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Frozen Death Knight

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Posts posted by Frozen Death Knight

  1. Posted

    14 hours ago, william said:

    Thanks for picking it up haakoo! The introduction of the segment cutter is an intuitive and effective way of working with paths. Wonder why such a beautiful addition wasn't documented by Affinity😮

    Hopefully plans are also under way to enable same node tool to copy, cut and paste path segments.

    Sometimes things slip through the cracks. When I was testing last year's 1.8 Beta, the devs forgot to put into the patch notes that you can change brush size/hardness as well as toggle between different brush settings like rotation, spacing, etc. I just happened to find it by accident and then told people about this nice quality of life change which the devs then added to the patch notes by my request. 

    It is fun when you find those little secrets though.  :D

  3. Posted

    46 minutes ago, Chris J said:

    Thanks for the great feedback @Frozen Death Knight! I have put in a fix for the crash. And also, as suggested, I have added the ability to select the layers/objects which contain children. This will be via the topmost item on the child submenu with a separator below it.

    Regarding the selection; I will look into it. 

    Thanks again.

    Chris

    My pleasure! ^-^

    Great to hear that the issues are being addressed! This selection system is going to be a really good workflow enhancement while working.

    I just thought up another idea regarding the new selection method. I don't know if you would agree with me here since I don't know all the long term plans regarding tools and shortcuts, but here goes! Could you add this select operator to the brush tools as well? As of right now there is no operator assigned to ctrl+R click for all the brush tools, but I know that it would be really nice if you decided to add it. Would be a lot more convenient from my artist point of view if I don't need to switch between the Brush Tool and Move Tool to select a layer I want to work on on the fly. Unless you have other plans to add some other features to the brush tool that would interfere with my request, it would be much appreciated if you added this feature there as well.

    Thanks! :D

  4. Posted

    I think I might have found another problem with the new ctrl+R click menu. Apparently you cannot select the main layer with this system using this menu, only the layers clipped or grouped to it. Here's a video example where I am trying to select a pixel layer, but because it already has at least two other layers clipped to it it instead behaves more like a menu rather than a selectable option. In this video you can see me trying to select the layer "Line Art", but instead it only shows the layers attached to it. I hope that you change it so that any layer can be selected in this menu. Maybe add a small square space on the right of each menu option where you can select click instead of opening the "folder" with its layers inside it? This way you have an easier way of doing either action without interfering too much with each other.

    Another issue I found was that ctrl+R click doesn't respond to certain selections. For instance, if you have selected something outside of a group of layers (i.e. selecting the background instead of the foreground), trying to get the menu to show the contents of what you are trying to select doesn't work until you press L click first on that group. Then you can use this command to search through whatever is inside that selection. Would be good if this command tried to select the main group first and then show the contents in the menu just so it feels better when clicking on stuff on the canvas. Would reduce some of the tedium of having to L click -> ctrl+R click every time.

  5. Posted

    Really digging the new ctrl+R click menu for selecting things! Great change and I can't wait to see it in Designer and Photo. 🥳

    I did notice that the feature was a bit unstable. Had Publisher crash repeatedly when I used it in one project where I had nothing selected in a file with an artboard (clicked outside the canvas). Might have to look into that maybe? :)

    One suggestion I have for when clicking outside the canvas, especially with multiple artboards, is that it shows all the layers in the project which you can then select (for artboards they would be considered as groups on that list). That way you have a fast way to select any layer and you have a quick overview of the entire document. Clicking on a specific layer to show what is clipped and/or grouped to it is nice and all, but I could see it becoming more useful if you have a way to see every layer by clicking outside the canvas as a contextual command. ^-^

    Chris J reacted to this

  7. Posted

    53 minutes ago, Seneca said:

    Thanks for the next beta.

    I would suggest to add the Duplicate Link command to the contextual Layer menu as well.

