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I need to put emphasis on the Dan C's advice in another thread which I also applied here (I'm referring to some configurations benefit from disabling Open CL hardware acceleration. Probably people with an AMD card should do the opposite, I don't know). Yesterday had the huge inconvenience (in the middle of a big project, starting others, too) of realizing the brush was again slow on a (yeah, it's huge) 12k x 15k px canvas, 16bits mode. It turns out I somehow had changed, -or an update to latest version had changed that (strange, as my other settings were not changed. Maybe I changed it- the "use Open CL hardware acceleration" (in "performance" settings). Disabling it again totally fixes the issue! Of course, I am sure the other settings play a big role, too, as I only got it fine once I applied all of those and edited heavily my (round basic) brushes. It is surely that my nVidia card is not ideal for that (as it is based on CUDA, it'd be emulating Open CL? I don't know). And/or is a very poor card, just a 1650, 4Gb. And also, using too low spacing value in each brush (ie, only 3%, which works fine in much smaller canvases or just if zoomed-in) is a HUGE cause of brush slowing down/lag. But setting 6-8% (and not full hardness) still allows to work with quality and a fast stroke. Some other 2D and painting apps -even with these fixes in Photo- have still somewhat snappier brushes, but with a PC like mine (gpu, cpu, memory in my signature) and these steps (all I mentioned in this thread), people having this problem should probably be able to fix it improving the brush behavior immensely, the difference is like night and day. And as I mentioned, the advantages of having all the tools which are available in Photo, for digital illustration (and comics, game art, concept art, etc, etc), do greatly compensate for the difference. I don't know, in case there are other people painting with Photo, or even just using the brush in photo retouching. This single setting has a strong effect in a low end card like mine when using huge canvases (in 16 bits mode, have not tried in 8bit), somehow. Maybe using 2 monitors is also already putting the poor card to its limits.

Fantastic!!!! That was the idea of posting such a long tutorial-thread!. Getting more painters in here. And making my struggles-solutions useful for more people. If you get stuck with anything painting related, let me know (in PM or here, I reply in PM when I think it's more proper to the forum rules or original topic, but IMO this is on-topic), as I have solved pretty much any obstacle to make Photo a practical painting tool for me. Let me give it a thought to that of making the 4th button trick linked to keyboard, gotta find a way... (I just use the pen's side button for alt picking since always, so hadn't thought of that).

@EmT I have been now trying to recreate it, but like before, I seem not to be able to find out what process triggered it. At the end might be my initial suspect, that it happens when importing certain PSDs or PDFs or directly opening such files and working over them in A. Designer. I have tried to mess it up playing with hierarchies between a rectangle with a gradient (to transparent) as its background, and text layers, by making said text frames child of the rectangles, and vice versa, rectangles child of text frames, and in no combination it is generating a weird text frame with a gradient background that does appear as a "none" background while actually being a gradient, and that when layer FX are applied to it, it operates on the gradient as if it were part of the text. Nothing of that. In these tests in new files it always keeps being a background that I can deactivate in the element panel (character or rectangle). So, my guess is it happens when importing/opening/placing a PSD or PDF from other applications (not fully sure if the templates where made with Photoshop by that company, as today a PSD can be done by whatever). But I can't find a way to generate the problem inside Designer (yay, because then "normal usage" is not producing it. Or just I haven't found the iteration). What I found, I guess is totally expected, but kept me a bit surprised for a while : When making a gradient child of a text frame, it becomes invisible other than if it is below the exact text characters. When below, only the text will show with a gradient fill (kind of like clipping masks but in vectors). This is cool(offers many possibilities), as then it only applies to the characters and that's why you made it a child of. Same with vice versa, if a text is child of a rectangle with a transparent gradient, text will only be visible in the pixels below the position of the rectangle (although the text does not vanish gradually to transparent as the gradient does). I guess that this is all expected (I'm not too versed in Designer) and the UX is fine. Sorry, it seems I cannot find the trigger. The files you have now, do have the problem, but I can't think of how else I could help more there. The silver lining here is that if someone shows up in the future with the issue (maybe they imported a PSD, maybe they'd yet have the files to help hunt the bug, or maybe they made a weird operation only inside Designer), then they will be able to "fix it" for their project (it disappears and won't be a problem for them ever again, with that file), by telling it to them , and so, without losing tons of work with the workaround I mentioned (as initially, I thought I had to throw many hours of work, as the very complex file became ruined to keep working on many layers) by doing the Edit menu/default values/reset (amazing feature). In both Designer and Photo (and with the two problems). So, at least can be offered a solution in those cases (happy clients). . Cheers.

