cloudbusting

Hm from a usability stand point this is not good.
 
I should not have to set the document background to transparent for exporting a transparent PNG slice.
 
The exporter should be able to ignore the background of the artboard intead guys!

Status: Beta
Purpose: Updates and Fixes
Requirements: Purchased Affinity Publisher
Windows Store: Not submitted
Download: Download
Auto-update: Not Available
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Due to the installer issue discussed below we have chosen not to make this build available via auto-update.
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Hi,
We are pleased to announce that Affinity Publisher Customer Beta 1.8.4.648 is now available as a download from the link above.
If this is your first time using a customer beta of an Affinity app, it’s worth noting that the beta will install as a separate app - alongside your store version. They will not interfere with each other at all and you can continue to use the store version for critical work without worry.
This beta is an incremental update to the 1.8.3 version recently released to all customers (though it installs parallel to the release). We recommend that you use this beta in preference to the store version if you are affected by any of the issues listed below.
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We have a number of fixes to tools when working across multiple spreads:
Allow immediate dragging of objects on other spreads Constraining while dragging objects between spreads now works correctly When dragging between spreads, snapping is now performed on the target spread candidates Dragging objects between spread using the Focal Point handle now works correctly Fixes for dragging curve nodes across multiple spreads Fixes for 'restart drag' when translating across spreads Fixed issue with auto-panning in the text tool Plus miscellaneous updates and fixes:
Fixed crash when dragging items in the Layers control Improved performance of PDF import (~40% faster in the test case) Improved performance of text when rendering text Fixed vector export of text occasionally filling characters Fixed crash when closing floating document  Fixed New Document dialog previous document selection highlight not being remembered Fixed PNG export not displaying the size warning if the export dialog was previously closed with a different preset Additional logging and diagnostics added to installer to help anybody with install issues ---
To be notified about all future Windows beta updates, please follow this notification thread 
To be notified when this Publisher update comes out of beta and is fully released to all Publisher customers, please follow this thread

As I mentioned before I don't use it but I would have expected that someone from Affinity could explain the logic behind this decision (or bug).

I have to admit I don't usually use Image layers so I don't know all the differences between "Image" and "Pixel" and their implications but I believe that anyone who wants to delete a part of a layer expects the action to be destructive. It would be also less destructive than deleting the whole layer. I really thought it was a bug caused by stuck windows focus.
There are already similar options in Assistant Manager for Vector to Pixel conversion and you can decide whether you want to use them or not.

Yesterday I ran into this:
I copied an image from clipboard to Photo, made a selection and I wanted to delete the useless parts but I just could not. Instead I deleted the whole layer. And again and again. It took me several minutes to find out I have to rasterise the layer first.
Today I found this thread explaining that it is necessary to rasterise the "Image" layer to "Pixel" layer.
 
It makes sense but it is really very confusing. I suggest the conversion should be automatically handled by Assistant Manager.

I'm become crazy by a stupid simple task: How to delete something in an selection? 
 
I've selected an area (Rect selection) that i want to delete. Then i press the delete key, but it deletes the complete layer!? I've searched in the Edit- and the Selection-Menu, but nothing. Then i use the help to search for delete, and it finds just the Delete Layer command? Searching for that term in google shows me al lot of impressive tricks, but not how to delete the content inside a simple selection.
 
So i switched to Pixelmator to do that in two seconds... - But that's insane, for such a basic function.
 
Where did you hide the simple delete function?

I note that this behaviour is improved (though not yet fixed) in beta 1.8.532
Expand Stroke will now respect the particular stroke selected in the Appearance panel. 
But it still only creates one expanded stroke, rather than one per stroke. 
And still leaves redundant strokes upon expansion. 
Fingers crossed for the next beta I guess

Hi Aammppaa,

Thanks for letting us know. This is something that is already with development to be fixed. I will pass your comments on. Thanks!

