For a number of months now behind the scenes we have been producing a workbook for Affinity Designer, and I'm pleased to let you know it is available from today!
This is a big book - 448 pages, in hardback - and it includes fantastic projects created by some top designers, as well as a comprehensive reference to all our tools and panels, and a set of core skills tutorials.
You can find more information about it here.
Usual price is $49.99 / £37.99, but we are running a 20% discount for the launch making it only $39.99 / £29.99 (+ shipping and handling).
It's worth pointing out that right now the book is only available in English but we do plan to do a German version which should be available towards the end of the year.
For more information about the launch and how to buy go here.
Here's a recap of the new features in Photo 1.5, along with tutorial videos which will accompany the features...
Focus Merge Support
Focus merging allows you to generate a detailed composite image from a number of images focused at differing lengths. Use File -> New Focus Merge to get started.
Video tutorials:
Focus Merging
Focus Merge Retouching
Focus Merging Bracketed Images
HDR Merge Support
HDR merging lets you create a deep, unbounded 32-bit image from a number of exposure bracketed source images. Use File -> New HDR Merge to get started.
Video tutorials:
HDR: Merging and Tone Mapping
HDR: Tone Map Presets
HDR: Panoramas
HDR: Preprocessing
HDR: Advanced Editing
HDR: Ghosts Removal
New 32bit RGB Editing Mode
Photo now offers a full compositing / editing environment for 32bit unbounded images.
Video tutorials:
HDR: 32-bit Editing
32bit Develop
Photo can now Develop RAW files directly into a 32bit document - so all highlights / shadows are preserved and recoverable at any time.
Video tutorials:
32-bit Raw Development
OCIO (OpenColorIO) Support
Photo now support end-to-end OCIO colour workflows.
Video tutorials:
OpenColorIO Setup
OpenColorIO Adjustment
Tone Mapping Persona
Full tone mapping Persona for both HDR and LDR images. This is obviously best used with an image merged by HDR merge - although you can use it on any image.
Video tutorials:
Regular Tone Mapping
OpenEXR / HDR (Radiance) / 32bit TIFF Import / Export
Photo can now import and export .hdr (Radiance, RGBE) and .exr (OpenEXR) images. It correctly deals with 0-alpha cases (as per the OpenEXR spec) and generally operates in linear space. It support multi-layer EXR files and offers control (through Preferences) over alpha association and premultiplication.
Video tutorials:
OpenEXR Multichannel Import/Export
OpenEXR Import Options
Macros
Using the View -> Studio -> Macro and View -> Studio -> Library menu items, you can access new panels which will allow you to record actions, save them, then play them back later. You can also store them in a handy gallery.
Video tutorials:
Macros
Macros: Equations
Batch Processing
Using File -> New Batch job, you can queue up processing on a large number of files. You can resize, convert format and apply any number of macros to each file. The batch processing happens in the background - so you can continue working whilst the jobs are processed.
Video tutorials:
Batch Processing
Live Projections
Photo 1.5 contains a new mechanism which allows you to edit an image in different spatial domains - we currently support the “Equirectangular” domain (360 pano - Ricoh Theta, etc.). You can use all tools when editing - and you can convert back once you have edited. This is especially useful for cleaning up stitching artefacts, or artefacts at the zenith / nadir of the image. Use the options in Layer -> Live Projection to get started.
Video tutorials:
360 Live Editing
360 Advanced Editing
360 Retouching
360 Multiple Views
Live Perspective Projection
Improved Pixel Tool
The pixel tool is improved in 1.5 - you can hold shift when dragging to constrain the direction of painting (sorry we did not get this working sooner!). You can also select what happens when you hold Alt and drag - erase to transparent, erase to background colour, or erase to whatever the nominated snapshot / history location is (like in the Clone tool).
New “Pixel Art” Document Resizing
Photo now contains an alternative way to resize a document - using well known pixel-art resampling algorithms. If you work with pixel art and want to use this feature, it’s located under the Document menu.
Video tutorials:
Pixel Art Resize
New “Accumulation” Brush Dynamics
Many users have asked for “Opacity Jitter”. For us, opacity is a constant thing and will remain constant. However, we have added a new property to brushes - “Accumulation” - which should allow you to get what you need
Text Styles
Affinity Photo now has the same Text Styles support as Designer - it’s all shared code so it should work right out of the box
New Marquee Modes (Polygonal, Magnetic)
Photo now has 3 modes for the freehand selection tool - Freehand, Polygonal and Magnetic.