Ok, sorry everyone for my delay in getting back here and in PMs. I believe I finally will explain it directly here, I hope the team won't get slightly mad, as it involves a 3rd party tool (NOT in the list of incompatible ones). But I've become more busy past days, and I can see at least there are 3 artists posting the same issue, surely way more (ehm, anyone painting...) reading or opening the thread as having same problems than I did, and others that will. * SKIP Until you find /SKIP. This chunk is a bit off topic about the advantages in using Photo as a painter. (Sorry, I think Inivision removed the "spoiler" tag) And.. due to the real specialty/focus of the 2 Af. apps, I can see how it could very well not be a priority (but I ...kind of... disagree, I think all the brush system and related is a priority for them; they did put tons of work in this kind of matters. Probably because painting and alt-color-picking is also a huge priority in photo retouch! ). But just to follow that line of reasoning, these are not strictly digital painting apps (Designer is mostly vector illustration, imo, it's a very different animal compared to typical raster digital painting like art rage, etc). What I do is sort of trickery to use an app to ... other purpose than devs intended, surely. Can't ask for support for that! Not willing to generate a debate, it is just how I feel about it. More a " I will adapt the hammer" rather than wait for the hammer to adapt itself . As a photo retouch tool does not need such performance in the color picker, I'm afraid (it definitely needs it be fast and good, but I've not become too intense in magazines/portraits professional photo retouch to know till what degree they'd need it). And vector illustration (Designer) does not use the glazing/build up painting techniques that require constant fast picking on the canvas. It is more about "planning" than insisting, in that regard. Maybe there's some exception out there. About why Photo instead of... I'm a painter since a kid (and am almost 50, now) and I started with oils, acrylics, pastels. What I do in digital painting is something pretty similar to what I would do with oils, for example. Not meaning mimicking fully oils or the like. As IMO we've (I am (was) guilty of that) gone too crazy with that (Rebelle, Art Rage, Expresii, etc). While, imo we all got it wrong... Digital painting is just another brush. You don't paint wit a watercolor brush trying it to look and behave like an oils one, either... It is a matter of adapting to the technique. Just the same as we adapt to gouache or oils limitations and its nature, digital painting is ok to have its own "footprint" and still be (IMO) full Painting. This is reason number one why I think Photo is more complete for most (painterly) illustrators doing real life projects with clients, requirements, etc, than many of those super fancy "specialized" apps.... and same with comic artists and game artists (I worked in those too). It's a better choice than those "painting apps" that lack crucial image related key features, good color management, enough bit depth, good selections, pro PDF export, (and etc, etc,etc). Unless one is only illustrating/painting as a light hobby. But I am almost alone in that opinion, it seems, among artists (mostly those younger than me :D ). Not in my old traditional painting (takes a lot more time/focus lost to pick from palette, but true that "blending" is much better and faster in traditional, so, no need for constantly picking, as much), neither in current digital I do need as fast alt picking as shown in your video. The problem is actually when it doesn't pick at much slower pace. But imo that is mitigated (or fully vanished in practical real life use) when using the trick/tool. I don't notice it anymore. Indeed, the alt-pick I think it is faster both in Photoshop and Clip Studio (not so much Krita, IMO is pretty similar (with my trick)). BUT... having mentioned my background, when I am using a glazing technique, to "build up" some gradation of tones, some "gradient" by brush strokes, which is almost always, yes, I am constantly picking tones in the middle, and that means... well, whenever I am painting, every x seconds. I feel your pain, but the way I have it configured now, very sincerely, it is more than fast enough to not notice (or I can't) if it's some 1/1000 of a second faster in PS. In a stress test like in that video, yep, I'm sure it is still faster, because I have always noticed that. But once I started doing the trick, I believe it is not missing to register any color pick/click. Or the overall experience disguise it so much that I don't notice it. I've been pointing out the alt picking issue much earlier (bunch of years) than this thread. Until I solved it for my use. Which IMO at the end is sth we all got a do it to some extent with... most everything. With PS and MAX, in every job, I have needed to invent workflows that were not supported neither documented in manuals or any ultra geek forum, even. And was that or not to release a demo the following day, lol. The one thing I dream of, and is yet remaining, although not a show stopper enough to deter me from painting almost everything now with Photo, is that we don't have a way to make Photo memorize (and many other settings to be remembered, this is a global petition from people; I suspect it requires a huuuge overhaul, and that is key) that the color sampler would work with a 3x3 pixels sample, or 5x5 instead of 1x1 (default). Which becomes important with large canvases and textured brushes where picking a dark textured dot would be much darker (due to an odd dark pixel) than the whole average of color of that "point". But at least is sth that you set once you start your Photo session and don't have to worry about it till next day session (next day I always forget, tho, hehe, until I'm after a while painting and wondering why I am picking colors definitely darker/lighter than I hoped....). But this thing happens in every app. /SKIP The trick, is in these forums explained (old thread) with a too large and almost unreadable tutorial. It's very simple, tho: Using a free windows app (X-Mouse Button Control) that intercepts mouse clicks (can so indirectly act over your pen config and how it interacts with a specific app) and actions using ANY app in your desktop, allowing you to "translate" those to whatever is your preference in both pen and mouse. In practice, overriding in a way some apps' defaults. And one would think that such thing should be slow , but in reality, I am not seeing any loss in performance (I try it on and off, to check), and I am very demanding in that, as I use huge canvases and need to paint very fast, the brush to be very snappy, etc. I believe it avoids the problem of the alt somehow because it avoids the "physical" clicking on "alt" key, fools the the bug, maybe. And somehow, setting simply the alt key in the Wacom side button (I do that in every app) is still too slow and