Posting this here as the Expand Strokes feature is receiving some attention in the current beta - but this issue also exists in 1.7.x
Create a line, and use the Appearances panel to add a couple of extra strokes. Now Expand Stroke.
Result: Only the currently selected stroke in the Appearance panel s is expanded, but it retains 3 strokes with zero width and no colour.
Expected: All 3 strokes expanded, each taking the fill colour from the relevant stroke.
 
PS - Thanks for the dramatic improvement to Expand Stroke accuracy!

I'd have thought it was fairly clear that a user would have enabled them because they wanted to use it? I am so puzzled by all this and I'm not even someone that uses baseline grids much.

i was very glad to find this feature in Affinity Designer 1.7,... and very sad to see it disappear in the last update 1.7.1
I think this feature is very important, and helps a lot if you are working with text. 
If Designer is going to be able to open Serif documents i think this is a must have feature to Designer.
I did some files with designer 1.7 with baseline grid,...and when i open them now in 1.7.1, they are still there but i can't do anything with them.

But it could, in the same way that the Pen Tool is in Publisher, without competing with Designer because of that.
Considering the use cases, I'd add that I see it logical for the Baseline feature to be added to Designer. Even if it's rejected, I ask for it to be included.
Best regards!

Well let’s run through the chronology shall we:
1- @JGD raises the point about baseline grid in Designer
2- Serif’s QA manager @Patrick Connor responded in a, to put it mildly, rather defensive way 
3- You say wait until the Publisher announcement to understand the reasoning
4- I point out it sounds rather hopeful (blind, irrational belief)
5- You then essentially say criticism is not valid because an announcement is imminent 
6- I point out how that is daft
7- The announcement occurs and appears to include no new features in designer
 
Now, could we please get back on topic which was about @JGD‘s perfectly reasonable request for baseline grid support in Designer? Unless I’ve missed something, it seems clear to me that the announcement yesterday didn’t resolve this and therefore the discussion was entirely valid and reasonable despite your efforts to shut it down. Even if it does and I’ve missed it, I fail to see how discussing a requested feature is ever an unreasonable thing to do.
As for @Patrick Connor‘s replies to @JGD, I can only say that I think an apology is in order. 

Often, I’d argue, it shows the opposite.
Reading this whole thread is incredibly disheartening. @Patrick Connor Seems to be taking time out to essentially insult a concerned user. Please show a bit of respect.
It seems this whole thing could have been dealt with so much better.
I get that the Serif team are probably working their socks off and are very passionate about the Affinity apps. They should also be proud of what they have achieved. However, the disregard for, and sometimes aggression towards users feedback is is puzzling and rather concerning.
There are a number of essential features that are languishing, unheeded and barely acknowledged for years. Then times like this that the user is insulted for, what I think are, very reasonable and fairly argued points.
You do have to wonder what the hell is going on? @Ash
 
This sounds like a blind, irrational, belief. Perhaps I’m wrong. Do you have any logic or data to back this up?

Patrick, I don't mean to be rude, but that is patently false. I can (even if it's “by accident”, hence my suggestion of it being added “by design”), and it absolutely works. Perfectly. In a very predictable and workable fashion. Stuff snaps to it. Text snaps to it. Boom. I don't even think it needs much testing at this point, really… Maybe just validation, I guess.
It's a marketing decision, nothing less. I am genuinely disappointed in you, I'm not even kidding. I almost feel like not buying Publisher after all. You guys are really losing me. Instead of telling me that you'll look into the matter, you're actually arguing with a user (which, mind you, is one of your earliest advocates and internal beta testers who has been asking for essential features for FOUR YEARS and being – or, at the very least, feeling –, err, a bit ignored) and saying, point-blank, that you'll remove this. Wow. It boggles the mind.
Not even Apple, with its myriad hidden preference flags for power users, treats us like this. You've even outdone them in arrogance, jesus.