Video tutorials:
Freehand Selection Tool
Even more RAW cameras supported
Over 70 new RAW cameras are supported.
Improved Metadata Mining
Our detection of RAW / JPEG / etc. metadata has been upgraded and some serious bugs have been fixed.
Massive Improvements to Export Persona
Our Export Persona has seen huge upgrades in this cycle - you now have total control of exactly what resolution sets get exported. You can also use our handy batch export builders to quickly generate content for external consumption - ie. Xcode .assets - even Spline compatible metadata can be generated!
Layered TIFF Interop
Users have constantly asked us to support “Layered TIFF”. Layered TIFF is not a thing. TIFF with embedded data is a thing - and I’m happy to report that we now import embedded PSD / Affinity data and can write TIFF with embedded Affinity data.
Halftone Filter
We have a marvellous new halftone pattern filter in 1.5 - it can approximate monochrome, colour, circular and line halftones.
Video tutorials:
Halftone Scanlines Effect
Improved Apply Image Filter
Users can how use the current layer as the source for Apply Image - or drag any layer from the layers tab into the dialog to use that as thr source. We also offer handy equations in the filter to control how channels are transferred - in an arbitrary colour source.
Video tutorials:
Apply Image
Apply Image: Equations
Improved Select Sampled Colour Filter
You can now select by intensity in the select sampled colour tool.
Equations Filter
A new Equations Distortion filter allows users to create custom spatial filters.
Video tutorials:
Equations filter
Macros: Equations
Dust & Scratches Filter
Many user have asked us for a “Dust & Scratches” filter - so we have made one. It’s extremely useful for removing sporadic small defects in images. Please let us know if it works for you.
Video tutorials:
Dust & Scratches Filter
“Edit in Affinity Photo” Photos extension
This is something which we didn’t think we could do - a Photos extension for Mac OS 10.9 and above which simply allows you to use the full Photo app to edit your images - and stores the changes you have made as a layered document.
New Colour Picker Tool
After literally thousands of requests, we have implemented a dedicated picker tool for colours.
New Clone Sources Panel
We now have a new studio panel which allows you to store up an unlimited number of global sources for the Clone / Healing brush - it even works across multiple documents.
Video tutorials:
Clone Sources
Clone Sources: Texture Creation
Direct PSD Write-Back
One of the most requested features - direct write-back to PSD. A number of 3rd party DAM applications will happily deal in PSD - but until now, Photo required you to File -> Export for PSD. No longer! You can now just hit File -> Save! You will need to turn this on - in File -> Preferences - please read the warning there carefully!
Video tutorials:
Direct PSD write-back (round tripping)
No Thumbnails Option
This is more a Designer feature, but I promised it some time ago so here it is - you can choose (in Preferences) not to write out a thumbnail with your documents. This has the advantage of making your documents use less space - but obviously you won’t get Finder thumbnails, etc.
Improved Vectorscope
Our old HSL vectorscope is no more - replaced by a vastly more appropriate Rec.709 YUV scope with an improved graticule
Improved Photoshop Plugin Support
We have found a significant bug with our plugin code - it has been fixed :) We are now finding the majority of plugins work properly.
Multi-monitor Colour Profile Support
Sorry it took so long to get this fixed - we now can profile different on different monitors.
Adjustment Performance Improvements
Found and fixed a simple issue which made changing adjustment parameters appear to be slow. Fixed.
Automatic Lens Corrections
Automatic lens corrections (distortion and vignetting) are now supported for a wide array of lens profiles. This option is available in the Develop Assistant (enabled by default).
Video tutorials:
Automatic Lens Corrections
Improved RAW Colour Handling
The way colour operations are handled in the Develop persona has been improved - the difference is most noticeable in images with intense, saturated colours (think low light photography with lots of artificial lighting).
Video tutorials:
Raw Colour Quality
This update also includes literally hundreds of fixes and small improvements, some of which are listed below:
- User control over two pass rendering on Retina devices.
- PSD import / export improvements.
- PDF import / export improvements.
- Snapping improvements - candidate-free snapping, gaps-and-spans (Alt key in Move Tool), so much more!
- Performance and stability improvements for macOS Sierra.
Hi everyone!
My name is Tatiana I am from Russian city of St. Petersburg. Please tell me where I can write about the problem with the export of Affinity designer to EPS?
Thanks!