    Yes! Also don't forget other missing operators like Merge Selected and New Fill Layer not being in that contextual menu. Always bothered me since I bought Affinity that it is missing those since I used them a lot in Photoshop, especially the former.

    anon2 reacted to this

  8. Posted

    Just going to boil down 3 things for Designer and Photo respectively to make it simple.

    Photo:

    1) Improved brush management with Windows specific bugs getting fixed that don't exist on Mac.

    2) Improve colour picking and allowing the Colour Picker Tool to change the settings for the alt version when using various brush tools.

    3) The ability to change cache data directory (technically for all Affinity programs, but it's still a very high priority feature for me).

    Designer:

    1) A raster to vector converter.

    2) A shape builder tool with Divide booleans finally fixed.

    3) The ability to create embedded documents directly from the Layer panel like Photoshop can with smart objects (for all three programs).

    Take care! :)

    AITCH and Cuando reacted to this

  9. Posted

    4 hours ago, Patrick Connor said:

    Can you confirm this is still true when using a mouse and a tablet (with the same size brush)?

    Tried comparing mouse vs tablet. Mouse controls seem to be more responsive, but fast strokes are still slowed down at the start of each stroke and then speed up significantly once holding down the stroke for an extended period of time. This is especially noticeable on massive brushes where the start is slow, but becomes super responsive with it being very easy to brush a massive canvas with next to no lag as long as you keep the stroke going.

    Tablet on the other hand can feel significantly sluggish since pen pressure brushes seem to be even more demanding, which becomes worse for every fast stroke done in a chain. With pen pressure taken out of the picture both mouse and tablet perform about equally.

    Here's a more extensive report with a video demonstrating the problems:

     

    Patrick Connor reacted to this

  11. Posted

    Export Timelapse sounds to me like something just up my alley. Really cool to see that you are adding Pattern Layers as well. Live Liquify sounds really promising, especially since you don't seem to be forced to use embedded documents like Photoshop has to with smart objects to have non-destructive liquify.

    Can't wait to see what else you have in store for 1.9! 🥳

    Andy Somerfield and affinityfan reacted to this

  12. Posted

    Noticed that this build is a little bit more unstable compared to the previous one. When painting and undoing, I had a crash happening. Tried opening the program against and have been able to continue on for a bit longer, but hardware acceleration still has issues of slowdowns of my strokes and uneven performances. In some cases it is super faster, in others, not to so much. Might have regressed a little bit from previous builds, but not sure, since it's the same problems that I have already reported basically.

  13. Posted

    Nice, but you forgot the final method, which is also my preferred method when painting. Open the Channels panel and find the Composite Alpha. Then you click on the white pen icon to deactivate editing of all the alphas globally. Alternativel you click on the Composite Alpha area and single out just the Composite Alpha on the canvas while allowing editing of just the alphas, thus allows you to erase non-destructively when you have a colour imaged. This works on several tools that don't support Protect Alpha like the Smudge Brush Tool and Blur Brush Tool. Super useful feature.

    Boldlinedesign reacted to this

  14. Posted

    I mentioned in my last post that I was indeed impressed by the update. However, from my own perspective, the vast majority of these changes will not be affecting my art workflow. Meanwhile Affinity Photo is getting more add-on support in the form of Lazy Nezumi Pro that has recently added Windows Ink support for Photo and other softwares like Krita. Bear in mind that this has long been a Photoshop exclusive add-on with the capability to hook up to any software with limitations, so seeing it evolve beyond Adobe is actually pretty exciting for many artists out there (even for all you Krita fans! :D). This will help a lot in my workflow and it shows that Affinity is actually progressing into becoming more recognised as an alternative to Photoshop.