So… how do you justify the presence of a “Snap to Baseline Grid” option in the snapping manager, then…? That seems a bit weird, to say the least.
Still, my suggestion still holds. It's already there, and if it works… I know Designer isn't a DTP app, but for light, single-page work, such as academic posters, I could totally see myself using Designer instead of Publisher (especially some vector-heavy ones). In fact, I make one or two every year in Illustrator, and I do miss having baseline grids, so… yeah.
If this is a feature segmentation decision to avoid cannibalisation, or to keep the software simpler, at least tuck the option somewhere else, like a menu item (e.g. under Text > Baseline > Baseline manager), or as an extra tab under the Grid and Snapping Axis manager, or something. And restrict it to Publisher owners, as you already do with its own Designer and Photo personas, if you must. I understand you may want to avoid feature bloat, but it's already in the code base. Removing it/omitting it just feels… petty, and… almost Adobe-like, if I must say so. You guys keep disappointing me more and more, I can't believe this.

Click here to download the latest beta
Status: Customer Beta
Purpose: Fixes
Requirements: A valid product key (for Affinity Store purchases), or an installation of the full retail version from the Microsoft Store

As this is a beta it is considered to be not suitable for production use. This means that you should not attempt to use it for commercial purposes or for any other activity that may be adversely affected by the application failing, including the total loss of any documents. We hope you enjoy the latest build, and as always, if you've got any problems, please don't hesitate to post a new thread in this forum and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks once again for your continued feedback. 

If you have a general question about the software, please head over to the Questions Forum, or if you have any suggestions, please head over to the Feature Requests forum.
Fixes
Disabled WinTab by default (tablet users must now check Windows Ink is enabled in their tablet settings) Improved points delivered from Windows Ink (process point history) Fixed 32-bit Colour Chooser dialog Improved embedded document bounding boxes Improved error messages when running out of disk space Fixed Expression Parser incorrect optimisation of subtract op sequence Fixed deletion of brushes / styles / etc to actually remove the raster data (to reduce file size) Fixed PSD export to include checks for empty rasterised layers Fixed PSD export of hidden layers Fixed angle cursors when the view has been rotated Fixed Layer Effects not handling changes to document DPI when the dialog is open (using Points as a unit would continue to use the old DPI) Fixed crash on vector export for specific arrangement of composites and clips Fixed renaming a colour on the swatches panel not updating correctly Fixed inconsistencies between font family ordering on macOS and Windows Changed copied Global Colour names to have a "copy" suffix to prevent accidental editing of the original Added Remove Columns button on the context toolbar for Designer and Photo for text frames with columns for documents created in Publisher Fixed crash dragging fill layer to bottom of layer stack Improvemented memory use with branching undo history and with replacing image nodes Fixed crash editing colour via double click in swatches tab Fixed failure to open older documents in 1.8 beta Fixed failure to apply "Touch for gestures only" to open documents Fixed "Make a copy" and "Continue" buttons when opening a non-beta project file being reversed Fixed Print dialog not removing the red overlay on a scaled image Updated PANTONE Solid and Bridge Palettes Fixed Create Palette from CMYK images results in RGB colours Fixed inconsistent document tabbing order Improved performance of operations with large selections Fixed sporadic crash when drawing text Fixed crash after closing document with artistic text tool active Added Stock Page to Studio menu Updated EXIF panel (added user-editable fields, inc. IPTC) Fixed "8/1s" exposure time string in RAW readout Fixed Live Perspective Filter doesn't line up with images Fixed crash with Quick Mask and Move Tool Fixed Pixel Selection appears incorrectly when started near page edge Improved unsharp mask threshold Fixed crash in Batch Job with destructive Denoise filter Improved selection refinement performance so that we can do it at a higher resolution without a significant performance penalty (versus 1.7.3) Improved the destructive noise reduction filter to be more effective on jpegs Added lens profile selector to Develop Fixed CR3 import errors with certain cameras Fixed lens lookup failing when the use of decimal suffix for integers in aperture range strings differs Fixed placing an image whilst recording a macro adds an entry labelled Set text stylesheet Fixed rasterising a fill layer goes wrong after changing document size Improved precision of gaussian algorithm (to reduce banding) Fixed Marquee Selection not constraining to a square if you drag across the right diagonal 1.8.0.486 release notes

