rebinding mousewheel to zoom, as is tradition.

https://culturehustle.com/products/freetone might help if it ever does become a problem. It is free and I've downloaded it before Pantone try a cease and desist. I'd suggest anyone else do so should they be concerned.

+1 Using both mouse buttons simultaneously for this operation is big no-no & bio-mechanically awkward. Allow us to rebind everything and anything, job done. I'd then have just about every Node Tool operation on a single letter key.

Also saved me a bunch of time after having hunted around trying to find a way to clear all styles to no avail. Cheers. Had the same issue in Affinity Designer. Selecting the text frame, either in the layers panel or by clicking on it with the move tool (black arrow) and using the above method fixed it. Feedback at Serif, if you're reading: maybe add an obvious Clear Style option on the edit menu below Create Style. Like most people, I read menus from the top to the bottom. An enigmatic Defaults option sitting in the edit menu above create style is not a option one would instinctively take. After all, it might reset something I don't want resetting.

👎 Nope. TL;DR: Some useful tools but user unfriendly It's in free beta on Windows (free to Trial on Mac) and here is my experience of it at time of writing on Windows. It is powerful and has some features which Designer is missing but it is also unintuitive to use. It took me a while to even find where the keybinds were hidden (Shift+Alt+Ctrl+K) or from the menu bar at the top (View>Customize>Keyboard Shortcuts). I could not find a way to set mouse binds. It has keybinds set to the Option key in the Windows (this means Alt). The alt keybinds still work. The "Help" redirects to a browser page and some of those "Help" pages direct to dead links. The "Help" pages that go somewhere aren't always all that helpful. Time wasted learning the weirdness of VectorStyler is better spent learning how to use the features Designer has or using the forum search feature for workarounds.