MtnDave

@MEB Thanks - Tried this but seems to have no effect. Attached snip indicates character background button i used. I set up a fresh file with one page as suggested by @R C-R - that works fine - attached. The problem file is an A4 mag I produce quarterly - I have stripped out most pages, just left a test page and resaved which still illustrates problem so I can only assume there is a setting somewhere that is causing the problem? Text outline problem file.afpub successful test for text outline - new file.afpub

Ive set up a test - pic attached - unable to add any effect to the text using layer FX ? It just applies effect to the frame? Have tried selecting text, using frame text, artistic text. A Youtube vid tutorial indicates its simple...so where am I going wrong?

@GarryP@Old Bruce Thanks for guidance - got it...🙂

@thomaso Many thanks for info, I will pursue this to aid my understanding

GarryP thank you, Im having a dig round...its a bit confusing. If I right click on the selected frame it brings up a list with Frame Properties - which includes an option to 'Size frame to content' it never appears ticked but seems to toggle either way. The little handle does not appear - but I can still drag size the whole thing using the corner dot. Selecting this option seems to enable sizing the way I want (post scale/crop)- So the other way enables cropping/scaling ... There is the Frame properties in the context tool bar marked x on snip attached - but this has options which dont seem to apply to my issue.

@GarryP Thanks - attached full screen. Having scaled and cropped the image within text frame I then wish to be able to tweak size overall, and rotate - ie frame and pic together so as to find best position/size in montage.

In the attached snip the picture I've selected shows the rotation and sizing handles - so I can rotate and size the picture frame including its image. If I select some of my other images - the sizing handle does not appear so I cannot do this - how do I activate thison any pic frame I select? I need to be able to drag size or rotate the pic frame and itss image.

I think I've sorted the problem - it appears to get a completely right angled corner - ie 'mitred' the Mitre value on the right of those buttons needs to be set to a value above 1. 2 or above gives me a completely right angled border using the mitred corner .......1 bevels it ! Who'd have thunk it ? Anyway thanks for help ....got there I think.

@joe_l Thanks for Picture Frame suggestion and please accept my apologies for being rather a pest.....I place picture/convert layer to picture frame - I can see this gives me the cropping/scaling/positioning options allied to a picture frame. Do I then apply, post all that, the usual stroke options from upper menu bar - this seems to work but I cant get a right angled corner - that mitred option doesn't seem to work though the bevel and round do...its like cropping affects the stroke options, as before ?

I deleted photo and replaced, uncropped - Then added stroke using stroke options - all fine incl outside align and square cornered... But - if I crop the image the stroke disappears whether I apply the stroke pre or post crop ? Unfortunately most of the images im using have to be cropped/sized in place.

@GarryP - thanks - I can see stroke settings - see attached, but cant see an option for inside or outside image - only in front or behind. If I go behind the stroke is not visible. If in front it eats into image - maybe Im missing something ? Affinity Publisher on Windows 10/desktop pc

Im creating a photo montage - just want to add simple square cornered white border to photos - snip attached. I started by applying Outline in layer FX (image A)- but realise I only seem to be able to vary width of stroke via radius slider - which also puts a round corner on. Is there a way to get the outline square cornered using Layer FX? I tried just putting a stroke round the object using the stroke feature - but this eats into the image (Image B) rather than adding to the outside - even when I alter the various settings in the stroke settings panel. What's the best way ?

Thank you for this info

Thanks for further comments on this, useful as my next magazine project approaches - @gianni.brienza I'd be grateful for clarification of "paste image inline - don't float it". What are the correct steps for pasting inline? And what is floating. Thank You.

Thanks all for replies 🙂 I will try the various very useful suggestions before considering a monitor switch.