unreliable with Photo for very fast painting, so I resorted to a more complex trick: With the freebie utility it seems I got it solved (just finished a very large realistic painting using solely Photo. Can't show). I ... am not recommending to dig my old tutorials about X-Mouse Button in the forums. They are all too outdated, many of the lacks (ie, zoom with wheel) that the af. apps could have are now Photo's features, and I explained the thing too badly, in every single instance (sigh...). So ... this x-mouse tool (edit: url provided at the bottom of this post) lets you configure ("virtually") a mouse button that you surely don't have in your mouse (that's the idea, indeed), like the 4th or 5th mouse button. It intercepts those clicks. Basically, in your main pen's panel (found at Control panel or Windows settings) -ie, the Wacom panel- after adding Photo as a customized app (as you don't want this behavior for other apps, I configure each app in the Wacom panel) you set a 4th mouse (or 5th, the idea is you DON'T have such button in your actual mouse) to be assigned to one of your pen's side buttons (in Wacom it works, but depends on if a XP-Pen or Huion has that functionality in the pen's driver panel, hopefully yep, it's 2022). I suppose it could work as well setting the 4th mouse button assigned to a tablet button; but can't confirm as only tested in a pen's side button. You could just set directly "alt" in any of the two and avoid so X-mouse entirely, but again, that proved to me not responsive enough in Photo, for some reason (indeed, was faster with the pure keyboard key, but not enough). Then in X-Mouse Button Control (freeware, windows), you add Photo (WARNING, I have not tested with Designer, I am NOT recommending using it with it) as an app by clicking on "add" button under the list of apps. Then, like with Wacom's Windows panel, it shows a list of the apps running currently (didn't make a screenshot, but it's simple enough), and let's you choose one. Choose Photo. And then be sure that "Photo" is selected in the list as the profile to edit (see screen below). Then you start to configure this X- mouse Button profile for Photo. Where it says "mouse button 4", set there "simulated keys". A new window for editing the "simulated keys" settings will appear. Edit the settings of that one by typing exactly as shown in the capture : {ALT}{LMB} (which the software understands as clicking with left mouse button whilst alt is pressed) , you have there a scrolling legend on how to type other commands, but for this is not necessary. Be sure to select at the right of the screen " 1 As mouse button is pressed " , and the 3 check boxes at the left, make sure only "Block original mouse input" is checked, the other two, blank. I think it installs by default to load (shows up in tray) with your Windows start, as is not comfy otherwise (if you don't get it enabled, can check in your Windows settings, then "Start". Or in your task manager (ctrl shift esc ), in the "start-up" tab. Or using MsConfig in Windows older than 8. So it is a "set once and forget". I use it with all of my apps, 2D and 3D. It seems very light. Very importantly, one needs then to remember that with this trick you don't "click" with the pen tip, to pick the color. Just side click on the pen's side button. Again, as Wacom can operate "in air", click buttons without the tip touching the tablet, and the left mouse button (LMB) clicking is like already "happening in the command" . But some alternative brands' tablets do need to actually touch the tablet with the tip when any side button is pressed, to register a button press, I can only fully guarantee it works and with performance with ANY Wacom. Surely does with any tablet, though. As I paint with any other app by selecting color with alt + pen tip click with the pen's tip (actually side button + clicking with the tip), it takes me like a minute to get comfy at the session start. But I get used to it surprisingly fast. You could still click, it'll pick the color fine, but sometimes then could make that one color pick slower or paint some unwanted dots (it happens in that occasion because I forget I'm using Photo, it is not an issue, not for me). I paint not only very fast and fluid with Photo now, but also on huge canvases (15000x12000 pixels ! In RGB 16 bits! And no lag, yay. NOT MANY APPS CAN DO THIS), by making modifications of the basic round brush (I get painterly results thanks to good use of the flow-pressure feature and just painting) I use large brushes (250 -300 in usual painting). And huge ones to block (by playing with big spacing setting, hard brushes, and making very few things dynamic). from 500px to 1000px. And all this in 16 bits mode, for smoother shades and gradients with the brush. And yet it goes fluid (machine specs below in the signature, I don't know if this would work this 100% smooth in a Pentium, Celeron or old PC). It works great for me. I will be using CSP, SAI2 (this for gigantic canvases) and Krita for many projects, but many others (also illustration) need Photo's features, by all means. Probably the majority of what I paint, Photo seems will end up as main main painting app. I was forgetting the url of the tool. BTW, I'm completely unrelated to this person, I gain nothing. https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/XMouseButtonControl.htm

Hi, @EmT Apologies for my slightly late reply, I've been very busy. The thing is that I am not 100% sure of what is happening here (only guessed a quick fix). But yes, one of my theories is that, because the file started initially as a PSD template that I downloaded from a print company (it's something I do almost always; I adapt to the specs and templates of the company which will print my work), then some feature in the PSD could be triggering this. Indeed, after that I mainly based on another template, a placed PDF. But the damage from the very old initial PSD import could persist? (I have no idea). But I now don't think that old PSD is the problem. My stronger "theory" now is that (although the PSD template could be affecting, as I have imported it in both Photo and Designer) the problem generates in Designer, by a rectangle vector shape's background gradient unexpectedly "applying itself" to a text box background. And then we can't remove it, setting the background color to "none" to the text box will do nothing (indeed, already was transparent). Not in Affinity Designer, neither once the file is transferred to edit in Photo. As for your points/questions : 1 - If import for example a PSD from Freepik, the text layers' background color/transparency is fine. Indeed, I have imported other times PSDs from my Krita and Clip Studio, with text layers, and did not see that problem happening. Sadly, I do not have with me (nor the company/url) that very old psd template (but I know I used it as a base file). It is all from a very old file. I mean, IF (and I have strong doubts about it) a PSD file was the culprit (I assumed it initially as couldn't think of other differentiating factor) , it probably would be only rare cases, and I don't have a way to now what detail is the trigger, if it is something in the psd files. What I think now is that surely the problem generates in Designer (so not in an external PSD template or PDF). But I could be wrong. If the question is if any new PSD file imported into Designer has this text box background problem... no, I am now testing with PSDs downloaded from free sites, and even quite complex PSDs, I don't see this problem happening here. Surely this is only happening to very few people, or to no one. 2 - If I do a new afdesign file, create text frames, and hit "edit in Photo", no, the problem won't happen. Background is transparent and layer FXs do apply to the contours of letters, not to the whole frame box, or over a weird added gradient (both issues happening in the problem I detected). It is a matter happening only with these very specific files (I am sending to your dropbox files that have no info from other people's/projects). I think you getting those might be the key. 3 - Initially, I did not detect the issue in Designer, but in Photo. It happened at some point with those files, yes, the text frames' background was transparent and after working quite in Photo, those text boxes backgrounds became solid. But it was only (coincidence, imo) after I used the "place as linked" feature. That is why I initially reported an issue with such feature. Later I have realized it might not have anything to do with it. As I have tested that the problem comes from an afdesign file and its text frames becoming wrecked, somehow. Why and when it started happening in the afdesign file is something I really wish I could know and tell you. 4 - I can't remember how it started to happen. But the test files that I am providing, one for Affinity Designer, and another for Affinity Photo, will reproduce always the problem. I have needed to eliminate specific graphics and data, but even so the problem persist. It could be two different problems apart, but it's too much of a coincidence that with both the issue happens with the text boxes (frames?) background. After all, in Photo the problem appears over a file that came from Designer (transferred with "edit in Photo", most of the times, but sometimes just opening the file). I have named the layers in the Designer file in which I believe lives the original rectangle (it could be an issue with hierarchies) that caused all the mess (and I believe that if it is a expected behavior, many users will get it wrong, like me). My temporary fix: please, remember to keep an unaltered copy of these files, as once applied the fix, the problem is gone for ever (if you then save the file!), I'm afraid you won't be able to replicate it again. Even if you "undo" all the way! If you don't save the file, then the problem can be replicated once you open the file again (no need to close the app). If you apply the fix (to a particular text frame or with nothing selected, it works anyway!) and save (ctrl+s), once you open the file again, the problem is gone for ever. It works in both Photo and Designer. But is important to insist on the existence of this trick, as it could serve as a clue for the investigation. So, a reminder of the fix I found: (Sorry if the English menu words are not exactly these ) Go to "Edit" menu at the top menu, "Default settings", "revert" (not reset to factory defaults!). I just uploaded now the two files (Designer and Photo files). Please, let me know if you need more help with whatever.

Hello! Sorry, I've been incredibly busy these days. Just a quick note to say that I will be replying to everyone very soon, including that PM (Halex), explaining everything needed.

Very super last (today). I was able to find one earlier file which I was working on for my books covers, always first starting (and ending later) in Designer. It might be that the problem comes from it, actually ! . Is it possible that by accident a text box inherits the "fill" (but not a fill you can change in the UI, is like an internal fill happening in code) of a vector rectangle (to which I had actually added the gradient by hand)? I had a rectangle with a gradient applied as background fill, reflected (fading to transparent in both sides) background, same color and everything that the one wrongly showing up in every newly created text box . Somehow... it makes all text layers inherit that fill, even if the background of those text layers is set to transparent in the UI (character panel). So, the user is left with no options there. So it happens already in Designer, seems it comes from there (I'm hoping it is not a different problem). The only way to solve it (besides my before mentioned fix of menu edit/default settings/revert. Which, BTW, works for both Designer and Photo) is... to click in a certain other rectangle! In 2 or 3 of them (not in others! only some special ones). I'm guessing because those are not part of the same internal "hierarchy/family" (or because they are/were)? And so it takes a "new background filling behavior" for text boxes. You just select one layer of those "plain" (one solid color, no gradient. but particular one/s among those) , and there you go! Next text boxes will show up without a forced gradient background. What I don't understand is why it solves it only with certain rectangles. And why just clicking on them. If you do such (or my Edit menu trick) and import into Photo (all times made with "edit in Photo"), the text boxes will be totally fine. If you don't (with a file having the issue, ofc, which may happen to very few people/situations) all text boxes will have the gradient applied as background, and any layer effect is applied to ALL pixels, not the fonts only. SO, in this case, to the gradient pixels + font pixels., like in my previous tests it was applied to all the solid box of pixels. My guess is at some point the gradient became solid somehow (as a whole solid block of pixels) for the other files I mentioned the first time, but it is from the same issue. It is solved the same way, by hitting Menu Edit... etc, revert). Or clicking on specific rectangles. A lot of a coincidence as to be a different issue. Maybe I created one text box "as a child" (under it. Can't remember, or a "polygon following text" (ie: text on path), that it's been long deleted) of one of those rectangles with gradients and weirdly the text boxes inherited the gradient (should not, by any UX perspective) ?. Just wandering how such thing ends up "transferring". So yep, my current bet is that it comes from Designer;it's too many coincidences. And it behaves the same or very similar (the issue) once in Photo. And yes, I triple checked that in Designer as well the text boxes with the problem were having the "none" / "transparent" icon in the background color cell, at character panel. Maybe if some dev dig at the code about that might find something, I don't know.