     

    dannyg9 reacted to this

  15. Posted

    I personally took direct contact with the developer behind this fantastic add-on about 3 months ago to inform him about the improvements done to Affinity with the additions of Windows Ink and better Wintab support. Seems like he took notice and has added Windows Ink support for Affinity Photo and many other softwares in the latest update. A good sign that some add-on developers are taking notice of Affinity.

    https://lazynezumi.com/news

    If you are very artist oriented, I highly recommend you checking this add-on out. Painting will not be the same afterwards. 🥳

    Alfred reacted to this

  16. Posted

    I checked out a video preview by PiXimperfect. For once I can say that Adobe has done a good job with producing a significant content update. Pattern Preview I think is the best feature of that update and I think Affinity would greatly benefit from having this as well. The AI stuff really doesn't interest me much since I primarily am an artist more than a photo manipulator, but it's still cool nonetheless. I can see why some photographers and image editors would want AI aware features inside Affinity as well to speed up lengthy selection processes.

    That said, I did notice that they have taken some ideas from Affinity. I.e. search bars for assets, swatches, and more, the improved primitive shapes with booleans, and Version History which is pretty much a mixture of Snapshots and the branching history states. Some of them I still think Affinity does better (more specifically primitive shapes, branched history states, and Snapshots), but it's nice that Adobe are acknowledging good ideas as being just that, good ideas. As long as Serif also take the good ideas from Adobe, it's all fair game.

    As for the discussion in regards to Serif needing to up their game even more, I think people should have realistic expectations on what Serif are able to accomplish compared to Adobe. I don't think that Serif should be chasing Adobe's tail constantly, since that is a chase that is never going to end. They don't have the same resources or the manpower to push out all these features in one major update. Yes, they should absolutely take Adobe products into account when adding new features and improvements to Affinity, but they should also chart their own course so that they can carve out their own place in the market. It's more important that the devs add the right sort of features that will satisfy their customer base and benefit all three programs as a whole rather than trying to push out Adobe sized content patches. The one main strength Affinity has over Adobe products is how well connected all three softwares are with each other, so the devs will need to be resourceful when making changes that add to the overall value of the entire Suite. Affinity should not strive to be just like Adobe, but being Affinity.

    jmwellborn, Seneca, CLC and 1 other reacted to this

  17. Posted

    Good idea. :)

    Not sure if this is helpful or not, but one workaround to this is to copy the objects and use expand stroke so they will recognise the outlines of each other and then finally delete the copies if you don't need them. Far from ideal, but it works somewhat. Alternatively you use guides to help assist the snapping process a bit more when you want to repeat the process on several objects at once with the same outline widths.

  18. Posted

    The new log-in system seems to work on my end. Got a message that asked me if I wanted to keep my downloads or uninstall. Thanks for listening to the feedback!

    Btw, I have a small request regarding logging in and out of your account. Right now I noticed that if you log out, you have to manually type in your e-mail info again from scratch to log back in. I know some log-in services that save your account name/e-mail info after having typed it in once as a small quality of life improvement, so would it be possible to get something like that for Affinity? :)

    affinityfan, davisba2 and Mithferion reacted to this

  19. Posted

    28 minutes ago, ELinder said:

    No response here either? I fear the fix for this is such a major boolean re-write that they're pushing off a fix until they go to version 2 of the program.

    Erich

    The devs have said that they want to fix it, but for whatever reason something is hindering them from fixing it. Either it's too complicated to get solved in a short time frame or they don't know how yet.

    I agree about it needing to be a high priority bug fix, though. They fixed some bugs with other booleans in 1.8, so not having Divide fixed yet feels pretty bad.

  20. Posted

    Great to see that you are taking our concerns seriously. Helps with building trust. :)

    Anyway, I wanted to expand my thought process regarding managing updates and installs from before. Here are some things I would like to see regarding the handling of Afffinity programs:

    1) Divide up installs into two categories: Retail and Beta. 

    2) Each section will have a way to access the latest patch notes for each version. Would make things a little easier to keep track of changes.

    3) A direct link to the bug forums. Been Alpha and Beta testing Blender and one change the devs did some versions ago that has been invaluable when writing bug reports has been a direct link to creating a bug report with basic info about my hardware, what build version I am using, and a basic structure for how to write a report. Would speed things up a bit when sending feedback.

