smadell

Nice colors, William. The Pantone website gives the RGB values for each of those pastels, and I have attached an .afpalette file for them. (Note - the colors in the palette are a match for the colors on the website, but only if the starting point is a document using sRGB as a color profile. Otherwise, they will start out too saturated.)
Electric Pastels.afpalette

How did the second document come to exist? Did you create it by choosing "New from Clipboard" or did you create a new document first and then paste in the stuff you copied from the first image?
If you created the second document by choosing "New from Clipboard," then I agree that the transparent space is baffling. However, if you created the second document beforehand, you would have created a canvas of a given size (in your case, it is 4121x3067 pixels). When you paste in the copied stuff, you will not automatically resize the pasted pixels to match the canvas; the pasted pixels will keep their original pixel dimensions. In this case, since the second document's canvas is larger than the pixels being copied and pasted, empty space has been left around the perimeter.
You could partially solve this problem by choosing "Clip Canvas" from the Document menu after doing the Paste. However, since the pasted pixels do not form a perfect rectangle, there will always be some space around at least one or more of the edges.

This whole convoluted method of creating a pattern layer, using it as a healing brush, dust and scratches, and so forth. Way too complicated. Why not just use the Healing Brush straight up?
I created a new Pixel layer, set the Healing Brush to "Current Layer and Below" and brushed away the stubble, using nearby skin for color and texture. I set that new pixel layer's Blend Options to show up only when the Underlying Layer was dark, and got the following. This took me all of about 4 minutes.

This whole convoluted method of creating a pattern layer, using it as a healing brush, dust and scratches, and so forth. Way too complicated. Why not just use the Healing Brush straight up?
I created a new Pixel layer, set the Healing Brush to "Current Layer and Below" and brushed away the stubble, using nearby skin for color and texture. I set that new pixel layer's Blend Options to show up only when the Underlying Layer was dark, and got the following. This took me all of about 4 minutes.

This whole convoluted method of creating a pattern layer, using it as a healing brush, dust and scratches, and so forth. Way too complicated. Why not just use the Healing Brush straight up?
I created a new Pixel layer, set the Healing Brush to "Current Layer and Below" and brushed away the stubble, using nearby skin for color and texture. I set that new pixel layer's Blend Options to show up only when the Underlying Layer was dark, and got the following. This took me all of about 4 minutes.

Happy I could help out.

Here:  https://player.vimeo.com/video/161180581

As to Affinity’s default behaviors, I have always chosen to take a more forgiving point of view. As a business selling a product, Serif is in charge of which features are included (and which are not) as well as the manner in which they are implemented. As a consumer, I am free to purchase their product or pass it over in favor of something else. I think, when all is said and done, it’s really as simple as that.
The mere fact that this Forum exists, and is so obviously read by Serif developers, implies that they are open to suggestion. But it does not require them to follow anyone’s suggestions.
To suggest that Serif is purposefully making their product feel “cheap,” even in jest, is simply a ridiculous notion. Who would do such a thing?
I, too, have made suggestions regarding the UI. Most of these have not been implemented. But that is the nature of suggestions, after all.
I would love to see the adjustment and live filter panels include a way to access the presets made for that adjustment. I would love it if gradient swatches were accessible to other adjustments that utilize gradients (like the gradient map). And, speaking of the gradient map, I’d really love it if Serif would change the ridiculous tri-color default that I cannot imagine anyone ever really using.
But, it’s not up to me. Like it or not. And insulting them is not likely to change things.

I’ve attached a recent photo merge done with Affinity Photo. I bought a Nikon Z7 II this past September, and have taken advantage of its Focus Merge feature quite a bit. The photo below is a merge of about 100 images.
Needless to say, I am quite satisfied.