Ok. Last note for a while - Placed as linked files might not have relation with the issue. Maybe placed as embedded do (or maybe neither). - I am more inclined to think is some sort of incompatibility with PSD text layers (very internally) or PDF embedded files (not PDFs from Designer, but other apps). The PDF was imported with editable elements/layers, as well (I suspect more about the PSD template, though). - It could be sth that went wrong when hitting "edit in photo" from Designer. But I give this option less chances to be it, as it works seamlessly for everything. - I have found a very, very quick and comfortable fix, shorter than before. For the very rare case that this occurs to someone (probably more likely if dealing with imported files, but... who knows what is the culprit), I have checked that there is no need to have any text element selected. Just hit Edit (menu) /Default Settings/ REVERT. It fixes it FOREVER in the file (then save it, of course! to keep the change). Even if I go back in history with undo, undoing that what I did... doesn't matter, it's now fixed for ever, any new text box created will be totally fine (as if it had "taught" this file how text boxes must be from there on). If opening an "unfixed" aphoto file, the issue will exist, though, ofc. If you somehow (imo it'd be rare...) got a ton of layers wrecked and did not realize that while working, and can't go back... then yep, -if you actually realize it happened, might not if it's subtle- will need to select one by one the text layers and hit that Edit/default settings/revert, per each. But you will only need to do such once in the entire life of the file. It takes like 1.02 seconds (lol) to fix the file's "behavior". My only grip with it is... I kind of did not know that feature, and couldn't find info about it on the Affinity online help (might have to finally order those books ; I have this terrible habit of not reading manuals) . So, the problem is I don't know what else does that action do . And I mean 'revert', not 'reset to factory defaults', had not touch the latter yet, due to... pure fear . Specially as now I have Photo as a perfect work horse for painting and all kind of image editing & raster design, scared to lose that magical balance, lol. But have clicked many times that option, and it seems it has not changed any of my preferences, neither custom brushes or etc. If anyone knows what that menu option does really affect, or better said, which settings are affected by the revert, I'll be grateful for any light about it.

Another note: This template had be imported initially in Affinity Designer (without issues). Indeed, imported there a PSD template from that company, but also a PDF template, that other one I kept as an embedded file. The problem shows up when importing into Photo from Designer (with "edit in photo", I believe) and started creating new text layers.

Continued : Once the issue happens, it happens then with every new text box or artistic text you shall create, while working with that file. So, the only chance is to go "resetting" (in the way I explained) every text box to defaults, and then make again all text layer effects and etc (once done with all text elements, it appears it does not replicate again). Indeed, no need to fix all to stop it happening for new ones. Once you fix it for a single text box (or even do the revert default settings with nothing selected!, then it will not fix a particular one, but like when fixing a particular one, next text box will display fine.) , the moment you make this fix once with sth selected or not, it fixes it for any new text box. So... The only tedious work is to re-create every text layer effects (or if it is the same for all, just select a bunch of layers, and apply layer fx from the Effects studio panel, which is way faster; it is how I replace my "copy paste" layers styles that I used to use a lot in Photoshop). As that's all it takes. But besides it takes time, some newer users might get lost about what is happening. This sounds a lot like when something was imported (in any app) from another format, and a feature got wrecked, needing to fix the layers which had that feature. - Highly important (to know the nature of the beast, maybe) : If trying to apply the layer effects over a not-yet-fixed layer (selecting it + revert settings) it does not consider the shape/silhouette of the letter. It considers the "BOX" as a silhouette. Is like if internally it all had become solid for the app. I am attaching below a screenshot so it is understood easily. Wait a minute... could this be related (somehow) to "import PSD layers as text" (instead of pixels to keep the looks) and it suddenly is giving an issue while it has been working great? I based the file in a psd template from a company like eons ago, and never had an issue, though. Might be something else. :

Hello @EmT , and thank you very much for helping here. Yes, that's the first thing I did check initially. It always had the background checked as "none" (transparent). I am including a screenshot below that keeps the error while eliminating other elements and factors (the live adjustments, pixel layers, etc) ; the issue is somehow only in the text layers, both in text boxes and "artistic text". It is indeed as if it had lost the transparency in some process, but it can't be recovered via UI other than by resetting settings to default for whatever the text box selected (by going to menu Edit/Default settings/Revert, as I explained). It's no biggie (mostly as might happen only in very specific circumstances), but I am working to discover the trigger, at least to know what to avoid. I'm digging more about it and will report any extra clue or advancement on this one. It does not happen with every placed file (linked). Only in some particular circumstances. One I can think of is that originally that file, since very long time ago, was initially based (like other covers I made) in a PSD file that I downloaded from a printing company (the template they provided as ideal to create book covers to be printed by them. I always do this with any print company). If so could be some issue with PSD importing or compatibility, internally.