    4) When a new update happens (Retail or Beta), you are given the option to either update your current install or create a brand new one with a new install location. This would be extra helpful during Beta tests where some builds are more broken than others and you would want to switch from an older to a newer build to check for differences. This combined with point 3 with info of your current version would make writing reports a little bit clearer.

    5) Allow you to move the location of your cache data to other hard drives other than your main hard drive, possibly even cloud storage, for all your owned Affinity programs. Right now there is no way to change cache data storage in Affinity, so one way this could be done is through this new system with a bigger overview of all programs and not just one at a time.

    Those are just some ideas on what I would like to see happen with the new system. If I have more, I will post them! :)

    TheFlow and Ash reacted to this

  21. Posted

    3 hours ago, fde101 said:

    Maybe allow users to configure the context toolbar to be two rows to allow for such cases?

    Would be great, yeah. I have the same problem when using brushes in Photo with some settings being tucked away in a mini menu. Would gladly trade some canvas space for a more readable context toolbar.

  22. Posted

    25 minutes ago, AlainP said:

    Everything went smoothly including the registration process on both apps. But.... I quit using some software (ON1 the most recent) as you must be logged in to use them. Yes it has some advantages but you have to give up on your privacy to a certain point and I hate that, it's close to spying on users. I hope that in the future I will be able to use the app and all the stuff I bought without having to be logged in. 

    I agree about offline mode. I appreciate the thought behind the Resource Manager (tons of potential) and I am looking forward to trying it later tonight, but I too am concerned about the possibility of needing to be always online to use Affinity. In most cases I am always online so it will not affect my day to day use, but the times I am not I want to be sure that I am not locked out from the programs. Needing to be online to receive patch updates and the like I however do not mind and I hope that us users will be able to manage updates and installs of the Affinity Suite through the new Resource Manager down the line.

    Anyway, looking forward to trying it out!

    Chris B, IPv6 and PaulAffinity reacted to this

  23. Posted

    43 minutes ago, KC Honie said:

    I admit nothing, you will not put words in my mouth (so to speak)

    DAM = Digital Asset Manager.  If added to Photo then AP is an application with DAM capabilities, not a DAM.

    If it is a stand alone application that works through Studio Link then it is a DAM

    Lightroom was created as a RAW converter/developer with DAM capabilities because it was the only way to manage the great numbers of digital images people were creating.  While the DAM functionality is a core component of LR, it is in essence a RAW converter/developer.

    There are a number of commercial DAMs available that are not components of another application, they just don't really support Affinity.  Serif needs to create a DAM that manages the digital assets used across all of the Affinity apps (in actuality it needs to support nearly all creative apps, people don't just use Affinity tools).  Affinity based would be a good start.

    Without the ability to effectively manage the very basis of why Affinity apps exist (the graphic asset) then there is no reason to continue to use Affinity apps, certainly no reason to pay for upgrades to 2.0...

    I am not sure why during the planning for the app family they didn't make the assets compatible across the range apps...   ...just very poor planning, or designer and publisher were afterthoughts.

    Something can be more than just one thing. For instance, Photoshop is an image editor, a photo RAW editor, an art program, a 3D texturing program, an animation tool, and more at the same time. If you called Photoshop any of these things you would be correct in saying so. Calling Lightroom a DAM is a perfectly logical thing to call it if it has that capability. Sure, you can discuss which aspect is the core aspect of a software, but there is nothing illogical by calling something for what it actually is. I never claimed that the DAM part of Lightroom was the core aspect of the software and wasn't even the point in the first place. In fact, my entire point was that despite it being a DAM (and I will continue calling it for what it is), it still wasn't on par with the popularity of Photoshop, which lacks this capability pretty much completely. So this aspect of Lightroom clearly isn't strong enough to outshine the strengths of Photoshop for a lot of people.