As to Affinity’s default behaviors, I have always chosen to take a more forgiving point of view. As a business selling a product, Serif is in charge of which features are included (and which are not) as well as the manner in which they are implemented. As a consumer, I am free to purchase their product or pass it over in favor of something else. I think, when all is said and done, it’s really as simple as that.
The mere fact that this Forum exists, and is so obviously read by Serif developers, implies that they are open to suggestion. But it does not require them to follow anyone’s suggestions.
To suggest that Serif is purposefully making their product feel “cheap,” even in jest, is simply a ridiculous notion. Who would do such a thing?
I, too, have made suggestions regarding the UI. Most of these have not been implemented. But that is the nature of suggestions, after all.
I would love to see the adjustment and live filter panels include a way to access the presets made for that adjustment. I would love it if gradient swatches were accessible to other adjustments that utilize gradients (like the gradient map). And, speaking of the gradient map, I’d really love it if Serif would change the ridiculous tri-color default that I cannot imagine anyone ever really using.
But, it’s not up to me. Like it or not. And insulting them is not likely to change things.

As to Affinity’s default behaviors, I have always chosen to take a more forgiving point of view. As a business selling a product, Serif is in charge of which features are included (and which are not) as well as the manner in which they are implemented. As a consumer, I am free to purchase their product or pass it over in favor of something else. I think, when all is said and done, it’s really as simple as that.
The mere fact that this Forum exists, and is so obviously read by Serif developers, implies that they are open to suggestion. But it does not require them to follow anyone’s suggestions.
To suggest that Serif is purposefully making their product feel “cheap,” even in jest, is simply a ridiculous notion. Who would do such a thing?
I, too, have made suggestions regarding the UI. Most of these have not been implemented. But that is the nature of suggestions, after all.
I would love to see the adjustment and live filter panels include a way to access the presets made for that adjustment. I would love it if gradient swatches were accessible to other adjustments that utilize gradients (like the gradient map). And, speaking of the gradient map, I’d really love it if Serif would change the ridiculous tri-color default that I cannot imagine anyone ever really using.
But, it’s not up to me. Like it or not. And insulting them is not likely to change things.

Hey, James...
Just to nitpick...  The link to the video titled "Inpainting" says "Pinpointing" instead!

As to Affinity’s default behaviors, I have always chosen to take a more forgiving point of view. As a business selling a product, Serif is in charge of which features are included (and which are not) as well as the manner in which they are implemented. As a consumer, I am free to purchase their product or pass it over in favor of something else. I think, when all is said and done, it’s really as simple as that.
The mere fact that this Forum exists, and is so obviously read by Serif developers, implies that they are open to suggestion. But it does not require them to follow anyone’s suggestions.
To suggest that Serif is purposefully making their product feel “cheap,” even in jest, is simply a ridiculous notion. Who would do such a thing?
I, too, have made suggestions regarding the UI. Most of these have not been implemented. But that is the nature of suggestions, after all.
I would love to see the adjustment and live filter panels include a way to access the presets made for that adjustment. I would love it if gradient swatches were accessible to other adjustments that utilize gradients (like the gradient map). And, speaking of the gradient map, I’d really love it if Serif would change the ridiculous tri-color default that I cannot imagine anyone ever really using.
But, it’s not up to me. Like it or not. And insulting them is not likely to change things.

I am attaching a free PDF called “Affinity Photo from Ten Thousand Feet.” This is a 41 page book that explains many of the concepts and questions that forum members ask frequently.
Much of the information is based on presentations given to my local photography club. Some of it is based on a series of articles written for the club’s newsletter. Much of the book is newly written material, based on years of working to understand digital photography, how color works, and how Affinity Photo fits into that picture.
Please enjoy the book. All I ask in return is that you look it over and leave a comment.
Affinity_Photo_from_Ten_Thousand_Feet.pdf

Easy peasy. Add a Pattern Layer above the image. If you want stripes that are, say, 8 pixels wide then size the pattern to 1 pixel wide and 16 pixels high. Paint the top 8 pixels one color, then paint the bottom 8 pixels a second color. This should get you equal-sized horizontal stripes. Now, choose the Move tool and rotate the pattern by 45 degrees. Voilà - diagonal stripes.

My pleasure. You might want to consider making the stripes black and white, lowering the opacity, and adding a Recolor adjustment. That way, the color of the stripes can be changed easily.

Perhaps as people see the post once again they will.  It is a keeper!!

