Erwe

Blend Modes are a critical concept in many graphics and video programs. In this crash course video, we’ll look at how they work in the Affinity suite. 
 

Hi @Erwe,
If you don't need any of the assets you used in version 1 (brushes you may have added, colour palettes etc) you can safely delete/uninstall V1. They are independent of each other.

Dual Lighting is a cool effect that can add some extra punch to your images. Today we’ll look at how to create such images in Affinity Photo (and Designer), and also check out how to create good base images in MidJourney. 
 
 

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Hi, in this Affinity Photo Tutorial I show you how to make a city glow in the evening. Lights should come into their own without burning out. Shadows are lightened, contrasts are enhanced and the colors are adjusted as the eye actually saw them. I wish you fun with the video. Ciao Jack  

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It makes no difference whether Affinity Photo is already open or not.
I had this problem with my iMac and it is also present with the Mac Studio.

I think it is a bit hubristic to demand that Affinity Photo should be a copy of Photoshop, but for a low price. Not only that it would possibly cause legal problems, but also you should concede the developers to have their own style and to be free to improve their software and make inventions. Many people are of course accustomed to Photoshop, because it is still the market leader. But that doesn't mean that it does all things better. E.g. the layer management of Affinity software is a really interesting, user-friendly and cool thing. You only have to get used to it a little bit. Who wants to work with Photoshop should better work with Photoshop. If he/she purchases Affinity Photo anyway he/she might have reasons for it, I think. Probably even good reasons.
Edit: By the way, a Journalist who works for a magazine about photography and image editing recently told me that before Photoshop conquered the market, there was a software named ColorStudio, that was much better than Photoshop in the beginning. Photoshop overtook it because it made some things different and after a while even better. I would like to give Affinity the chance to do the same. For the benefit of us all.

While I can see that some new users may prefer what they are used to in other apps, it hardly seems reasonable to me that existing users should be expected to keep relearning various aspects of the Affinity apps to save new users the effort of learning to use a new app!
 
 I don't have a problem with using an "eye" instead of a tick-box, they would function in the same way, but why on earth move it to the other side of the layer panel!
One thing that particularly gets on my nerves is the way some new users (not the OP) want things changed because of their "muscle memory". What about the "muscle memory" of existing users!

I'm not a fanboy of any software. the eye is a lot easier to click on because its bigger as a button than the checkmark.
I'm not a photoshop person, never liked adobe and photoshop and was forced to work with it. but the layer system was more accurate for me and faster. here I'm clicking on the checkmark sometimes 3 to 4 times before it register the click.

Assuming that someone is completely redesigning the application and its interface because of them is even funny.
Despite the fact that using the eye symbol to control the application of adjustment layers, masks, etc. is really completely meaningless.

I don't understand that a DAM is seen as less important than new functionality in the existing apps. Let me first add that I really enjoy using affinity's apps and I recommend them to everybody. They are priced fairly, treat their users well and produce great apps. But I have reached a point where my workflow is challenged as long as I stay with Affinity.
I shoot several photos and need a system to rank the photos and add meta data for searching and selecting. I also need to basic edit several files and export several files. I select a few shots that I edit in Affinity Photo. That workflow isn't supported by Affinity's apps. 
Today I use Exposure X7 and I have tried a lot of different solutions like ACDsee, Nero, Adobe Bridge, XnViewXp, Digicam, Nikon's software etc. as a supporting software to Affinity Photo. Exposure X7 support adjustment of several files (copy settings) and and export of several files. It's without a central database and therefore is slow, but easy to move files. It's RAW engine is okay, but not on level with Affinity's.
Earlier I used Adobe Lightroom. Before that I used Canons DPP. Both I liked. Lightroom demand a lot of space on your HD for the database and moving photos has to be done in Lightroom AND I hate their business model. I shoot Nikon today...
I really would like to stay with Affinity, but are very close to give up and just pay the monthly payment for Lightroom to ease my work with my photos. With that monthly fee I also get access to Photoshop. Why stay at Affinity if Lightroom and Photoshop is better integrated?
Personally I prefer a DAM with Affinity's RAW editing integrated than new features and iPad versions.

Wie macht man aus dem Sommer den Winter (ohne KI). Wär was für den Austragungsort der olympischen Winterspiele 😀

Sommer_Winter.mov  

Wie macht man aus dem Sommer den Winter (ohne KI). Wär was für den Austragungsort der olympischen Winterspiele 😀

Sommer_Winter.mov  

CLIPPING WARNINGS IN PHOTO PERSONA USING PROCEDURAL TEXTURES
Develop persona allows you to see clipped areas. I have created three procedural texturas to reveal this areas in photo persona.