    I think priortising the creation of Photo, Designer, and Publisher over a DAM at least makes some sense, since Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign are arguably Adobe's flagship softwares as well. Making a DAM after all three have been released on all major platforms seems a bit more reasonable when the devs can now take into account StudioLink which wasn't a introduced until Publisher. If they can deliver on a stronger share of assets between all Affinity softwares, I could see a DAM being a bit more interesting proposal.

    KC Honie reacted to this

  24. Posted

    59 minutes ago, KC Honie said:

    You have no case to rest... First of all Lightroom is NOT a DAM, it is RAW Converter/Developer (with built in DAM functionality, just like C1P) and it is a wildly popular application.  Adobe Camera Raw is shared by both PS and LR and it is what makes round tripping between the two application far superior to AP and other Raw Converters.

    Neither LR nor C1P would not be usable without the DAM functionality.

    I would be happy with a Studio Link DAM for graphic assets used by all of the affinity apps (I have not changed my position on that subject).  Affinity's DAM "Affinity Asset" would be a welcome addition to the Affinity family of apps.  I personally have several hundred thousand photographic images and untold numbers of graphic elements, my collection(s) are not large by any stretch.

    There is no way to manage that many photos without a DAM, the same is true of graphics elements.  There are a number of 3rd party DAMs for graphics elements that don't play well with Affinity's tools.  If Serif wants the Affinity apps to be truly usable by pros, then a full featured DAM is the price of entry.

    Now if you want to carry this discussion one step further Serif also desperately needs to create a tool to effectively manage: brushes, macros, styles, overlays, presets, etc.  Basically a DAM for all of the affinity add-ins...

    The suite needs to include:

    • Affinity Photo
    • Affinity Designer
    • Affinity Publisher
    • Affinity Develop (Better yet partner with Capture One, so the raw converter is the same and skip this app altogether)
    • Affinity Asset (for photographic and graphic assets)
    • Affinity Add-In Manager

    So you admit it is also DAM, yet your starting argument says it is "NOT a DAM" at the same time. That's quite some doublethink if I ever saw it. I know perfectly well that it does more than just manage assets, but you are just moving the goalposts because it is inconvenient for you to admit that it is in fact, a DAM. By your logic, if Serif decided to make a program with DAM capability, it wouldn't be considered a DAM if the program did more than just that. I.e. adding DAM functionality to Photo would also not fulfill your criteria for what is DAM by how you just defined Lightroom right now. Your definition for what a DAM is really doesn't add up.

    Lightroom may be popular, but let's be real here, Photoshop is clearly the more popular one of the two and there are plenty of Photoshop users who have never touched a program like Lightroom with DAM capability. That also includes myself. Not everyone needs a DAM, which was my point by comparing the popularity of each program with each other. Sure, I might change my mind on that at some point, but as of now I am not interested in one. I don't mind if Serif does develop a new program for it, but it is still is not something I crave for right now.

    I think those ideas for other types of softwares are decent ones. If they would be able to deal with handling brushes, assets, etc. so they are shared between all programs I would consider that as a decent upgrade to what we have now. Right now Photo, Designer, and Publisher have different types of assets and if you want them to be the same you have to manually export and import them over. If the assets were more universal that would be a pretty solid selling point that I could consider worth investing into.

    KC Honie reacted to this

  25. Posted

    Agreed, especially regarding the brush manager being directly accessible on the canvas; i.e. R click. Another aspect that needs improving is the Colour Picker Tool not sharing its custom settings with the other brushes. For instance, you want to sample with a 3x3 Radius instead of 1x1 with Current Layer activated while using the Brush Tool? Nope, can't do it. You have to select you Colour Picker Tool with either "I" or the tool icon and then use it with those settings. I want these settings to apply to ALL colour picker tools in Affinity, not just the Colour Picker Tool.

    Another downside is that if you want to have a specific setting that you wish to use every time you start up Affinity, you then have to do it manually. Every. Single. Time. It sure gets tiring repeating the same action every time you want to work. Saving them as sticky settings that remembers the customisations from your last session would be a massive quality of life improvement as well.

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