@Pluscuamperfecto I hear you. I had the exact same issues. But... it is indeed possible. I paint now with A. Photo, accurately, fast and comfortably. Digital Painter/illustrator here, as well. And of the raster kind, reason why I prefer Photo (I use designer for a lot of graphic design). I've had several problems to do exactly that, paint comfortably with Photo. I believe you might want to use Photo for painting for similar reasons than me: A lot of the work in illustration, digital painting, comics and game art do need the features you have in a general image editor, while and the "toys" that some other apps have to replicate traditional painting (or just specific advantages to actual digital painting) are not that essential (canvas mirroring, real oils/watercolors, super crazy brush customization (vs just reliability, performance and the flow setting, even just the round brush will do GREAT (people focus too much on "what brush I use", instead of how that brush performs), in good hands) etc). While these apps lack of a lot of really essential functionality that Photo (and PS) does have, for work that is not just for hobby. The thing is that it is doable, I'm using Photo exactly for that . (well, for everything, actually). But I needed several tricks. - I wrote recently a thread about my issues (and solutions!) about performance with humongous (that honestly, can't even load in Rebelle, or perform OK in Art Rage, or the like, to be fully honest) canvases (and I did pick one of the main clues from Dan C ; that did set me on track to find a solution ) . I actually had to use totally different settings than you did, to get good performance (no freaking idea why ). Thing is, I had already very good performance with Windows Ink, and the standard default Photo preferences. But not with my current projects, which I admit are HUGE in size ( ~ 12000x15000 px canvases, and 16 bits mode because I am not able to get too smooth brush shades in 8bit in Photo with basic round brushes. Textured brushes (ie, Daub's etc) look great in 8 bits, or that's my impression. But all good, as anyway I prefer to work in 16, now that I finally have hardware for that. So, maybe that thread of tricks is only for those wanting to do such projects (and yet might not work). And maybe... they only work with my PC. The two screens might be an extra struggle for my poor 1650 4GB, I don't know (it's fine tho with Clip Studio and PaintTool SAI 2). Krita struggles, tho (despite how cool it is, less performance than with Photo and CSP, by far). Moving and transforming selections at that size in Krita is so slow that can't do it accurately. With my tricks, I paint now with 300px brushes in 12kx16k px, 16 bits, comfortably. I have custom brushes (that can go 500- 1000px and still be somewhat fluid enough for blocking) for blocking, though -round non textured brushes, with spacing "relaxed" a lot, 100% hardness, almost no dynamics settings (except flow), etc- . As the brushes, u need them to be amazing and featured way later than when blocking the first large areas of color, IMO. My tips (but maybe I'm wrong, it just works for me!): https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/158387-solved-the-brush-lag-painting-on-large-canvases-affinity-photo-and-an-issue-with-menuspanels-becoming-non-responsive/ Maybe the settings have changed since then, as I solved some smaller performance and etc issues, and I had a problem of randomly not being able to select the menus (had to close the app and save using keys only, hehe), after a while working (so, the preferences screens more valid are the below!). That problem is also gone. But this working for me so well, I think it depends only on my very peculiar configuration (2 screens might be heavy for the 1650, so that disabling openCL (dunno if a low end nVidia card does well with OpenCL, anyway) might work better, etc. Dunno. Or maybe even due to disabling Windows Ink in both Photo's settings and Windows' wacom panel settings) I'm testing right now, Daub Bristles-> Daub Broken Stuff brush (as an example), paints without lag here (check my specs on my signature tho. Although the 2 monitors at a time might compensate, as that could be more taxing. The Eizo as main and the NEC as extra monitor for browsing, references, etc, more rarely putting Photo panels there) with a 300 px brush size, 65-80% hardness, 4000 x4000 pixels canvas in 8 bits mode (yep, with round brushes instead, I'd go 16bits, as mentioned before). I remember setting "calidad baja" (low quality) in Renderizado Retina, made a huge change in performance in my painting workflow. Dunno why, but it did. Also setting Alta Precisión (High precision), in the "tools" (herramientas) preferenes section. Not "baja precision" , as that brings problems even with the lasso tool, to make stuff accurate. But I mean, setting alta precisión instead of windows ink solved several problems for me. Each of these changes did seem to add a bit more performance each, till the current status. IMO, always listen to (better than to other users) what the staff here recommends on each matter. But before abandoning totally the app (which would be a pity as it CAN be (I'm the proof ) like having a full non subscription Photoshop for what is needed for painting gigs... and anything 2D )... these worked with my particular machine and OS config (ur screens are in Portuguese, which is kind of similar to Spanish) : (having "copiar como SVG" on could be very useful if working a lot in back and force with Inkscape or similar. I just use currently Designer more (and Affinity shines like no other suite with that "edit in the other one" stuff), and prefer to not have it activated when doing raster ...for no real reason. And surely the last screen, "General" has absolutely nothing to do with these issues. Also, don't trust me too much on settings in this or the other screens, these just work for me for painting super smoothly. But hey, try this before deciding to stop using photo) - The color wheel size. Yup, agreed. In my experience, if pulled as an independent panel (not docked) I can get the window bigger, but not the actual wheel bigger to pick colors in a more zoomed in way. I'd love it larger, but I'm kind of handling it fine, though. And yes, I do as well would need to have both the HSL sliders and the wheel (not one or the other). As both are essential. Indeed, HSV is better, as value is more important for painting, but that's one of the things I can live without even although I miss it (I have other ways and habits to check values while painting). Also, I get that his is a Photography app (the name is very explicit ) , so, it makes sense to use sliders that are more practical for photographers and related. IMO in its current state Photo works great for general image editing, painting, comic, technical treatment of images, and graphic design (basically every area). I've been years thinking I'd never use Photo for painting. Now I use it for everything raster, including painting. I still like more the painting experience in Clip Studio or SAI 2, but I can't make FULL serious projects (specially "hybrid" projects) without certain functionality (even just exporting a PDF professionally! Or proper color management, etc) that those apps are far from having or even ever getting. Sometimes I just do the more painterly work in those, and then import... but other times it doesn't worth the jump around and I/O tedious things to handle. The one-shop thing has tremendous advantages in heavy projects (am not gonna stop using CSP or SAI 2, though). PD: I am not even linking X-Mouse Button free (windows-only) utility, as I don't want to be seen like pushing people to use external tools, after seeing there is even a list of external apps that cause problems (I think x-mouse button control cause none, is not in the list, ...but hey). I have (way too long) tutorials here even on how to use it (for color picking, but also for size&hardness change with a pen's side button... for me that's not important, as I change the brush with Wacom intuos pro disk. But went ahead and made a tool long tutorial here, for those needing such, years ago), but not going to link them. If you want to go "extreme" like I did (or before deciding to forget about Photo), it's on you! . But this is the only way I could get a very fast (as fast as any painting tool) alt picking technique with Photo, and good performance. I did not mind what would it take. For the general public I recommend not to use external tools (I'll keep doing it, indeed, I do it actually with many other non serif apps to not change so much my usual shortcuts, habits and mouse buttons between apps, and very happy about it). I can PM you tips with X-Mouse and etc (or better said, answer to question of doubts while using it, as is not an easy app to handle), private message only, to not expand here about third party utilities. Yet tho... I can't guarantee it will work on your PC, I have only my own situation as a proof, and as much as it works great here, that's cr4p for statistics . Saludos.