First procedural texture: Clipping Shadows/Highlights
Here is an example where shadows and highlights are clipped.

Just like develope persona i used red and blue to show the warnings. Red for highlights and blue for shadows.

Second procedural texture: Clipping RGB
This procedural texture shows warnings for each channel when a pixel reaches 0 or 255.
Each channel has its own warning colour. Single colour per channel.
In this example i went too far setting the black level on the green channel.


Usually you will only see warnings in red, green or blue but it is also possible to see cyan, magenta or yellow.
Lets take for example a yellow warning. If you add red and green you get yellow so a yellow warning refers to the red and green channel.
Cyan = Green + Blue
Magenta = Red + Blue


Third procedural texture: Clipping RGB - Black background
Sometimes its hard to see the warnings because they look they are blended whith the image.
This procedural makes the image completly black while the warnings remain in colour.
It is like when you select the levels adjustment and hold down the alt key but in this case the warnings are visible while editing each channel.

If you found this usefull you can download the file at the end or paste this formulas.
First procedural texture: Clipping Shadows/Highlights
var trigger=floor(0.5+abs(average(R,G,B)-0.5)); trigger*R + (1-trigger)*R
var trigger=floor(0.5+abs(average(R,G,B)-0.5)); (1-trigger)*G
var trigger=floor(0.5+abs(average(R,G,B)-0.5)); trigger*(1-B) + (1-trigger)*B
Second procedural texture: Clipping RGB
var rgb=floor(max(R,G,B,1-min(R,G,B))); var red=floor(0.5+abs(R-0.5)); rgb*red + (1-rgb)*R
var rgb=floor(max(R,G,B,1-min(R,G,B))); var gre=floor(0.5+abs(G-0.5)); rgb*gre + (1-rgb)*G
var rgb=floor(max(R,G,B,1-min(R,G,B))); var blu=floor(0.5+abs(B-0.5)); rgb*blu + (1-rgb)*B
Third procedural texture: Clipping RGB - Black background
var rgb=floor(max(R,G,B,1-min(R,G,B))); var red=floor(0.5+abs(R-0.5)); rgb*red
var rgb=floor(max(R,G,B,1-min(R,G,B))); var gre=floor(0.5+abs(G-0.5)); rgb*gre
var rgb=floor(max(R,G,B,1-min(R,G,B))); var blu=floor(0.5+abs(B-0.5)); rgb*blu
clipping_warnings.afphoto

I finally wrapped my head around the Erase blend mode and WOW! It has revolutionized a common workflow of removing the white background of a "still life" shot while keeping the original shadows intact.
In Photoshop, the usual flow is to mask the subject, use a copy of the subject layer as a mask on a black fill layer with some level adjustments and touch up.
My flow in APhoto has been the same, but a bit trickier due to the way masks and alpha channel adjustments work. Despite the awkwardness, I've muscled through. See here and here and here
But with Erase blend mode…I mean…it's so freakin' simple!
The new flow (as seen in the video) is to mask the subject, duplicate the subject layer with no mask, group with a black fill layer underneath, set Erase blend mode and tweak the curve for levels. Further touch ups can be done by adjusting the group transparency (or even adding an additional mask or manually touching up the Erasing layer.) Export to PNG.
Easy peasy! Thanks to the Affinity team for the software and others on the forum suggesting this workflow as an alternative to the somewhat wonky mask/alpha channel route.

Screen Recording 2021-07-01 at 10.13.37 AM.mov

Affinity Photo's approach to masking is so very different from the methods we are all familiar with in Adobe Photoshop. It's been a source of some frustration for me.
Here is a very helpful tutorial that illustrates three different masking methods in Affinity Photo.
 
 

I have created a set of templates that will make it easier for you to create seamless Instagram post carousels. Check out the blog post to download them for free and how to use them. https://www.oceanwatcher.com/free-instagram-carousel-templates-for-affinity-photo/