Status: Beta
Purpose: Stability and General Testing
Requirements: Purchased Affinity Publisher
Windows Store: Not submitted
Download: Download
Auto-update: Not Available
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Hi,
We are pleased to announce that a new Customer Beta of Affinity Publisher (1.8.0.499) is now available as a download from the link above.
As this is a 'Stability and General Testing' beta it is considered to be not suitable for production use. This means that you should not attempt to use it for commercial purposes or for any other activity where you may be adversely affected by the application failing, including the total loss of any documents. 
We hope you enjoy the beta, and as always, if you've got any problems installing or running up, please don't hesitate to post in this thread. 
Any problems actually using this version please make a new topic in this forum and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Please feel free to leave general suggestions and comments in the Discussion Forum. 
Many thanks for your continued feedback.
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New Features and Major Improvements
Improved master page handling when adding single pages in a facing page document
Adding single pages to a facing page document with facing masters no longer shuffles master pages from left to right or vice versa.
Migrate frame contents when replacing Masters
Option to 'Clear' or 'Migrate' content when replacing a master which has modified text / image content on the target page. Available via Pages Panel 'Apply Master…' etc.
Re-order Master Spreads
Added the facility to re-order Master Spreads using drag drop in the Pages panel.
Merge Documents
Facility to merge specified pages from one document into the current document. Available via Pages Panel context menu or Document > Add Pages from File...
Linked 'Embedded Document' Resources
Better handling of Linked 'Embedded Document' resources to prevent files with such resources bloating on save.
Collect Resources
Facility to collect all up-to-date linked document resources in a single specified folder. Available via Resource Manager.
Find and Replace MRUs
MRU lists for recent Find and Replaces, available on the field drop menus on the Find and Replace Panel.
Anchor Panel
To manage Hyperlink Anchors. Access via View > Studio > Anchors.
PANTONE
Updated PANTONE Solid and Bridge Palettes for September 2019 update (Link)
Text Features
Last line outdent.
Drop Caps now let you set the number of characters dropped.
Indent to Here.
Add Right Indent Tab.
Insert from the Text Menu 
Added additional fields, plus option to show the Fields Panel.
TOC
Added option to skip line breaks in a TOC.
Added option to skip or include inline images in a TOC.
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General Fixes and Minor Improvements
Open / Import
"Make a copy" and "Continue" buttons when opening a non-beta project file were reversed
Improve support for DeviceN bitmaps based on LAB colour space on PDF import
Document Management
When moving pages, transform pasteboard content so it doesn't end up on spread
Margins change with document DPI on non-master pages
General / Tools
Added option to make bleed of embedded Affinity documents visible
Strokes on master page objects now extend into the page bleed area
Setting K-Only for a missing linked image caused crash
Linked images that fail to load now fall back to previews
Fixed Populate Picture Frames across multiple artboards
Convert to Picture Frame was disabled for EPS
(Win) Create Palette from CMYK images imports as RGB
(Win) Fix for inconsistent document tabbing
Text
Can now use <Ctrl> / <Cmd> (Win / Mac) to link multiple text frames
When linking text frames stories are now concatenated
Preserve Manual Position not reflected correctly in Pinning Panel
Add special hyphenation rules for solidus (U+002F) to distinguish e.g. fractions
Changing spread / artboard in an Embedded Document now updates Text Wrap
Fixed default wrapping around Embedded Documents with transparency
Prevent table cell separators from being copied to non-tables (fix for non-deletable breaks)
Fixed auto-correct bug entering double spaces
Fixed line endings for Paragraph decorations
Now possible to remove arrowheads if inadvertently applied to Text Frame
Leading override could not be set to Auto in Text Style
Text with 'No break' did not always break before the no break
Fixed hyphenation issues in last line of column
(Mac) Missing font dropdown doesn't list missing fonts
(Win) Spell check identifies numbers mixed with other characters as incorrectly spelt
Tables
Adjusting Table properties for multiple cells fails if selected cell already has the desired property
Fixed possible crash when auto fitting table to text
Find and Replace
Fixes for skipping occurrences when replacing
Tidied up finding around end of text
Hyperlinks
Fixes for hyperlinks in Tables
Hyperlinks are no longer generated in PDF output if hidden
Fixes for Hyperlink panel not always displaying correct page of link target
Fixed hyperlink bugs when switching to / from facing pages
Glyph Browser
Glyph Browser now always renders glyphs at screen scale
DocX
Importing tables from docx files could fail to import formatting resulting in crash
Fields
Added yyyy-MM-dd date format
Resources
Linked images - Context toolbar not updated after converting to embedding
Filenames with underscores not displayed correctly in Resource Manager
Font Manager
Font Manager 'Locate' did not locate full runs
Export / Print
Prevent spurious warnings about overflow text in text frames that won't be output anyhow
Overprint Black now only sets to overprint if tint set to 100%
Fix for "Rasterise nothing" was causing PDF export failure in certain circumstances
(Win) Print dialog wasn't always removing the red overlay after page had been scaled to fit
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To be notified about all future Windows beta updates, please follow this notification thread 
To be notified when this Publisher update comes out of beta and is fully released to all Publisher customers, please follow this thread