TLDR; Edit : After all the entire thread writing. I suspect that it indeed is an issue that happens in A. Designer, in a Designer file where the issue appears as an unwanted gradient fill in the text boxes (mysteriously inherited from a vector rectangle shape with that exact gradient fill), but that might have turned to solid somehow, to replicate after several iterations as solid fill in Photo's text boxes. I tested now that it brings such gradient fill (or whatever the problematic background fill) issue when sending to Photo. So, "maybe" Photo has nothing to do with it (and surely neither linked or embedded files feature, so I modified the title). It started on my Designer, and keeps being a problem in Photo, that's it. I detailed two fixes (one works the same in both apps), but the safest and fastest has the inconvenience that I don't know which other things are reset with menu option : Edit/Default settings/revert. ------------------------------ Not sure if it's a bug or sth that could get a bit better UX, and I notify it just in case it helps the dev team, as I found a workaround. To replicate it (not sure if it will happen with every file, but I cannot provide the files, sadly) : - Create a file, with a text layer, layer effects (I believe it was color and gradient overlay, external shadow, etc) applied to it. Also with some other pixel layers with live adjustments (hue, levels, etc) - Create another file with only pixel layers with live filters and live adjustments. (although this one might not be the culprit). - In a main design (yet another file), place these two files (using the place (linked) feature). Initially it seems it worked very well (it's amazingly functional), but after some operations, the text field shows a background color, solid (a "cyan-ish" white), instead of being transparent. It is not the actual "text background" (triple checked), and setting the background (or even the font color) to "none" does nothing. Actually, it is not the whole text box background, but the background actually used by the text characters (as can be seen in the screenshot). Once this has happened, you can even delete all layers and leave only the text layers, and yet the glitch will still remain. I had a lot of work done as to trash the main file, so, I dug all I could for a solution : No setting in Character or Paragraph panels (studios) can fix it. It is not any of the live adjustments, as I fully removed all of them. (But perhaps they caused it somehow, internally? Or maybe the layer FX) The one and only solution for me has been to go to (I don't have the UI in English, I guess these are the terms) : - Menu Edit -> Default Settings -> Revert (great feature addition, btw). It fixes the text box layer I had selected in that moment. So, it might be that something went the way of the Dodo (probably it shouldn't) with text settings due to the layer effects over the text element, or due to the document linked placed, or who knows if maybe even the live filters/adjustment on pixel layers. If someone has the issue, this is a way to keep at least working with the file and not having to start from scratch. It might be just that I am using something wrongly... But then slight suggestion to improve a bit there the UX (for a portion of users that won't guess what's going on ), as I am not a complete newbie and yet got a bit lost . Other than that, the whole suite is working amazingly for me (indeed, the above is no show stopper due to the trick), thanks again for such great software. Linked files (together with "duplicated linked" and the Assets panel) are excellent for productivity. Thanks a lot. Also, huge apologies if it is something obvious that I am not seeing, somehow. Attaching below a screenshot of the issue.