Hallo Affinity Community, mit euch möchte ich meine Länderflaggen Pinsel teilen. Optimiert sind sie für's zeichnen bei 1% Abstand damit ein Streifeneffekt entsteht. Geeignet also für z.B. Texteffekte. Einige Flaggen waren durch ihr Design für runde Pinsel ungeeignet. Um sie dennoch hinzuzufügen habe ich sie umgestaltet, möglichst ohne ihren Wiedererkennungswert einzuschränken. War z.B. ein Emblem mittig und dadurch beim zeichnen schlicht unsichtbar, verschob ich es ein wenig über die Kante des Kreises/Pinsels. Manche Flaggen besitzen deshalb 2 Versionen.
Die Pinsel sind in englisch übersetzt, auf 4 Kategorien verteilt und alphabetisch sortiert. Ohne englisch Kenntnisse wird man sich auch zurechtfinden da die Reihenfolge der deutschen sehr ähnlich ist. Enthalten sind 193 Stück + 59 Zweitversionen mit einer Größe von je 500 Pixel.
Anleitung für 3D Effekt mit zusätzlichem feinen Linien wie auf dem Vorschaubild:
1. Beliebigen Flaggenpinsel wählen und auf die gewünschte Größe ändern, z.B. 60 Pixel bei 2K Auflösung.
2. Eine neue leere Ebene erstellen und 1x mit dem Pinsel darauf klicken/malen.
3. Live Filter "Rauschen hinzufügen" an die Ebene clippen und Wert auf ca. 25 erhöhen.
4. Belichtungsanpassung ebensfalls an die Ebene clippen und Wert auf ca. -2,5 stellen. An diese Anpassung (nicht Hauptebene) einen vertikalen bzw. je nach gewünschter Lichtrichtung schrägen schwarz/weiss Verlauf zeichnen, sodass der Pinselpunkt oben hell und unten dunkel wird.
5. Ebene duplizieren um die originale zu sichern und das Duplikat rastern.
6. Mit angeklickter Duplikatsebene über Pinselpanel "neuer Pinsel aus Auswahl" wählen. Den Pinsel bearbeiten und Abstand auf 1% reduzieren. Der Pinsel ist jetzt fertig vorbereitet.
7. Auf neuer oder zwei neuen Ebenen (z.B. bei übereinanderliegenden Strichen wie bei Buchstabe A oder H) zeichnen, z.B. einen Text.
8. Ebeneneffekte "3D" oder "Kanten schleifen-innen" mit einem runden Profil hinzufügen (bei zwei Ebenen auch jeweils einen Ebeneneffekt für sich (Effekt kann seit Affinity 1.9 verknüpft werden)). Bei einer gewählten Pinselgröße von 60 Pixel empfiehlt sich ein Wert von 25 - 30. Optional "weichzeichnen" hinzufügen. Nun nur noch das Licht an die bei Schritt 4 gewählte Richtung anpassen.
9. Falls zwei Ebenen verwendet wurden kann auf der unteren gegebenenfalls noch ein Schatten, der durch die obere entsteht, hinzugefügt werden. Das verstärkt den 3D Effekt noch mehr. Fertig
Viel Spaß
 
english
Hello Affinity community, i want to share my country flags brushes with you. They are optimized for round brushes by painting with 1% space to create a streakeffect. Because of some flags are unsuitable i had to edit them.
This packs contained 193 brushes + 59 with a second version, separated in 4 categories, translated into english and arranged in alphabetical order. All have a size of 500 pixel.
Tutorial for a 3D effect with additional fine lines like on my wallpaper:
1. Choose a flag brush and set it to a size you like, for example 60 pixel on 2K resolution.
2. Create a new empty layer and paint 1x time on it.
3. Add "add noise" live filter and clip it on this layer. Set the value to around 25.
4. Add "exposure" adjustment and clip it also to this layer. Set the value to around -2,5 and add a vertical (or other light direction you like) black/white gradient on this adjustment layer. Your brush dot is now bright on top and below dark.
5. Duplicate the complete layer to save your original. Rasterize the duplicate.
6. With active duplicate go to brush panel and click on "create brush from selection". Edit this brush and set space to 1%. The brush is now ready to paint.
7. Paint on a new layer (or 2 if your lines cross each other like for letter A or H for a deeper 3D effect).
8. Add layer effect (If you have 2 layers use 2 layer effects. Since Affinity 1.9 it is possible to link them.) "3D" or "inner bevel". I recommend a value of 25 - 30 when you paint with 60 pixel. Optional smooth the effect a little. For a round 3D effect use a round profil. Now only adjust your light direction to a similar like on step 4.
9. If you use 2 layers you can add a shadow on the layer below to increase the 3D effect. Done
Have fun


Country_Flags_A_-_F.afbrushes Country_Flags_G_-_L.afbrushes Country_Flags_M_-_P.afbrushes Country_Flags_S_-_Z.afbrushes

This one in the german version.

How to use a Pen Tool - explained real simple. In this Video I will show you how to use the Pen Tool and Node Tool in Affinity Photo. But you will also learn that Curves and Shapes can do sooo much more. Not just Illustration and Vectors. Use Curves for Selections. Use Curves for Gradients and Glow Effects. Use Curves to Mask and Clip Layers.

Here a simple tutorial:
 
https://vimeo.com/200846556
 
Who finds spelling mistakes may keep them.  :)

Here a simple tutorial:
 
https://vimeo.com/200846556
 
Who finds spelling mistakes may keep them.  :)

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