I am really happy with the new appearance panel and the possibility to have numerous fills and strokes for a single shape. Could we also get a transform effect that can be applied to each fill or stroke. It does not need to be an effect, but the possibility to transform each fill  and stroke independently from the others.
Equally useful would be the possibility to apply different effects to different fills and strokes

Hi Luís,
I've been mentioning it because it's the closest feature we have and that may help a few users (in some cases). I'm aware it's not the same, nor a replacement for a "true" Isolation mode like you find in Illustrator. Although i know i'm repeating myself, let me stress again that it's really difficult for a small team to acknowledge/address the impressive amount of features users have been requesting with all the work planned that's currently being done on the background. It may not seem obvious from the "outside" but they are doing the best they can already. Some requested features will come with v1.7 but there's still a "million" that will have to wait. I understand how this can be frustrating but only time (and a few more developers - which Serif is already trying to hire) will help smooth things out.

Ok... This is my final intervention in this post... First, I ain't gonna watch that video that does not interrest me at all. I won't show you any easier way to align and reduce noise on your Milky way pictures. This is something that you should find out yourself. If AP can't do the job you need it to do... well don't buy it and keep doing it in Photoshop. Good for you if you like astrophotography and like spend hours in PS to align the stars. But don't ask people in this forum to try to help you with a 94 (or more) steps to process your photos, try it yourself. Cheers !

I'm sorry but I still can't believe your questions, with all the steps involved... why don't you try to do it in AP and then post the solution when you find out.

I'm sorry but I have to say it.... I just can't belive what I read here.... You can't be serious, this got to be a joke.... Just click the top right corner "X" and start Photoshop.

= and + share the same key (ignoring numeric keypad which may not be present on all devices) on common keyboard layouts, with = being the default and + only working if shift is also pressed.
Ctrl + = seems logical to me because it functions without the shift modifier.
Ctrl + + could imply that the shift must also be pressed.
 

I too would love this feature to be implemented. For illustration, precise control over variable stroke width is a must.
In the meantime I can appreciate the pressure tab workaround, but for larger lines or illustrations this isn't really viable.
 
One possible idea would be to have a visual indicator visible along a path to edit a width profile. These changes
could be made then updated in the profile window also. As mentioned earlier in the thread, abrupt changes in the width
could be mitigated by adding anchors to the profile points, and along this path indicator. One problem with Adobe's Illustrator
implementation is the sometimes unpredictable behaviour of stroke width that occurs at tight corners on a path. Perhaps
adding a parametric option to the pressure/width profile editor would eliminate this problem.
 
Looking forward to how this goes! Buying my windows license this week :3