Easy peasy. Add a Pattern Layer above the image. If you want stripes that are, say, 8 pixels wide then size the pattern to 1 pixel wide and 16 pixels high. Paint the top 8 pixels one color, then paint the bottom 8 pixels a second color. This should get you equal-sized horizontal stripes. Now, choose the Move tool and rotate the pattern by 45 degrees. Voilà - diagonal stripes.

I’ve attached a recent photo merge done with Affinity Photo. I bought a Nikon Z7 II this past September, and have taken advantage of its Focus Merge feature quite a bit. The photo below is a merge of about 100 images.
Needless to say, I am quite satisfied.

Chris26...
in response to your question about Adjustment Presets, I also have long felt that Adjustments panel should not be the only place where Presets can be found. Personally, I almost never use the Adjustments panel; I invoke adjustment layers from the icon(s) at the bottom of the Layers panel. I posted a suggestion over a year ago, suggesting (as you apparently believe, also) that adjustment presets should be available from their respective adjustment dialogs. To date, though, this has not been implemented.
As far as your question about Macros is concerned, these are similar but not completely analogous to Photoshop actions. PS actions take the form of scripts, and have more programming type choices available. In Photoshop, it is indeed possible to write/create an action that pauses while it waits for User input. This is not (strictly speaking) available in Affinity Photo. What you can do in AP is write a macro that contains, for instance, an adjustment which you then make available to the end User in a dialog. However, that dialog will only present itself at the end of the macro; if you change any of the settings, the macro will completely replay with the new value.
There are some definite down sides to this. First, not all settings can be exposed to the end user. Second, the exposed settings will only be available after the macro has run (but before it is finalized). If the setting must be visualized in the midst of running the macro, this is not going to work.
In the image below, I have written a macro which adds a Brightness and Contrast adjustment with default values of 20% brightness and 10% contrast. After recording the macro, I can click the "asterisk" at the right of the macro step, and then click the "eye" icon. Here, I've clicked the "eye" next to the Brightness setting. I have given the setting a new name (specifically for the dialog box), which says "Adjustt brightness" – note the inadvertent misspelling. When I run the macro, I get a dialog box at the very end which allows me to change the Brightness. It does not allow me to change the contrast, since I chose not to expose that setting to the user.

I’ve attached a recent photo merge done with Affinity Photo. I bought a Nikon Z7 II this past September, and have taken advantage of its Focus Merge feature quite a bit. The photo below is a merge of about 100 images.
Needless to say, I am quite satisfied.

I’ve attached a recent photo merge done with Affinity Photo. I bought a Nikon Z7 II this past September, and have taken advantage of its Focus Merge feature quite a bit. The photo below is a merge of about 100 images.
Needless to say, I am quite satisfied.

I confess that I have always been partial to Watercolor & Ink paintings. I suppose they’re something you can either love or hate. Anyway, I set out to create a method to simulate a Watercolor & Ink treatment on a photograph. I have attached a macro that will do this.

1 - Start with a Pixel layer. In most cases, you can open an image as a Background layer.
2 - Click the “Watercolor & Ink Simulation” macro to generate a nice, somewhat stylized image.
3 - The macro generates 2 groups - one for the base colors (the “watercolor” part) and one for the outlines (the “ink” part).
4 - You can adjust many of the parameters to your taste. Expand the “Outline Group” and the “Color Group” to access the individual layers.

I)    In the “Outline Group,” find the “Thicken Outlines” layer. This is a Levels adjustment. If you move the Black Level slider up or down, the outlines will become more or less prominent.
ii)   In the “Color Group,” there is a layer called “Lighten Colors.” This is also a Levels adjustment. Adjusting the Gamma slider up or down will lighten or darken the base colors.
iii)  In the “Color Group,” there is a layer called “Posterize Colors.” This is a Posterize adjustment, and its default value is 8. If you move this up or down, you can inject greater or fewer colors into the image, changing its effect from more realistic to more cartoon-like.

[As an aside, I am indebted to the Affinity Revolution user for his video tutorial entitled “Turn any Photo into a Pencil Drawing,” which formed the basis for much of the “Outline Group” portion of this effect. Thanks, Ezra!]

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

So, here is a before and after version using an image taken at Hearst Castle in California.



And here is another before and after version taken at a very tourist-laden luau in Hawaii.


 
Watercolor and Ink.afmacros.zip