Better said MY problem with large canvases and brushes. Perhaps others with better PCs don't have lag. Maybe artists like me are a rare breed: Using Photo for painting (instead of Designer, or the very varied products from other brands laser focused in the painting specialty (but severely lacking in all what Photoshop and Photo do, which is essential for illustration/graphic design/comic)), and having a PC with a good CPU but terrible GPU. Maybe the problem is not happening with 3060, RX 6800 or 3080 cards (that now cost like a whole computer), but with my 1650 it was not practical to paint in Photo. Or maybe other people do not mind the delay on the start of every brush stroke. Probably it is only a few of us having this lag ( I dunno). Maybe not many people are required to paint on huge canvases for print (300 dpi), needing good performance in 15.000 x 12.000 pixels (and the like). It was not working well even in 8000x8000 (a bit above the hardware limit of an iPad pro, I think). My specs: Ryzen 9 3900X, GTX 1650 4Gb (non super), 32 GB 3000 Mhz CL 16, SSD for Photo and Windows, HDD for files, Wacom Intuos Pro XL (~ A2-A3)). But for those in my situation : - To solve the problem of menus and everything getting non clickable super often (constantly), so, brush and mouse could only paint but suddenly become unable to click on menus and palettes, I even had to exit with Alt+F4, and hit "n" or "s" in dialog windows. Removing "Windows Ink" (maybe I had set it so in the past, like a lot of people do for PS) preference in Photo's, and setting instead "high precision". Also (as if not it wouldn't work...) in my Wacom control panel, the profile I had made for Photo, in "projection" tab, I did set off "Windows Ink". - To solve the lag occurring even with 8k x 8k px canvases (and I still noticed some very subtle start-lag in quite smaller ones) - and these solutions work well in a 15000x12000 canvas, while it'd be very rare to get a project of bigger dimensions (for me)- , followed Dan C's indication (but I had before, so, some combination was different) of disabling hardware acceleration in preferences. What I never had tried (I believe) was setting Retina in "low quality", Photo's preferences. As I feared some bad dithering or bad aliasing would show up. I... don't notice any artifact; maybe I am not looking well enough, but I don't see any problem. - Also, I have always set 'dithered gradients' and the other option "clipping something" ON. I am not sure why, lol. If there's sth wrong with that, pls, chime in ! ... The thing is all these combined (including kicking windows ink towards outer space and beyond) results in a very responsive, fast, and no-lag brush stroke.... Finally! I've been years without being able to see it in my Photo installations, lol. :D. Is not that you couldn't paint. It's that fresh, spontaneous drawing and painting it was indeed quite a problem. Hopefully it helps to the people doing subtle photography retouching with the brush as well. I was really needing in many projects the alignment/smart guides and other snapping, distribution, selections/layers power, text, color management, PDF/X export, brochure design, etc of the perfect combo that Designer and Photo make, but couldn't use any of them for the painting stage of every project (which is almost always needed, in my illustration/design/game art work). And with increasingly complex projects, is better to have it all in one shop. Now, if only I would get a way to make Photo remember to use a 5x5 or 17x17 color picker sample (needed in large resolutions to not pick an odd-unexpected color of 1px with most brushes, specially textured ones) -as I use ALT (programmed in my pen button) to temp-pick colors as I paint, at top speed- then it all would be perfect. I wonder if it is possible to add to the assistant, in case just making it work by default is too much of a revamp of the code. Really hoping this helps some other artists trying everything in silence.... 😎 EDIT : (surely very relevant for a case study/performance, as is double the pixels for the card memory? dunno...) . Since some time I now have a 2 monitor setup (3 at the end of this week, Eizo ColorEdge is coming) in clone desktop mode. I've heard this can damage overall performance in some graphic applications. But I have all set at 60 Hz refresh rate and 1080p... It's a Huion Kanvas 22 display-tablet that I only use now as references and panels monitor, as after heavy testing I -unexpectedly- rather much prefer (even antique..) Wacom's pen control over the stroke and its sensitivity, even while it's (besides old) classic vs (modern) display-tablet. Edit 2: Quite important, as surely is more heavier to process for the PC, I am all the time working with 16 bit mode files when the app allows it (ie, CSP can't, as far as I know), as transitions are quite smoother when painting. SO, all those huge canvases were as well 16-bit, not 8-bit. Edit 3: Perhaps I did not mention it: This is all on Windows 10, not Mac. Edit 4: Forgot yet another big thing... There's one more factor that adds lag in this use case: Not only I'm using very big canvases of 15k per side, I'm also using 250 - 300 px brushes which I make from scratch (nothing too fancy). I have been able to create "blocking brushes" as big as 700 -1000px wide (just dumbing them down... more spacing, less features, etc). Tho to be honest, that very initial blocking stage can be done as well with lasso tool and fill, or, my preferred route : Just do a lot of experimenting with basic composition and grayscale values (specially scenery) in super tiny resolution (even just 2k x 2k), super fluidly to experiment fast, then scale up a final one, as in blocking stage artifacts don't matter. So, really, 300 px brushes are the ones that have to work with every feature on (and now they do! )

I know what you mean by not just useful for making favicons. I used to make ICNS & ico files for the apps of the software dev I worked at (and for other apps studios that worked with us), and also, making icon packs to be dowloaded for free for people. Those got to rank to the top (google) for the chains I wanted, hehe😎 . It was long ago, I'd typically use very specialized apps for that (Photoshop wasn't able to even do just the ico thing well back then (dunno now) and anyway we produced cross-platform, so I needed as well all the ICNS stuff (and back then SVGs/PNGs for Linux, too). I remember having to study both the Windows Vista (and later Windows versions.... till Win XP it had been kindda easier) and Mac OS strict specs to produce both types of libraries, with their design rules. OH. WOW. Just realizing... IcoFX still exists.... Oh, my. Hugely evolved (win, mac icons, but also android, iOS, etc.) Frankly, I was not aware Gimp could do ico libraries. Nice. PD: I'd add the feature would be useful as a global one. Both for Designer and Photo. Some have mentioned the technique of just reducing the image from 512x512 (or 1024! I've done such icon sizes) , but that works till an extent; at some point it's extra optimal if one can do pixel art, as at 32x32 and below, it realy is gonna look better if making the by pure pixel art techniques. Pixel Persona has the 1 pixel tool as well, it is just as good as a pixel pusher, would make the deal in Designer for that, but it'd be nice for other reasons to have it also in Photo. Plus... I have the 3 apps, but some people may only have Photo (Photo can be used as a standalone digital painting/illustration/pixel art/graphic design/game art solution, despite being focused on photography and image editing in general).